One thing college has given me that I couldn’t dream of in high school is the ability to have friendships with people who don’t speak English natively. I’ve had the opportunity to meet a few Japanese people (or at least people who speak Japanese) to have conversations with. Honestly, it’s the best thing I’ve ever experienced for language learning. They’ve given me a lot of useful phrases and vocabulary, such as 「シャックリが出る」, which means to hiccup, or the 〜がり stem, which can be used to describe people.

Another thing college has given me is access to countless resources for language learning that I could have never been able to afford on my own. For example, there is a library on campus that has countless Japanese books and manga. The language courses are a great experience; in my two semesters of French alone I’ve come such a long way in proficiency.

Most importantly, however, I’ve wanted to share with you all my plans for this website’s future. Pretty soon, it will be scrapped and replaced with something bigger and better – a language learning site not just for Japanese, but for other languages like French, Korean, Chinese, Spanish, or German. But don’t worry, the same Japanese resources will be there.

I can’t wait to start things over again, and college will definitely give me the resources to do so.

So here’s a little test for you. Can you properly write these 10 Kanji below? These Kanji are commonly written in the wrong order. If you know how to write these correctly… then give yourself a pat on the back, you’re doing better than a portion of native speakers. They’re all surprisingly simple actually (many of which appear in other Kanji as well)!

1. 火 – Fire

There is a natural tendency with this character to write it from left to right. However, this character follows an odd rule where symmetrical characters are written outside first, middle last. So the two smaller 丶 are written before the 人.

2. 万, 方 – Ten Thousand, Way

These two characters follow the same rule. After writing the 一, it’s common to write the 丿 next. Actually, that would be the last stroke. The hook-ish line comes first. 方 is the same, but with a dot on top of it.

3. 左, 友 – Left, Friend

Along with 右 below, the order of the first two strokes is often mixed up. There is a reason for this etymologically speaking, as demonstrated in the image below.

Thus, 左 meaning left, is written with “left hand (屮),” as is 友.

4. 右 – Right

Going along with the image above, 右 is written the way it is due to etymological reasons. Its top part is not 屮, but 又 (right hand).

5. 区 – Ward

Enclosure characters are difficult to write at times. It’s hard to tell whether or not the box should come first, the top line then the inside first… The latter for this type of enclosure is correct. The top line is drawn first, then the inside content is drawn, then lastly the L shaped line is written as one stroke.

6. 水, 永, 泳 – Water, Eternity, Swim

The three of these all follow the same trend. One would think it’s drawn left to write, like 火. But following the same rule, the middle line (after all the other rules that take precedence have been followed) is written first, then the outside parts. Note with 泳, the three dots on the left (さんずい) are written first.

7. 隹 – Bird (radical)

I have a rather odd way of writing this radical. First I draw the top-left 丿, then the dot right next to it. However, the dot is drawn in third place – the vertical line to the very left comes second. Next you would draw the top most horizontal line, followed by the other vertical line. All of the other horizontal lines are written from top to bottom afterwards.

8. 王, 玉 – King, Ball

The standard rule is “Top to bottom, left to right.” Often times the vertical stroke is written last, or thirdly. Correctly the vertical stroke is second.

9. 世 – Society

This character still confuses me. I tend to write the horizontal line first, then the L looking stroke. But that stroke is last!

10. 豕 – Pig (radical)

This radical has two strokes at the end that are often written backwards. The right-ward sweep is often written before the dot above it, but the order is the other way around.

Bonus: 凹, 凸, and 龜

Maybe you already knew how to correctly write the above characters. You’ve patted yourself on the back. Now what? Here’s a little challenge for you! Can you correctly write these three Kanji? The last one is a bit murderous.

Answers are below!

Images borrowed from Denshi Jisho

This entry is inspired by my recent opportunity to practically partake in, rather than merely experience, the Japanese production of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s CATS. It was their 8,193rd performance in Japan, and was the latest installment of a streak that started in 1983. They have long surpassed the Broadway CATS production’s record and are still going strong. At the end of the year, they’ll be packing up their set in Yokohama and making way for the next run in Hiroshima, where they are expected to maintain their popularity and current rate of audience satisfaction.

