There is a whole lot of ‘games’ that you can get for the Nintendo DS to help with your Japanese. I’ve tried a few, and I must say that Tadashii Kakitorikun （ただしいかきときくん - aka Perfect Reader / Writer Bird）is one of the best. It drills kanji into you until you can remember every kanji in each set.
It’s got the kanji divided up into year levels (according to what they learn in Japan for each year level), and you can check meanings, view it in context, see kanji combos and then finally play drills and games that test you with its different readings.
The game also marks you on your stroke order and accuracy, showing animations and template lines if you need them to help you improve. It seems they have really thought this one out, you can even flip it for left handed users (like me).
I’d say its perfect for anyone planning on going to Japan or doing an exchange there. Have a look on eBay and get it cheap, it makes Kanji fun (for once).
Well, wouldn’t ya know it? John Mayer speakstries to speak Japanese in this interview with Ryan Seacreast. I found this a while ago but I thought I’d post it here for everyone to enjoy. I can’t help but think that the whole conversation was memorized because his accent is rather think, however prove me wrong if you like. Still, he makes good music and I don’t think a week goes by where I don’t listen to a little Mayer.
You can probably guess what he’s saying, it’s subtitled though for those of you not 日本語 inclined. Take a look.
Anyway, I guess it’s a case of stupid questions = stupid answers huh. On a semi-related note, if you’re keen to see more Western celebrities humiliating themselves in Japanese TV ads, swing by Japander.com.
Scandal, but probably not what you were thinking. While reading through my AFS Safety in Japan manual, it pointed out some pointers for keeping safe on the cramped trains. It said to hold bags to your chest etc etc to prevent them being stolen (I always thought of Japan as a safer place for some reason - I still do). Pretty standard I thought, but the plot thickens.
Anyway, apparently it’s quite common for women / girls to feel the squeeze in the train, and not just ’cause it’s cramped. But not to worry, yelling “pervert!” so the whole train can hear it is enough to keep the creeps at bay - I’m surprised that the cramped conditions is enough, even for the shy Japanese.
Mind you, I’m sure that this isn’t common practice in Japan as in most countries but lucky for me, I need not worry, mainly since I am of the wrong gender for the majority of men. Still I’ll keep my eye out, you never know. Hopefully, no more to come on this one.
Add that to my list of must-know-vocab-before-I-leave.
As you may / may not have noticed, my blog is sporting a brand new domain. Woohoo! So from now, you can access it all at http://www.okaycarey.com . I’ve got some exciting stuff to blog about in the next few days, so keep posted y’all.
Usually, when I feel the need to mention Japan in a conversation, I’m asked a number of questions. 90% of the time I can guarantee they’ll be one of the following:
Oh Cool, how long are you going for?
When are you leaving?
Do you know where in Japan you’re going?
And finally, can you speak “the language”?
What’s more interesting, is I’m sure its the same people asking all the time… they seem to have trouble remembering.
So far, so good. “Oh, you’ve got ages for that” I’m always told. But I’m finding it a little hard to get excited about the whole ordeal, (which is now 116 days away).
Maybe once I know where I’m going and who I’m staying with it will be easier. Anyway, for now, welcome to my blog, there’s a lot more to come. I’ll keep you posted.
