Tofugu Comments - Latest Comments

Re: Is Learning Japanese Not Popular Anymore?

jsm1921 — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:52:04 -0000

If I can get a webcam and microphone for my laptop going, I would be happy to work with you over Skype. Whatever you do, do NOT resort to anime. The language they use in anime can very often get you strange looks. You must understand that Japanese has different levels of language, on top of the 4 alphabets. They uphold these language forms dearly and if you don't, they won't respect you very much...

Okay, maybe a little, but you have to trust me on this. I tried using phrases I learned from anime while I lived in Japan, and many times people couldn't understand what I was saying.

I will also be starting my own blog that will have lots of stuff to do with Japanese, but I don't have that up yet. Anyways, contact me somehow if you like the idea of learning "face-to-face" via Skype video calls.

Re: Why Japanese in Hawaii Weren’t Interned during WWII

mmmkikuniku — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:59:18 -0000

Heey, saw this a year too late. But as a side note, I've hypothesized that Japanese Americans living in Hawaii during WWII can to some extent still speak Japanese because there was less anti- Japanese sentiment compared to the mainland. (being 1/3 of the population on an island helps!). Us mainland Japanese Americans can't speak Japanese for crap! Plus we still call the otearai. . benjo. Haha.

Re: Why Japanese in Hawaii Weren’t Interned during WWII

Joyce — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:50:57 -0000

My interest in the topic was renewed after my recent visit to the Noguchi Museum in Queens, Long Island, NY. Amazing Japanese-American, actually a citizen of the world and an artist ahead of his time. As a New Yorker, he was exempt from internment but nevertheless ASKED to be interned in Arizona. It took him 4 months to talk his way out again. I am learning Japanese in anticipation of my retirement from Europe to the Big Island.

Re: Japanese Particles [Cheatsheet]

please — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:36:52 -0000

awww, can someone re-upload this? onegaishimasu

Re: Is Learning Japanese Not Popular Anymore?

Midgarzolom — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:06:11 -0000

I think this just has to do with the internet maturing. People are becoming more and more familiar with their territory of interest, and have less reliance on a search engine as a result. When I first started using the internet, whenever I wanted to find some information, a search engine was my first stop. Now, with almost every aspect of my life, there is a go-to website that I already know of.

I do not think interest in learning Japanese has gone down. My gut tells me it is only going up. Frankly, there are just so many good websites for learning Japanese now. Whenever someone comes to me and is interested, I tell them that there are an overwhelming number of resources to learn the language. When I started a couple of years ago, I was impressed with what I found, but now there are even more. I would say in general, this fact is becoming more transparent to people, who can then pass on the information by word of mouth. We're moving out of a "darker" age, where one begins their quest by making some sort of shot in the dark like, "how do I learn Japanese", on Google.

Anyway, this is a complex question, and one that probably can't be answered too reliably by using some google stats data.

Re: Shortening Japanese

Chris — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:55:15 -0000

So I saw this video (nice one btw) and I started thinking of some other shortened expressions or ways to say things, and I'm not quite sure, but I was wondering if there exists some easier way to say that "I have to do something.."

for example: V+なければなりません　V+なければいけません　V+なくてはいけません

I'm not sure what ways you can shorten those, but I think it would be nice in normal conversation (x_x) I heard my friend use なきゃだめだった is this correct, or is it a completely different word entirely? Thanks for the help :P

Re: Use Mixi.jp to improve your Japanese (and make some friends, too!)

Honda — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:24:30 -0000

hi, i am oversea japanese mix chinese, very nice to meet you, i am Honda, do you mind to send me an invitation please? i would love to pick up my Japanese....as i mainly speak English now, many many thanks!!!
hondapublic0052@gmail.com

Re: Japan’s Top Producer of Ugly Women: Gunma*

oregondentist — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:28:16 -0000

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Re: Go Premium with Lang-8 to Better Your Japanese

boaby — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:59:11 -0000

OFF TOPIC: I've tried to download your cheat sheets but they all give me this error
"This file can not be downloaded at this time.
The file japanese-particles-cheatsheet.pdf has reached its download limit. Files in non-premium drops can only be downloaded 1000 times, both to prevent abuse and because at very high download rates our service becomes prohibitively expensive. If you need to download this file, ask the drop's administrator to remove this download limit by upgrading this drop, either through drop.io manager or a one-time upgrade."
Maybe you should try a filesharer that doesn't have such limits like rapidshare or ifile.