For any one familiar with the musical theater talents of Andrew Lloyd Weber or who is a particular fan of the show “CATS”, it isn’t too difficult to imagine why the show is so popular. But to be able to surpass the Broadway production’s run record, there are some other factors at work here. Of course some will point to societal and cultural differences between United States and Japan, but the experts can handle that aspect. My two cents has to do with the acting group that puts on the show as well as any other big hitters from musical theater that make their way to the land of the rising sun. They are called 劇団四季 (げきだんしき / Gekidanshiki) or “The Four Seasons Musical Company” in English, and are quite an impressive theater company.

Founded in 1953, 劇団四季 developed from a small group of performers to a company of over 1000 performers, managers, and other technical staff. All of their productions are in Japanese, but they make every effort to keep productions as true to the original version as possible. They started off performing plays and dramas from French playwrights and took on more and more works from other western sources. In 1964, 劇団四季 took on their first musical, which happened to be West Side Story. They used their experience with this production to formally train performers and stagehand staff to create more authentic and high quality musical performances. After the success of their efforts with West Side Story, 劇団四季 was able to progressively put on more and more shows that had been smash hits on Broadway.

These days, 劇団四季 enjoys the position of being considered the premier musical company in Japan by many, if not most. If a Broadway musical comes to Japan, it is more than likely being produced and put on by劇団四季. You’ll see their advertisements everywhere from at home on TV to posters around the train station. They are really quite a phenomenon. Since there is no equivalent to Broadway in Japan, actors and actresses don’t move to certain place to “make it big” on some street with a bunch of music halls. Instead, they start training at young ages to audition for a spot in劇団四季 in hopes to get cast in their favorite or the next big production to be released to the Japanese public.

Should you visit Japan or already be living here, and have a strong love of musical theater or theater drama, I highly recommend you try to catch a show by劇団四季. They will do it justice and you won’t go home disappointed. They have an English website that will tell you what you need to do to get tickets. Enjoy!

[link]

Relaxing in an overheated environment is a pastime that has been enjoyed by many cultures throughout the ages. Some rely on some form of water vapor and some just prefer to leave it as a liquid and submerse themselves in a flowing or still pool of heat. As technology has developed over the years, people also like to throw in some jet action to give their tense muscles some much needed attention. As you are probably aware, the Japanese have a very old culture of enjoying naturally or artificially heated water, and customs will change from place to place, but there are some basic commonalities that you should know, which will have you sufficiently prepared to successfully give the Japanese onsen experience a try.

First thing that any prospective onsen patron should do in preparation for their first Japanese hot spring, is mentally prepare oneself for the experience. This will be particularly hard for the exceedingly modest out there, as well as those who are particularly squeamish about nudity. This is because almost ALL onsens in Japan require customers to enjoy the experience nude. With few exceptions, onsens are separated by sex, so there shouldn’t really be too much for anyone to fret about out there. It’s not anything you haven’t seen before. For those of you who raised an eyebrow at my mentioning of “few exceptions” there are onsen that aren’t sex-separated. These are called Kon’yoku (混浴 / こんよく), which literally means “blended bathing.” Though they are few and far in between, they can be found throughout the country. Should you go to one expecting an experience beyond a mere calm and relaxing dip, your chances of disappointment are really high. Trust me, there are reasons why there are so few 混浴 in Japan.

Now that you’ve got your head in the right place, it’s time to partake in the experience. The first step after entering the facility or premises, is to lose your clothing. Store it in the designated clothing bin or locker for safekeeping while you bathe, and make your way to the washing area. Be sure you bring your medium-sized washcloth with you! There will be a bunch of bathing spots or stalls along the wall(s) with a stool for sitting and a hand held shower head for rinsing. Some places will provide soaps, shampoo, and other amenities, while others will expect you to provide for yourself. Once you have thoroughly cleaned every nook and cranny and completely rinsed yourself after you’ve finished, you’re ready for the hot spring. Don’t forget your washcloth!

