5 Top Manga Reading Techniques

Enhance your enjoyment of reading manga 5 ways.

Thank you to everyone that came to the learn to read manga session I held recently on eduFire with Natuskigirl. It was a raging success. Many thanks also to readers that contributed to the development of the class through their comments and suggestions. I realise this blog has had a bit of manga mania over the last couple of weeks, things will return to normal soon I promise.




Before things do get back to normal I'd like to share with you the top 5 tips for enhancing your enjoyment of reading manga. These tips work just as well for reading things in Japanese other than manga, so please give them a shot. Let me know how well these techniques are working for you in the comments.

Learn to Read Manga with these 5 Essential Tools

5 Essential Tools for Learning to Read Manga

When I first wrote about learning Japanese through manga in April last year I included a list of tools that I used off-line. Since then I realise that even though I read manga off-line, many of the tools I use to augment my study of manga are online. Here I'd like to expand upon that list to include the online tools as well.


Reading Manga... by hawkexpress, on Flickr

Everyone has their own preferences of course, and there are probably tools you use that I haven't mentioned. If you think there is something that should be included please comment and let me know what you would recommend. I won't talk too much about how to incorporate these tools into a study session revolving around manga. I'd prefer to keep the techniques for another post where I can go into more detail.

How to Source Authentic Japanese Manga

Where to start your manga journey

The thousand mile journey starts with a single step. Even if you are just getting into manga through scanlations and anime through fansubs, it's a start. Beware though, if you really want to experience Japanese culture you'll have to experience it first hand and one of the best ways to do that is through reading.


super happy tentacle hentai by mugley, on Flickr

Let's look at some ways to source authentic Japanese manga (on dead trees) and then, while you're waiting for your shipment to come through the snow, some online manga to keep you entertained.

Urban Myths to Reverse Chocolate Valentines

February 14th Link Post - Happy Valentines Day!

There must be something in the water that J-bloggers are drinking this week, and it's not Eromanga. Pink Tentacle offers up another Japanese urban myth that the small South Pacific island of Eromanga (Iromanga?) has sunk beneath the waves. While you and I both know Eromanga is a small town in South West Queensland, in fact the furthest town from any ocean.

One for all the music lovers, Yonasu shows us how to use the Japanese interface of iTunes, opening up functionality not normally seen in the US version. I'm not an iTunes user myself, but every time I mention iPhone apps for Japanese on Twitter my bit.ly clicks go off the dial.

Kirk used his blog Jamaipanese to promote efforts to raise relief funds for Haiti through a moving music video "Rise Again". Kirk has donated money and a couple cases of water through the office where he works, good on you mate. Make sure you chip in this year to help make his savings targets for Operation Visit Japan.

Define expat. Define successful. Alex raises all sorts of interesting questions about what it means to be non-Japanese in Japan with his list of top 10 successful expats in Japan. At least it does show the changing face of Japan. To put a slight twist on it Curzon on the Mutant Frog Travelogue shows us some white faces with Japanese names. I'm not confused, I'm an Australian who speaks Japanese at home, in Oz.

Happy Valentines Day, I was looking forward to a home baked chocolate cake but my son likes apples so I got trumped. All's good though, there was absolutely no mention of reverse chocolate.


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Manga That Altered My Perception of Japanese Culture

4 Top Manga Titles from my Bookshelf

Last week I blogged about 7 reasons you need to get some real Japanese input through reading manga. It was really good to see comments from people with their recommendations on which titles to read and how to source them. There is so much ground to cover, so much so that I'm not going to be able to answer all your questions in a single post. I will get around to them though.


"Tomodachi" in Paris!? by Mayu ;P, on Flickr

Today I want to introduce you to four manga that have not only made me a better reader, but have influenced my understanding of Japanese culture.

From Friendly Demons to Eromanga in South West Queensland

Sunday, February 7th Link Post

It might  have been fitting for the week of the Japanese festival setsubun that j-bloggers explored the demonisation of foreign populations. Deas posted a photo of a protest placard denouncing unwelcome American bases in Guam, Okinawa and Japan. It seems people have short memories. Japan was a brutal occupying force in Guam, not to mention Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula.

