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Obligation Language Learning vs. Passion Language Learning

Japanese Level Up By: | May 24, 2018

When people think of language learning from their early school days, unpleasant memories may arise. This is especially true in the U.S. school system, where the way language is taught along with its perceived need, does not satisfy bringing up a generation of foreign language lovers. Learning language in elementary, junior high, or high school was obligation language learning. And this type of learning comes with heavy … Continue reading →

How to Shadow when you Can’t Shadow

Japanese Level Up By: | May 19, 2018

For the past 2 years on Jalup, my talk of  shadowing has continued to grow. Due to my own personal experience of making it a major daily habit, I saw its raw power. Now I tell everyone to start shadowing. I’ve recognized the personal limits you’ll need to find and set. But I haven’t mentioned the biggest problem:  how do you shadow when you can’t shadow? You’ve … Continue reading →

Can you Pass the JLPT Without Studying for it?

Japanese Level Up By: | May 15, 2018

Regardless of whether you’ve never taken or never plan to take the JLPT, you’ve probably at least thought about it at some point. You decided against it, but you have a nagging thought: “I wonder if I could pass it?” This is usually fleeting, because one of the biggest annoyances of the JLPT is the months of preparation required before actually taking the test. What if … Continue reading →

Do you Really Need to Study Pitch Accent?

Japanese Level Up By: | May 12, 2018

Talk of “Pitch Accent” has been growing these days. There wasn’t much discussion about it up until a few years ago, but now you can’t escape hearing about it and why you need to study it. New courses like the Waseda Japanese Pronunciation Course EdX continue to pop up, and the ridiculous popularity of Dogen’s Pitch Accent & Pronunciation course clearly show that people are interested. Should … Continue reading →

Why Programmers like Japanese & Japanese Learners like Programming

Japanese Level Up By: | May 8, 2018

There are a lot of programmers or people studying to become programmers that visit here. I thought this was a coincidence or maybe because the programming profession continues to rapidly expand worldwide. However, the more I started to get involved in programming myself, I realized something: Programming and Japanese are a match made in heaven. It’s no secret that a lot of programmers choose their … Continue reading →

When Should you Start Immersion?

Japanese Level Up By: | May 4, 2018

Studying in the beginning is straightforward most of the time. Textbooks, flashcards, websites and apps. That is until “Immersion” rears its head in through the window. When should you open the door and let it in? Is there a best time to welcome it with open arms? I’ve talked about how “the faster you get to immersion, the better.” You might conclude to start immersion … Continue reading →

Let’s Talk about Tofugu – A Review

Japanese Level Up By: | May 2, 2018

If you study Japanese, or even just had interest in Japanese culture, you probably ran across Tofugu at some point. Tofugu is one of the largest and longest running Japanese learner websites around. A while back, my friend James reviewed WaniKani (Tofugu’s kanji product) here on Jalup, and shared his positive experience with it.  Tofugu has been something special over the years, and I wanted … Continue reading →

Achieving Your Japanese Goals – May 2018

Japanese Level Up By: | April 28, 2018

We all have goals, big and small. Things get in the way, preventing you from achieving them. Not any more. This time you are going to win. Task Write down specific goals you want to achieve for the month of May Initial Instructions Leave a comment by May 1st and include: 1. Your specific goal(s) 2. Resources you will use 3. Game plan/strategy Completion Instructions Reply to … Continue reading →