Some places will have various options for what kind of pool to enjoy, and others will have one large single pool to be shared by all patrons. Choose one to your liking, fold up you’re your washcloth, put on the top of your head, and immerse yourself at a comfortable pace. The water won’t be too deep, and temperatures can vary from near scalding to your run of the mill hot tub. It depends on the joint. At this point, all you have to worry about is losing yourself to the hot and near weightless bliss. With regard to manners and customs, basically anything goes as long as you aren’t disturbing anyone else’s experience. ゆっくりどうぞ〜 It should be noted that staring will definitely be disturbing. . . So don’t.

After you feel reasonably cooked and ready to get back to clothed society, head back to the washing area and rinse yourself off real quick. Get yourself dry and back into the clothes you came in wearing, release one last relaxed sigh of satisfaction and step back out into the craziness. Be sure to visit again soon . . . and don’t forget you washcloth!

As long as any given language is significantly exposed to some foreign language, there is a possibility it may be influenced by that foreign language. Any English speaker should be well aware of this phenomenon, as several non-English words are a part of our daily vernacular. Have you committed a faux pas recently, or voted to maintain the status quo the last time you were at the poles? Hmmm? Well, foreign words have made their way into the common Japanese dialogue as well, and some them have done so in an interesting way beyond the usual conversion to katakana pronunciation. Let me give you a taste.

One of the handy examples that I have come to utter on frequent occasion is “ショック!” If you can read katakana, you have guessed that this word is derived from the English word “shock.” “Shock” has various meanings depending on what form you use it in, but the Japanese “ショック” draws on the surprising situation or state of surprise aspect of the word. Except, they use it to express disappointment as a product of some sort of undesired and unexpected turn of events.

The funny thing about it is, the grammar usage of the word. For us English speakers, if we planned a picnic for Saturday, and the weather reporter projected fine weather, but we find ourselves in the middle of a downpour midway through our sub-sandwich; we have to rely on a phrase such as “I can’t believe this!” or “You’ve got to be kidding me!” to express our dismay. Well, a Japanese person is very likely to just use the single word, “ショック” to express the same sentiment. . . I know, kinda ショックだね。

A recent one that has been said a lot more recently is “ドンマイ.” This little gem was adapted from the two words “don’t mind.” Since Japanese often avoid using personal pronouns as liberally as English speakers need to, “don’t mind” has been denied any object or subject when used by a Japanese speaker. Furthermore, it is used in situations where we would say things to the affect of, “don’t sweat it,” “don’t worry about it,” or “don’t mind that you completely suck at じゃんけん.”

Dig this. I’m at a small house party and my buddy said he quit smoking a week ago. Another friend at the party invites him out for a cigarette, and I of course try to stop the situation from proceeding. Well, my buddy wants to smoke and challenges me to “rock, paper, scissors” for the freedom to his own decision. He sure has some nerve! Anyway, I lose, and his gloating phrase (with a snicker) is of course “ドンマイ!” as I bow my head in defeat and disappointment.

It’s interesting how two words that don’t make a grammatically meaningful phrase on their own in English got converted into a single word that expresses a sentiment that sometimes requires English speakers to make a full sentence. I understand if you English-speaking pessimists out there might sit back in contemplation and find these little modifications rather unfair or minutely offensive. I only have one word of solice for you on this one, though. ドンマイ.

Beware of the possibility that when a Japanese person speaks an English word to you with HEAVY katakana pronunciation, the meaning could possibly be different from what you think. These two examples are not the only ones out there. More to come later . . .　かも。

For most students, and anyone else that maintains a steady Monday through Friday schedule, Monday tends to suck more often than not. Should you disagree, then feel free to correct me on Monday morning before you head out the door to your weekly grind. Anyway, the Japanese average school and business schedule also maintains the Monday through Friday trend; with its own little variations here and there of course. Though I have been here for just about three years, I have yet to hear of some phrase to describe the weekly dread of facing the beginning of the business week. Fortunately, a student of mine made me aware of a similar gem just a few days ago. It is called 五月病 (ごがつびゅう / go-gatsu-byou), which basically means “May disease” or “May sickness.” The reason that this has anything to do with “the Mondays” is that the phrase reflects the dread of getting back to work after an extended period of time off.