Japanese xenophobic policies persist even today, with Japanese born children of foriegn-born parents being expelled from the country. In an excellent guest post on LoneleePlanet Scott Jeppesen explored a time when the shoe was on the other foot for Japanese in Peru. Perhaps we should be welcoming our demons in!

On this blog I released the slides from my most recent eduFire class on how to ace the JLPT, while people were celebrating (or comisserating) their 2009 results on Twitter. Now it's time to get your read on, and learn how to put the fun back into your study. Self paced learning is the way to go, over the next few months you'll hear lots from me on putting your social network to work for you. Meanwhile pick up a few tips about quality items for your SRS from Liz.

You ought to be thinking about quality learning techniques, because as this post shows, you can never rely on machine translations. As they say, the only constant is change, what you learn today might be out of fashion in 10 or 20 years so please don't stop learning. It really would be tough to be dumped from your job in eikaiwa and forced to live in a blue tent, but maybe it's just that kind of immersion you really need to accelerate your Japanese.

At least you can read about it, and I'll be exploring these themes in the lead up to my learn to read manga class on edufire with natsukigirl. Don't get the wrong idea about eromanga though, Eromanga is really a town in South West Queensland. Follow me on twitter. Who knows, I may be able to trade my twitter follower count in for a discount on ramen next time I'm in Japan.

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7 Reasons You Need To Start Reading Manga Today

Put down that textbook now and get some real Japanese input

If you're reading this blog I think it's fair to say you are probably interested in learning Japanese. I would hope also that you want to know more about Japanese culture, because the two things really do go well together like rice and raw fish. I wonder though, how many of you are getting enough authentic input.


Tazer v.1 by KayVee.INC, on Flickr

Learning a language is all about devouring massive amounts of authentic Japanese, through books, websites, audio and video, and in conversation with people speaking Japanese. If you're not living in Japan, some of these things might be harder to do than others, but I imagine you are doing your best with what you have. That's OK, we can work with that.

Your Guide to The Ultimate Setsubun Party

Scattering Beans and Eating Ehomaki to See in Spring

The Japanese Festival of Setsubun celebrates the coming of spring. Each year about the 3rd or4th of February people gather to ward off evil spirits and invite good fortune into their lives. Like most festivals in Japan there is a fair amount of superstition and some ritual involved, but it's all good clean fun, especially for kids.


七福恵方巻き食べた。 by [puamelia]. 

The tradition of eating specially prepared rolled sushi (恵方まき | ehomaki) while facing in the new years lucky direction originated in Kansai. This year the direction to face is a little to the right of West, So'West. (2010年の恵方は「西南西」). It is customary to eat the whole roll in one go while making a wish.

The special ritual to ward off evil spirits is called mamemaki (豆まき | bean scattering) and is usually done by the toshiotoko (年男 | senior male) or the male who was born in the current chinese calendar year. Beans are thrown in the direction of a less fortunate member of the family wearing a demon mask.

Follow a few of these simple steps and you could have Setsubun party to remember for your household or your neighbourhood.

Preparing your bean scattering party

Make a demon mask: Oni-no-men (鬼の面 | Demon mask) are easy enough to make out of paper or card. If you're the creative type you can get a few good ideas from a Google image search for 鬼の面. You can you print out this paper craft oni-no-men on the Kids goo site to colour in later, or save time by doing it online. There's even a full craft set for setsubun with instructions. I'm going for a slightly scarier mask from Yamaha paper craft for all seasons.

Prepare ehomaki: Preparing sushi needn't be just for the foodies, and rolling it yourself always brings satisfaction, for me anyway. There are stores that prepare special once a year ehomaki, for which people queue for hours before dawn, but you don't need to go to any extremes. If you're game try this ehomaki recipe from cookpad, Japan's most popular recipe site. Or for a comprehensive look at tips and techniques for making maki sushi at home visit the Sushi Faq.

Throwing the party, eating sushi and scattering beans to see in Spring

Decide who your demon is going to be before things get underway, the element of surprise is most important if you're going to have the most fun. The party begins with the customary scoffing of the ehomaki. Stand facing a little to the right of West So'West, this year's lucky direction, to eat your sushi while making a wish. Make a big wish because it could take a while, it's important to finish the whole roll without stopping.

