Check out this video from an old Japanese variety show. In this video the players play soccer with binoculars on their heads.
Posts Tagged ‘japanese’
Jouyou Kanji (常用漢字)
August 17, 2008The Jouyou Kanji is the government issued list of kanji that everyone should know. However, the kanji placed on the list are not the most commonly used kanji encountered in everyday life, making the list not as useful as it could be.
I recently read Tae Kim’s post about the proposed revisions to the list and the “usefulness” of the list in the first place. Check it out for a great look at the Jouyou Kanji and how studying from the list might not be the most effective way to learn Japanese.
Useful links:
常用漢字 (Jouyou Kanji 日本語)
All 1945 Jouyou Kanji in 10 Minutes
Edo Harumi (エドはるみ)
August 16, 2008My favorite Japanese comedian is Edo Harumi.
I don’t like many Japanese comedians because I think they are kind of stupid (slapstick humor is very popular) but I think Edo Harumi is hilarious! She mocks the middle aged Japanese women who are still trying to be cutesy and they have very specific mannerisms which she imitates well. She has traveled a lot and while her catchphrase is “guu” (Japanese appropriating the English word “good” which then morphs into “guu”) I think she has a lot more awareness of foreign cultures than most Japanese people. It’s nice to see a female comedian in Japan, too; with a few exceptions, most Japanese comedians are men.
I couldn’t find much info on her in English, but here is her Wikipedia page in Japanese: http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%A8%E3%83%89%E3%83%BB%E3%81%AF%E3%82%8B%E3%81%BF
Here is another clip titled “久しぶりに働く”:
You can read her blog here: http://haruhappyharuru.laff.jp/blog/
SRS: Japanese Study Update ２００８年７月１１日
July 11, 2008Recently I have tried to up the amount of Japanese study that I do every day and I have been seeing an improvement in the rate of my language learning. I feel that I am retaining a lot more new words and grammar with my new study regimen.
The main part of my study is using Spaced Repetition Software (SRS) to review vocabulary every day. Depending on how well you know or understand the word or phrase, it brings up the words at different intervals to increase your brains retention. I first learned about SRS from All Japanese All the Time and after reading about his method, I also read a few reviews of the different types of SRS on Nihongo Pera Pera.
Since I have a Mac, I use Anki for my reviewing. With the function to sync to the internet, I can review from my PC at work and my computer at home without losing anything. I try to review every day, and whenever possible I add new vocabulary and sentences. Khaz on AJATT recommends using sentences as much as possible, as it teaches both grammar and vocabulary. When using sentences in my SRS I use only recognition, not production. When I use vocabulary I use both production and recognition.
As my vocabulary increases, I am trying to use more Japanese within the the answer portion of the SRS. For example, I will look up a word in the Sanseido Dictionary and use the Japanese definition as the question, and for the answer I need to guess the word. This is useful, but is slow going both to look up the word, and to be able to understand the definition. As my my vocab improves I will use this more and more.
Next Japanese language post I will talk more about my listening practice.
Some of my frequently used links are below. If you have any good links or books for Japanese practice, please comment below and tell me about them.
SRS:
Useful Links:
All Japanese All the Time
How to Learn Any Language
Nihongo Pera Pera
Japanese Grammar JGram
The Japanese Page
The JLPT Study Page
E-Japanese
Dictionaries:
Sanseido (Japanese to Japanese)
Jim Breen’s WWWJDIC
Japanese News Sites:
How to Make Tofu Dango （豆腐団子のつくり方）
March 25, 2008For the final lesson of the school year at one of my visit schools we made Tofu Dango together. It’s simple and delicious, and a very healthy dessert, so I thought I would share the recipe.
Ingredients: (材料)
Tofu (豆腐) 300 g
Shiratamako （白玉粉）250 g
This is a rice flour made from glutinous rice. Glutinous rice is dried to create this floor. It is commonly used in Japanese desserts and dumblings (dango).
Kinako （きな粉）to taste
Kinako is soybean flour. To make the flour, soybeans are toasted and then ground into powder. It’s taste is similar to peanut butter.
Katakuriko （片栗粉）1/2 tablespoon
This is starch of the dogtooth violet. You can also use cornstarch.
Aonori （青のり）to taste
This is a type of seaweed that is crumbled into powder. Aonori is very good for you and contains minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and vitamins. It is often used in its dried form in Japanese soups and tempura. It is also used to add flavor to Japanese food by sprinkling the powder onto hot food.
Goma （ごま）to taste
Sesame seeds. Black sesame seeds work well also.
Shoyu (しょうゆ) 1 tablespoon
Soy sauce.
Satou （砂糖）
Sugar. Brown sugar works well also.
Mizu (水)
Water.
Utensils and Supplies:
Bowl, ladle or mesh scoop, large pot, stove/burner, plates, forks and spoons.
Instructions: (豆腐団子のつくり方)
1. Put the rice flour in a bowl.
2. Put tofu in the bowl.
3. Mash and need it in the bowl until mixed well.
4. When it becomes the thickness of an earlobe (pinch a bit to check) tear it apart and role it into small balls with no more than an inch or 3 centimeters diameter.
5. While rolling the balls, fill large pot most of the way with hot water and heat the water to a boil.
6. Put the balls into the boiling water.
7. When they float to the surface they are done. Remove them from water and place on a plate. They will become very sticky.
8. In one plate, spread about 1 tablespoon of kinako （きな粉）and 1 teaspoon of sugar (砂糖). On other plates, put goma (ごま) (sesame) or black sesame.
To make a common dango sauce, mix 1 tablespoon shoyu (しょうゆ) (soy sauce), 2 tablespoons sugar or brown sugar, and 1/2 tablespoon katakuriko （片栗粉） or corn starch and heat until it becomes thick.
9. Roll the dango in the coating of choice, or coat with brown sauce. When finished, aonori (青のり) can be sprinkled on the savory or plain dango.
日本語は難しい！
February 22, 2008(Nihongo wa muzukashi!)
OR
Language Learning IS Cultural Learning.
In October 2007 I gave a talk for 14 Japanese elementary school teachers. Almost all were homeroom teachers. Most only teach with their ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) once a month. The information was basic: Effective Teaching Methods and Useful Conversation Methods for Elementary Schools, but toward the end of the workshop something a little more interesting came out.
I asked the teachers in groups of 3 and 4 to think of phrases that they think are the most important for the ALT to know. Some groups choose phrases for talking about lesson planning, some phrases to discipline the children. But the most popular phrases were overwhelmingly phrases we don’t even have in the English language!
One group choose 戴きます (itadakimasu), which is an expression of thanks before meals. They also thought ご馳走様 (gochisosama) or ご馳走様でした (gochisosama deshita) was important. You say this after meals and it means roughly “thank you for this feast”. Wow, I thought. That is a strange thing to choose, especially as it has no bearing on teaching. But I realized that many ALTs eat lunch with the students, and this is something very polite that the students are taught to do. As the teacher, the ALT should set a good example by also doing it, even if it is something they will never use in the classroom.