So, in May, you may or may not be aware of the fact that there is a national Japanese holiday period called “Golden Week,” where three consecutive holidays take place, and most schools and businesses will give their people that entire week off. People will get as few as three days or as many 10 days off to enjoy the fabulous spring in weather by any means they deem necessary. For all of you Manga and anime nerds out there that get frustrated every may because the weekly installment of your story of choice didn’t come out, Golden week is the reason. All the staff have been let off the hook for a week.

Something else that you need to understand is the education system schedule in Japan and its affect on business. The school year starts in April, so your new batch of educated people have graduated from college at some point in March or early April and try to find their place in the workforce right away in April. At the same time, Japanese businesses like to recruit their new generation of young employees for their businesses before they even graduate, so they can have them as fresh as possible after the ceremony. These first year employees are called “freshmen.” They usually join the company in April and are still far from getting the hang of things by the time their first golden week as a businessperson comes around. This is one of the main reasons for the existence of the concept of 五月病.

The life of a freshman in a business is a very challenging one, as they are trying their best to become comfortable with every aspect of their responsibilities at work. As with any organization, the first few months (or weeks) are particularly stressful, and Golden Week falls right in the middle of it all. One may appreciate having the roughly week-long respite from the craziness but the going back isn’t so easy. Being able to put all the troubles with school or work at the back of one’s mind for a week has its consequences. They all come rushing back once one realizes the inevitable return to the weekly grind that is not yet necessarily smooth. Apparently, this has had a significant effect on employee moral. Company freshman, along with students and other business people, will go back to their responsibilities with some sort of less than positive attitude that affects their performance. Thus, the saying 五月病 was created to describe this change in performance and attitude as a function of having a long break while “things are still “just getting started.”

Happy May, y’all! May is my favorite month for reasons aside from it being my birth month, and one of those reasons is celebrating my Asian-American heritage. Let’s appreciate some of the awesome Japanese-Americans that have graced the world with their talent and wisdom!

From Adiran Tomine's Wikipedia page

First up is the comic artist and all-around cool guy Adrian Tomine! You might know if his work if you’ve ever picked up an issue of the New Yorker magazine. Once in a while he’ll pen in some illustrations, and it is some of the cleanest line art you will ever find. On top of that, he’s also created Optic Nerve, once a set of mini-comics that is now up to its twelfth issue. Many of these comics feature Asian-American protagonists tackling real life issues. He also created a mini-book entitled Scenes from an Impending Marriage, which is essentially a set of wedding plans done in his ever familiar comic style. Stop by your local bookstore or comic shop and have a look!

From Marie Digby's last.fm page

Next is the gorgeous and talented Marié Digby, a singer, a songwriter, an actress, and basically a lady who can play many instruments very well. She earned her fame with her acoustic cover of Rihanna’s “Umbrella”, and from that point on, she was someone of YouTube fame. Since then, she has produced four wonderful albums, and is in the process of releasing one this year. I highly recommend “Second Home”, Digby’s Japanese cover album. I never thought I would hear Luna Sea’s “Gravity” in such a calming way; she also redefined the old shima-uta “Nada Sousou” with her soothing vocals. Discover her now if you haven’t yet — she will be a welcome addition to your playlist.

From a OnePennySheet.com article featuring Michio Kaku

In the world of physics, there are few who do not know Michio Kaku’s name. This lion-maned man of science is the co-founder of string theory and is the Henry Semat professor of theoretical physics in the City College of New York as well as the City University of New York. To add to his list of accomplishments, he is credited with making scienceawesome. The Harvard alumni has appeared in many a talk show, science channels, radios, and has penned quite a few of his own books. Of the literature he has created, “Physics of the Impossible” is highly recommended, and “Physics of the Future” has recently come out in paperback.

From a Babble.com blog on Kristi Yamaguchi

Lastly, there is the beautiful 1992 Olympic champion, Kristi Yamaguchi. Aside from winning the gold in the figure skating competition, she has also won two World Figure Skating Championships, as well as the US Figure Skating Championships. And this woman doesn’t only skate — in 2008, she was the celebrity champion of Dancing With the Stars. If that isn’t enough, her children’s book, “Dream Big, Little Pig” was #2 on the New York Times Bestseller list. A portion of these proceeds went to support early childhood literacy thanks to the Always Dream foundation.