During the rest of your meal, which might be something as simple as sardines on rice, count enough roast soybeans for each year of your age plus one for good luck. The surplus beans are gathered up and placed in ceremonial cups (paper will do) in preparation for scattering. As you eat your beans take time out for reflection. Once you're done pick up your paper cups and head towards a door or open window to begin the bean scattering ceremony.

It is usually at this time that the demon appears and the chant rises up to cast out evil and bring in luck. Toss your beans at the demon while chanting "Oni wa soto, Fuku wa Uchi!" (鬼は外! 福は内! | Out with the Devil! In with good fortune!). In the Fukushima region family members yell "Oni no medama buttsubuse!" (鬼の目玉ぶっつぶせっ! | Demon's eyes, crush crush!). You may want to choose your own local version too!

Have you experienced Setsubun before? Do you plan to do anything this year? Post some photos of your favourite demon mask on the Rainbowhill Facebook Fan Page and join in the conversation.

Setsubun images courtesy of http://illpop.com/

How to Pass the New JLPT in 2010

The JLPT has a New Level but Test Taking Strategies Remain the Same

I've just run my second JLPT preparation course on eduFire. I thought I would share some of what we covered with you as it was the first session since December when new sample tests for the JLPT were released. Here are the slides, an explanation follows on below.



Even though the test has changed the things you have to do to pass it have stayed the same. If you plan on doing the test this year now is the best time to get started.

How the new JLPT compares

The old JLPT only had four levels, so there was a large jump in the amount of kanji and vocabulary you were expected to learn between levels 3 and 2. With the addition of a new level N3 in between the old 3 and 2 there is a smoother transition to the more advanced levels.


The decision by JEES not to publish a test content specification may seem to some like a spanner in the works, but with a few simple assumptions it is easy to see a way forward. Looking at the graph you can see that mid point for assumed kanji/vocabulary knowledge between N4 and N2 provides something to aim for. On closer inspection N3 matches the fourth grade of the kyōiku kanji, for which there are many resources available. N2 matches the full 1006 character kyōiku kanji and N1 the 1,945 character jōyō kanji.

There are lots of past tests for the old JLPT and none for the new N3 so this does pose a small challenge for people who fall some between the old 3 and 2 in finding appropriate practice material. A closer look at the Executive summary shows you that the kinds of questions you can expect and the time allotted to each section is similar to N4 and N5.

So although the test has changed the things you need to do to pass it remain the same: Do plenty of study, Do past tests and Be specific.

How to pass the new JLPT in 2010

The five steps to Ace the JLPT I've covered before, but here they are again in a nutshell.

• Know yourself: To borrow a euphemism from cycling "racing is the best training". This is the priniciple of specificity as it applies to language study. Benchmark yourself now under test conditions and you'll have something to measure your progress against. So where to get the tests? Online you can get the sample tests at the JLPT site. You may want to purchase test booklets for N1/N2/N3 and N4/N5, which also come with a CD of the listening section and a courtesy translation of the executive summary from White Rabbit Press.
  
  
• Know the terrain: Doing sample tests will give you a better idea of what to expect on test day. Checking the guidebook however will give you more than enough information to chart a course of study. Perhaps there is too much information. The most important things you need to know are the Composition of Test Items, Test sections and Test time. The missing pieces of the puzzle are your answers to the practice tests. Once you know these things you can start to tailor your study to be more effective.
  
  
• Train your weaknesses: Small gains in your weak areas can result in big gains elsewhere when you do the hard yards. Doing a sample test will identify your weaknesses so you can target them with specific exercises. I listen to Japanese being spoken everyday, and past results tell me that listening is not going to let me down. It would be pointless to spend time listening to podcasts when I know that my reading comprehension has slipped.
  
  
• Race your strengths: By doing practice tests you know where your strengths are. There is no point hammering out repetition after repetition in your favorite SRS if you know all the kanji for your level when your grammar is still broken. Do enough maintenance for your strengths but don't let them distract you from the much harder work of addressing your weaknesses. Use your strengths to power through plateaus, don't rest on your laurels.
  
