2004 – Studying Japanese in a class consisted of tests, quizzes, finals, and mostly uninspired traditional methods that persisted for too long. In comes a high school student, who asks his teacher if instead of doing a boring oral biography for his final, he could do a flash video. “Furasshu!?” shouts the teacher (I’m sure). Flash – a forgotten era of creativity. This was the … Continue reading →
Tired of watching the same old “introduction to Japanese” videos where a pleasantly attractive man or woman in their 30s teaches you how to say the same boring expressions you’ve seen a thousand times elsewhere? Yeah…? Then チョップ (Chop!) Chop is a Youtube & Instagram channel I came across recently, where their videos try to teach typical daily Japanese you need to know. Wait, let me … Continue reading →
Looking for a great Japanese YouTube channel that has become extremely popular in Japan recently, and will entertain and amuse you to no end? 東海オンエア is a talented group of guys that have been friends since high school. They mostly investigate strange things you’ve never thought about, compete with each other in ridiculous self-made challenges, and try not to prank each other too much. While … Continue reading →
Imagine you were part of a comedic duo that struggled for a chance at the spotlight for over 12 years. You’ve put everything into trying to make it but just haven’t gotten your break yet. You can’t help but wonder whether all this work was for nothing. When are you going to win? Then one day, after seeing the voice actor of your favorite anime … Continue reading →
Need an extra boost of motivation? TEDx Talks, the famous inspirational and thought-provoking talks series that tries to change the way the world thinks, has made its way to Japan. While the topics have nothing to do directly with language learning, they discuss goal-setting, achieving your dreams, and discovering how to find what you want. All applicable to your language journey. Want some Japanese speakers to inspire you? … Continue reading →
Fairy tales are fine and exciting, if you are 5 years old. But for adults, things need to get spiced up a bit. How about if those stories were read in the slangiest of slang, 渋谷ギャル語 (Shibuya-style gal slang). Thanks to the Internet, your wish is granted. Since this type of slang isn’t even understood by most Japanese adults, subtitles include notes on what the … Continue reading →
One of the first challenges you must overcome in your quest to master Japanese is learning how to read and pronounce both hiragana and katakana. There are some good apps that will help you to do so. For example, I previously shared three free apps for mastering the kana. But the resources for overcoming this challenge don’t stop there. On YouTube there are a lot … Continue reading →
There is no better way to study Japanese than to listen to Michael Jackson. Didn’t you know that? All it requires is the art of アフレコ (literally “after-recording” or post dubbing). Simply put, take a video and add a fake and funny Japanese spoken soundtrack over it. And you have brilliance. I mean how great could that be? Really? You may need a bit of a … Continue reading →