Let’s all aspire to be as fantastic as these wonderful people in our everyday lives.

Gambling is a world-wide phenomena, there’s no doubt about that. It’s existed for centuries, where modern games such as roulette evolved from a game played in old Europe. Even to this day, where you can gamble online, people still find themselves attracted to physical gambling machines. Particularly in Japan, everybody’s crazy for Pachinko (パチンコ).

Pachinko is basically the only form of gambling that is legal in Japan. Although there are other methods of gambling, Pachinko is the only type that isn’t heavily regulated by the government for one reason or another. This, I think, is what makes it popular. And the statistics show this – it holds more than 40% of the leisure industry, occupies a considerable number of restaurants and bars, and more than 30 trillion yen is spent on Pachinko a year (eek!).

Locations where you can play Pachinko are aptly named Pachinko Parlors. They are numerous in Japan, so you won’t have to look very hard to find one if you should want to play. It would come as no surprise to you that Pachinko Parlors look a lot like a typical building in Las Vegas, often littered in flashing neon signs begging to get your attention.

A typical Pachinko Parlor, image taken from Google.

Quite often you will find a massive line outside of a Pachinko Parlor before it opens in the morning. The idea is pick the machine that will give the best results. These people are often what they call Pachi-puros (パチプロ, short for Pachinko Pro), or somebody who is really good at Pachinko.

Playing Pachinko is similar to playing pinball, only the machine is somewhat standing up. You first purchase a set of steel balls (which go for, on average, 4 yen a ball). Typically you can buy them in 100 yen sets. The balls are then released down a series of pins. The idea is to get an accumulation of balls to score a jackpot, or at least a decent return. You can learn more about how to play Pachinko in this video.

So if you ever visit Japan, maybe you can experience Pachinko for yourself – you won’t regret it!

A significant majority of people would agree with the sentiment that, at least every once in a while, they feel like they would like to have that special person in their life. We all go about finding that person in our own, yet familiar way to others. Some methods like the date at a restaurant or café are more commonplace while others like to try comparatively unconventional methods such as Internet or speed dating. The Japanese also have their own particular methods of finding the right catch. A lot of them resemble our own, but one of their more commonplace methods may not be so commonplace to you. This method is referred to as the Goukon (合コン, ごうこん).

The simplest term by which to call the 合コン in English would probably be a group date (of sorts). Here is how it generally works. Usually a guy from a certain group of friends collaborates with a lady friend of his to organize the event. He will bring himself and a certain number of guy friends, and the ladies will match that number. The seemingly most common number is three guys and three ladies. Most of the people at the 合コン, besides the two organizers, won’t know each other very well, if at all.

The setting for this hopeful event usually takes place at an Izakaya or some sort of establishment that serves alcohol. Once the venue has been selected and all the participants have arrived, everyone partakes in a bit of small talk while drinks are being ordered and delivered. Once, the drinks are in hand and “kanpai!” has been cheered, it is time for introductions. Everyone takes their turn giving a short rough introduction of themselves. There is no strict protocol as to how to deliver your self-introduction, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that this first impression will be a lasting one. It would be a good idea to choose your words well and creatively.

Once the introductions are finished, and a fair amount of the first drinks have been imbibed, then it is “game on.” Conversation will shift from this to that based on the mood of the evening and the personalities of the people at the table. The 合コン will usually last for about two hours or longer, as people are doing their best to get to know each other or hone in on someone that they liked from the very start. Again, there is no formal protocol during the talking process. After all, “all is fair in love and war” right?

When it comes time to wrap up the 合コン, people will figure out how to exchange their contact info with everyone of the other team, and if any sparks happened to fly that evening, then those couples will initiate “their own thing” independent of everyone else. If things went particularly well or fun for the overall group, there may be a second party of sorts at another venue where everyone can interact more. The second party can take place at any sort of establishment. Just go with the flow on that one.

