Learning Japanese comes down to a lot of repetition over a long period of time, at regular intervals. What else are you doing constantly every day that sounds the same? Entering passwords. True, a lot of passwords can just be stored these days, not requiring you to type it in. But what if you ignored that and use every repetitive entry of your password to … Continue reading →
You probably know Mr. Miyagi, the old man from Okinawa who teaches Daniel LaRusso how to protect himself against bullies in The Karate Kid. You may also know how he taught him karate indirectly, by first having Daniel wax his cars and paint his fences. But what if the movie was different—what if, instead of having to learn karate, Daniel had just moved to Japan … Continue reading →
I’ve had my share of mind-numbing jobs in the past, growing up. The type of work where you use about 5% of your brain on the work, and 95% of your brain trying to keep yourself sane. Try comparing the number on a check versus the spelled out number for 10 hours straight.. Sound terrible? It could, unless you use opportunities like this to learn … Continue reading →
I bet if I asked you to introduce yourself, regardless of your level, you’d sound pretty damn good. I’d ask you about where you’re from, your hobbies, your likes/dislikes, and you are a pro. Then I’d ask you about fusion (nuclear, not DBZ), and you’d freeze. You have a gap in your knowledge. You don’t know about fusion. Shame on you. But you are lower … Continue reading →
Shounen anime is home ground of 300+ episodes, a seemingly never ending story line, and required loyalty to a series over a span of many years. Most people have at least one series that they feel they’ve been watching forever. Whether you like it or not, you are usually stuck with that series, waiting for that rewarding conclusion that fulfills the continuing anticipation you experienced … Continue reading →
As Japanese culture, food, and people continue to influence the world at a rapid pace, a strange issue for people who learn Japanese arises. When you have a conversation in English, with another English native speaker who has no knowledge about the Japanese language, what do you do when a Japanese word comes in? Many Japanese words make their way into the typical native English … Continue reading →
If you are talking to your boss, a customer, a client, an elder, someone senior to you, someone you just met, then you are probably in polite mode. Things are going well into you slip in an 俺 (casual I used by young males), a ぜ (casual sentence ender used by young guys to show emphasis), or a だよね(casual “right?!”). You’ve broken your politeness vow. … Continue reading →
Variety shows are a strange phenomenon in Japan, and something many foreigners refuse to accept as a pleasurable form of entertainment. Translation: Most non-Japanese don’t like variety shows. They fall on the bottom rung of the TV ladder. And yes, there is an unspoken ladder ranking of what TV usually looks like to foreigners. It goes something like this: Anime: Love it! Could watch it every … Continue reading →