  
• Stay fresh: Many people burn out in the early stages of preparing for the JLPT because they don't have a plan and try to do too much too soon. Remember it's just a test and the ultimate aim is fluency in Japanese. Take time out to communicate in real Japanese, exchange tweets with friends on twitter. Log your progress on tumblr. Have someone correct your grammar on Lang8 or post an introduction to YouTube for the Japanese speaking community there.

The New JLPT Official Guidebook with Executive Summary and Sample Tests

White Rabbit Press (I'm an affiliate) have sample tests for N1/N2/N3 and N4/N5 of the New JLPT. The volumes include a CD and script for the listening section of each test. The Official Guidebooks and Executive Summary are written entirely in Japanese so White Rabbit Press provide a print out of the English version.

• New JLPT Guidebook - Executive Summary & Sample Test for N1, N2, and N3 (w/CD)
  
• New JLPT Guidebook - Executive Summary & Sample Test for N4 and N5 (w/CD)
  

The sample tests are the same as the ones that are available on the official JLPT site, but the CDs can't be found anywhere else than with the Official Guidebooks.

If you found this post helpful sign up for the Rainbowhill Language Lab Newsletter to get the best tips for the JLPT. Subscribers also get discounts on private lessons in Japanese on eduFire.

5 Steps To Ace The Japanese Language Proficiency Test At Any Level is a Free Online Seminar at eduFire

From Fanlation to Failed Biometric Security Measures

Saturday, January 30th Link Post

Last Sunday I reviewed Andrew's simple kanji index, QuickKanji which provoked some interesting discussion about the accuracy of crowd-sourced translations. This is something that might be worth exploring further. It seems to be working for some people. There is a good definition of terms here including 'fanlation' which is a relatively new term for crowdsourcing free translations through a fanbase. (Follow @l_andrew_l on Twitter).

Most of you already know that it takes no less than 100% comittment to learn a language. Take a few tips from 19th century renaissance man Sir Richard Francis Burton who mastered 29 languages in an age without television or the internet. (Hat tip to Alex on Victory Manual).

Or how about these insights into the Japanese sense of honour at the Japan Subculture Reasearch Center? Author Jake Adelstein learned everything he needed to know from the yakuza or the cops, and still has five fingers on each hand. Follow @jakeadelstein on Twitter, or check out his book about his experience as a reporter on the police beat in Tokyo. (Secret handshake to Our Man in Abiko).

Jamaipanese got into the festive spirit with the Japanese Culture and Calendar Exhibition 2010, including more plastic sushi than you can poke a chopstick at. Earlier this year Jamaipanese launched Operation Visit Japan, something that he has been planning for over a year. Now you can ChipIn to help him meet his savings targets and experience the real thing. I first blogged about Kirk in this post from June last year about seven J-bloggers far from Japan. (Follow @Jamaipanese on Twitter).

I really appreciate getting mentions on other peoples blogs, especially when it leads me to great content like this post on using Twitter to improve your Japanese by @zonjineko or more on Manga translation by @Alpharalpha. Posts like this motivate me to dust off my other twitter account @jrfiction and get tweeting in Japanese. (よろしくね　@dandanbatakeさん)

And finally, Joe Jones over at Mutantfrog Travelogue has some interesting ideas on what to do with Itami Airport. If they did away with Osaka's third airport, perhaps they could save some money on their expensive and ineffective biometric immigration screening systems.

Image: DSC00114 by muzina_shanghai, on Flickr

A Quick Review of the Simple Kanji Index - QuickKanji

What is QuickKanji?

QuickKanji is a simple, usable kanji index for learners of Japanese. I was immediately impressed by its speed and ease of use, especially when it comes to looking up kanji. On the downside there doesn't seem to be much community, yet it has the potential for expansion through community tools like chat, and user generated content.

I would never have know about QuickKanji were it not for this tweet by Andrew (@l_andrew_l on Twitter), the site's creator.



There are detailed instructions about using QuickKanji on the site itself, so I won't attempt to replicate them here. Instead, let's have a look at some pros and cons.