So there is the rough description of the 合コン experience. If you have never tried or thought of such an activity, give it a shot. It can really take a lot of nerves and anxiety out of the process of finding the “right one.” It is very possible that nothing special will come of it, but the evening may very well be an enjoyable one and you can make new friends in the process at the very least. A classic case of “aim for the stars and hit the moon.” Just relax and enjoy yourself!

The awesome sweater I picked up for cheap during lunch hour at my university.

I suddenly realized this morning that this time a couple of years ago, I was studying at 京都精華大学 (Kyoto Seika University). I’m in the midst of reading more books for review, so I thought I would take a pleasant stroll down memory lane. When I talk about shopping, I don’t mean shopping in a mall or an arcade (though I assure you, I did plenty of that) — I’m talking about having my lunch at the college cafeteria and then rushing out to the quad. On sunny days, many students will tote about a plastic picnic blanket and spread their very gently used clothes, CDs, and other fun things. And so my friends and I would rejoice more than usual when the sun was shining. We’d stuff curry and karaage and udon in our faces quickly, and then march outside before the other students could look at the items.

I’m not sure if only Seika did this. We did have a reputation for being a bit more liberal than the other universities, especially with Kyoto University just a subway ride away. One thing is for certain: Japanese people are very good at taking care of their things. Just take a look at Book Off, a popular used bookstore chain throughout Japan. Hundreds of thousands of used books, CDs, DVDs, and games, all for a hugely discounted price! In Japan, many new things cost a pretty penny. A simple 12-track CD could cost you Y4800 at the department store, but if you’re patient enough, you could snag the same CD for Y400 at Book Off! Of course, you have to be a good year or two patient, but just have a look at how different that pricing is — in America, that’s a jump from about $50 to about $5. Yikes!

So, when I say gently used items, I really, truly mean it. I’m not sure what it is, but a lot of the Japanese girls would buy the newest fashions, wear them maybe once or twice, and then sell them during lunch time (unlike American colleges, where you can have lunch whenever you want, our university had a lunch bell to dismiss everyone). Perhaps I’m not quite the best person to ask about new trends in clothing, but I can appreciate the shopping I was able to do on my firm budget. For those practicing Japanese, this also gives you a fantastic chance to learn how to haggle, if you’re up for it! Boy oh boy, those students sure did know how to haggle well, and I don’t have much luck in that department. I found that much of the time, I didn’t have to drive the price down. I picked up a lovely pair of Uniqlo skinny jeans for only Y300 (to be honest, I was surprised it fit me! Japan’s sizes are much smaller than America’s), a nice black turtleneck vest for Y100, and a sweet button-up shirt for Y200. Oh my goodness. That’s about 7 US dollars. Individually, these items would have totaled to at least $150.

On this day last year, I was shopping a bit after classes were over. When I packed for Japan, I remembered that we had to remove our shoes often. Because of this, I had to leave my beloved Converses behind. Not much to worry about, certainly, but that beautiful spring day was perfect Converse weather. Don’t ask me how that works out. In any case, as I was heading back to my dorm, I saw two lonely spreads at the top of the hill. On the pink mat, my eyes widened — I saw the perfect treasure! A pair of high top, all-black Converses! Why, I’d wanted these since I’d heard of Spring Awakening, and all those school boys wore them as a part of their uniform! I eyed them longingly, like a child who had seen her first Wonka bar. But then I saw an equally lovely black sweater with neon green random words in Helvetica. I didn’t want to buy both since my bag was full. What a conundrum!

The kind girl who owned all these wares smiled at me and asked (in perfect English, I might add — my classmate screamed out loud, which was embarrassing to say the least. YES. It is possible to hear Japanese people speak perfect American English. She was kind-natured and explained that she went to an international school, which was why language was no problem for her) if I’d like the shoes. Awkward as I was, I sheepishly said that I could only take one: either the shoes or the sweater. She cut me a sweet deal and gave me both for Y300 and even threw in a shiny pink reusable bag with an adorable skull design on it! It was one of my favorite shopping days.

My moral of the story? If you’re studying abroad at a university, make sure to have a look around your quad area if you want to have some mini-business interactions with the locals! You’ll have a fair amount of practice, maybe make a few new friends, and walk off with merchandise you can’t find easily elsewhere!