Ever get into a studying groove, where the hours fly by, the energy is flowing, and you forget whatever amount of time you originally planned on studying for? These happen often in the early beginner stages. They are great. Who isn’t thrilled by a fountain of motivation pouring out? …Until the following study session. These power sessions usually end in the same way. You get … Continue reading →
I was reading an interesting novel called 小説家の作り方 (How To Create A Novelist), where the protagonist novelist is in pursuit to create the most interesting novel in the world. While realizing the near impossibility of the task he is told a top-secret piece of advice from his editor. If you want to write the greatest novel ever: “All you need to do is read 100,000 … Continue reading →
Do you want to write the most beautiful kanji with ease, to translate your favorite stories back to your own language, and to speak Japanese so well that nobody in Japan would think you were a foreigner if talking to you over the phone? Or do you want something else—for example to understand anime, manga, novels, and movies so well that you get lost in … Continue reading →
Small things can be powerful. For example, take a look at language. The study of sounds, both spoken and written. That doesn’t seem special until we consider that those sounds also carry meaning, which grants them a power beyond a simple noise. Language as a Journey Like many difficult tasks, the study of language is often compared to a journey. Everyone naturally understands what a … Continue reading →
So you want to learn Japanese? Great. That’s the very first step in learning Japanese. So how do you learn Japanese? That’s also the very first question you’ll ask in learning Japanese. After hearing this enough times, I realize people sometimes want a simple answer. An answer that they can easily comprehend without diving into too many overwhelming and possibly discouraging details from day 1. … Continue reading →
You’re an MMO player with a passion for Japanese. You’ve successfully converted World of Warcraft into a Japanese learning environment. Now you want to meet and talk with Japanese players who are as excited about the game as you are. What’s your next step? Finding Japanese Players Despite language and technical barriers, World of Warcraft is home to a thriving Japanese community. A couple of … Continue reading →
You know that feeling when you are peacefully walking from town to town, without a care in the world, and suddenly you are greeted with a loud sound effect, followed by a screen blur, and ultimately a random battle? Your encounter rate エンカウント率 (りつ) and random encounters (ランダムエンカウント) are determined by the game you are playing. While they can occasionally be annoying at times, due … Continue reading →
I once talked about how there is a major difference between not understanding and not hearing. Regardless of your level, sometimes when it is hard to hear things you misinterpret this as your listening ability just lacking. I was talking about this in the context of conversation, and all the variables that affect your actual ability to hear something. But it goes beyond conversation and … Continue reading →