Pros

1. Minimalistic interface. On the home page you have all the interface elements you need to start drilling down to the kanji you want and nothing more. There is a Kanji of the Day in the info panel to get you started. There is also no need to login, no partial results, no blinding ads.
   
   
2. Very fast for look-ups. On the top of the screen are six ways to list kanji; All, Radical, Strokes, Level, On, Kun plus Search and a cookie based Vocab List. Use any of these methods to narrow your search and select the kanji you want to bring up in the info panel.
   
   
3. Native indexing. You won't find any old JLPT lists here to distract you from the task of discovering more kanji. Search for kanji based on radical, stroke number, educational level as defined by the Japanese Ministry of Education, on and kun readings - simple.
   
   
4. Simple discovery of new kanji and compounds. Wherever you are, scanning the lists or drilling down into to the info area, you find opportunties to step off and investigate new kanji and related compounds.
   
   
5. Collaborative tools. Anyone can contribute new kanji and compounds directly from the info panel. Examples sentences can be added to compounds in the list area. Any time you see a kanji compound or example sentence you can vote on that entry's usefullness. Voting affects the order of the lists in which they appear. Useless entries are eventually deleted. There is also a chat feature which allows you to chat with anyone using the site.

Cons

1. Not very well known. I'm not sure how comfortable Andrew is with shameless self promotion but it seems his creation is lacking a little link love. I asked him how long QuickKanji had been live and was surprised to hear over a year.
   
   
2. Very light on compounds and translations. It seems that the handful of translations that have been added have been added by Andrew himself for the purpose of demonstration. Some kanji have plenty of compounds and others none. I wonder if there is some incentive for users to create compounds and translations?
   
   
3. Crowd sourced translation may lead to a reliability problems. Especially when the number of crowd contributions is so small, there aren't enough people to guarantee the quality of entries.
   
   
4. QuickKanji uses only one reference coding system. And it's not even a dictionary reference! Shift_JIS is a ASCII character encoding for Japanese, handy for programmers working with Japanese but not learners. I would have liked to have seen at least one or two dictionary indices so you could at least grab a dictionary when there were no compounds or translations available. It might even encourage people to add entries and compounds.

I'll be looking more closely at how you might be able to use when learning to read Japanese through manga. How would you use it?

Chocolate Beer and Fast Food Rodents in Japan

Friday, January 22nd Link Post

I've put this together for no other reason than it's good to look back and see what got clicked over the week. Even if I don't get enough time as I'd like to comment on blogs, I do make a habit of scrolling through my feeds for Japan related content. Stuff I find interesting then gets thrown out to Twitter, where you guys vote with your mice. No not those mice.

image: PinkTentacle: ‘Ririkan’ fast-food mystery meat

I only learnt about @lloydvincent and his blog Nihon Shock in the last couple of weeks but he has some good posts. There are many ways to say 'I' in Japanese, and each one paints you in a slightly different light. Not satisfied with watashi (わたし) or boku (ぼく) when referring to yourself? Why not try uchi (うち) or ore (おれ) for a slightly harder edge?

Michael Werneburg discusses the troubles he has living with a foreign name in Japan. on @reesan's loneleeplanet blog. An interesting discussion of bureaucratic blindness and a rigid syllabary ensue. There are also some helpful tips for making sure you don't get trapped with something that is unworkable.

When we got married my wife took her name (はせがわ) and mine (ファイフィールド) to ensure the kids could use either. We haven't had too much trouble. After reading this post about Google's "auto-suggest" feature and Japanese marriage I'm glad I don't have search history turned on.

You've just got to love urban myths, the best ones gain traction because they have an element of truth, they are slightly believable and are easily transmitted. They also rely on irrational fears and suspicions. Exploring this quirky side of human nature as they do so well, Edo @PinkTentacle is blogging weekly on Japanese urban legends. The ‘Ririkan’ may be fast-food mystery meat, but there is no mystery about the hard labour at McDonald's in Japan. I suppose it's not too much too ask for a dignified discussion of the issues on LetsJapan?

On a slightly lighter note, we've come back full circle to Nihon Shock, where Llyod has some flavor success with chocolate soda. At last! It was difficult to watch him pour Sapporo's chocolate beer down the sink. Probably not more difficult than drinking it however.