Re: Wash Your Hands Japan, or This Guy Will Dance Again

narutobleach111 — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:59:33 -0000

that video is weird

Re: Practice Kana, Kanji, and Particles with Nihongoup

dwightvelazquez — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:48:22 -0000

On May 5, (yes celebrated Boy's Day and Cinco de Mayo all in one day) I just got married to a beautiful Japanese national. We had set different goals of what we want in life. One of those is I have to learn Japanese. So I get her objective target to master Japanese in 5 years. I had purchased many Genki 1 textbook, manga, and a bunch of helpful apps for my iphone. It has been 3 months and I can read Hiragana and Katakana. I also have memorized at least 40 Kanji. My only problem is the vocabulary part of my self-study. This week I will focus on learning 20 -30 Japanese words a week. Once I can attain a command of what I want to say and response to questions, then I will have the biggest smile. This will be a lifelong commitment that will never get off its track, a commitment of making new Japanese friends. And to look back and say, "wow! I can understand and communicate in Japanese.!" Aloha from Hawaii...

Re: Wash Your Hands Japan, or This Guy Will Dance Again

Nastia — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 11:54:10 -0000

LOL at least they shouldve made it more exciting.. like the music.. mmm some electro or techno beats? hahahah and in some parts it seems like hes talkin in spanish lol

Re: How to get a Japanese Scholarship

Nastia — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 08:50:57 -0000

hi! i was "investigatin" bout the scholarships in japan, and well it says that you should send all documents fromm the country you live in, were you wear born like a resident, im from russia but i dont live there anymore (bout 5 years) so is it possible to still get the scholarship even if i dont have like permanent residence... mmm do i explain myself? xD

Re: Use Mixi.jp to improve your Japanese (and make some friends, too!)

yodaswife@gmail.com — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 07:04:00 -0000

yodaswife@gmail.com

yoroshiku ne~

Re: What Japanese Women Think About Their Bras (and other things too)

zipper_sports_bra — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 06:29:14 -0000

That's the great article! I just pass 'n read it, two thumbs up! ;)

Re: Mixi.jp now hates foreigners. Now requiring a mobile email address to join.

Marques — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:55:01 -0000

i got the phone thing worked out - can i have an invite?

marquesconner@gmail.com

Re: Use Mixi.jp to improve your Japanese (and make some friends, too!)

hindra — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:08:16 -0000

hi, im just googling for ways to join mixi and come across to this blog. i live in fukuoka, and i would really like to be able to join mixi, so if it is not bothering you, could you send an invitation to thamee_thamee@yahoo.com ? thanks!

Re: How to NOT find a Japanese language partner

Haddie — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 05:07:23 -0000

please please please can you tell me where (besides mixi) i can find a japanese-language-partner, i really need some one to practice my japanese on and i can help with their english!!!

Re: Is Learning Japanese Not Popular Anymore?

Daniel.P — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 03:13:42 -0000

A lot of comments....

I actually am dissuaded from learning Japanese sometimes because its too much of a "fad" and I want to be taken seriously. Also Im still leaning towards Chinese. I thought Chinese was a lot less popular for learning?

Re: Go Premium with Lang-8 to Better Your Japanese

Daniel.P — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 03:09:41 -0000

When I'm actually putting in effort I find lang-8 to be really good. The only thing I think its missing is a unified method for corrections.

It seems methods for correcting people are all over the place (crossout, colour , which colours). Im not saying they should enforce a style, but a style GUIDE would be really cool.

Re: My Pokemanz, Let Me Show You Them

Alex — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:59:28 -0000

Thanks for this information . It is useful for me.

Re: My Pokemanz, Let Me Show You Them

Alex — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:59:16 -0000

Thanks for this information . It is useful for me.

Re: Is Learning Japanese Not Popular Anymore?

Chris Ball — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:12:40 -0000

Very interesting charts. I think I checked out the google trend charts a number of years ago but completely forgot about them. I find it hard to imagine that Japanese as a language and culture is becoming less popular though. My reason for saying so is because the internet is becoming so engrained in our global culture that lots of media (anime, manga) that wasn't available before is now just a few clicks away.

In fact, if it weren't for this media, in combination with my wife, I doubt I ever would have began my Japanese studies. Stop by my Japanese learning blog some time and say hello - I could always use some extra inspiration from my readers :) http://japanesewithchris.blogspot.com

Re: How to NOT find a Japanese language partner

welcom2wondrlnd — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:57:04 -0000

Hey, I am learning Japanese- I'm not very good yet! But I wouldn't mind talking to a Japanese person - help them improve their english, while I gradually improve my Japanese. I'm european (irish) so it wud be european english rather than american if that alright...

Re: JapanSoc Chooses the Best Japanese News

Wireless dog fence — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:05:47 -0000

JapanSoc is very much rocking in nature while in the terms of japenese society new's.