That's me closing out this post! If you want all this linky goodness feed to you intermittently through the day follow me on twitter, it's fun!

The Influence of Mas Oyama on This Boy's Karate

Japan Blog Matsuri - Famous Japanese People - Mas Oyama

On the theme of Famous Japanese People a Korean born man by the name of Choi Yeong-eui may not seem like a logical choice. After getting the nod from @reesan I couldn't resist posting about a man who shaped my concept of Japanese culture. If Japan is to survive the next 100 years it will certainly need to embrace more outsiders like Mas Oyama.

When I started training in the martial arts at the tender age of 5, my father gave my brother and I a book called "Boys' Karate". The book was similar to a boy's annual, with lots of illustrations to accompany the stories it told. The exploits of boys our age seemed similar, yet were told upon the backdrop of a strange and exotic land of rice fields and bamboo groves.

The tales were in keeping with a much deeper philosophy of martial arts that I was only to recognise much later in my development. The book was written by Mas Oyama, a Zainichi Korean that was the founder of Kyokushin kaikan, a martial art that for many would come to define Full Contact Karate. His teachings and my life long practise of martial arts would ultimately lead me to visit Japan.

As a boy I was raised on Bushido and tales of Samurai and Shogun. My father taught lessons in a traditional style of martial art popular with bikies and bouncers. Every day there was some form of physcial training and some violence. It was a pretty tough way to grow up.

"Keep your head low,
eyes high and mouth shut;
base yourself on filial piety
and benefit others."

I imagine that for a Korean born during a brutal Japanese occupation my childhood would have been nothing compared to the hardship Oyama endured. At the age of 9 his parents sent him to Manchuria to live on his sisters farm, where he began learning martial arts from a seasonal worker named Lee.

One of the earliest stories I was told, during practice for a high jumping contest no less, was that Lee gave the young Oyama a seed to plant. When the seed sprouted Lee gave him the instruction to leap over it a hundred times a day. As it grew into a plant Oyama continued his practice and later said, "I was able to leap back and forth between walls easily."

As a young man he joined the Japanese Airforce and saw many of his friends sacrifice their lives as kamikaze. When the war ended he grew disaffected at being denied a place among Japanese society. He was pursued by the Japanese Police as a member of a political organisation for the reunification of Korea. He trained in Shotokan and Gojuryu styles of Karate and gained a reputation as a loner and a brawler for his street fights with US Military Police.

Eventually the constant harrassment took its toll, following the suggestion of a friend, he retreated to the mountains to perfect his fighting style. He eventually founded Kyokushin years later in 1953.

"The heart of our karate is real fighting.
There can be no proof without real fighting.
Without proof there is no trust.
Without trust there is no respect.
This is a definition in the world of Martial Arts."

During the foundation of his martial art Oyama would invite people to fight him in public demonstrations. Legend has it that in one three day kumite he fought 300 men. He earnt the nickname 'god-hand' for his practice of killing bulls with a single punch. Even today Kyokushin bears the mark of its founder, as global tournaments are full contact and open to all-comers. Thankfully, to the best of my knowledge his followers no longer travel around fighting and killing bulls with their bare hands.

I admire him though not for his immense physical power, but for his contribution to the spiritual way of the warrior, Bushido.

"Although it is important to study and train for skill in techniques, for the man who wishes to truly accomplish the way of Budo, it is more important to make his whole life in training and therefore not aiming for skill and strength alone, but also for spiritual attainment."

This philosophy echoes that of Miyamoto Musashi the author of the Book of Five Rings, who according to Oyama;

"said that he had no regrets about what he did. If you have confidence in your own words, aspirations, thoughts, and actions and do your very best, you will have no need to regret the outcome of what you do. Fear and trembling are the lot of a person who, while stinting effort, hopes that everything will come out precisely as he wants it to."

Mas Oyama spent most of his life in Japan and chose to become a Japanese citizen in 1964. He is the focus of my post for the January 2010 Japan Blog Matsuri hosted thanks to Lee (@reesan on Twitter) at loneleeplanet. You can find out more at the Japan Blog Matsuri FAQ page.

Boys' Karate by Masutatsu Oyama is now a sought after collectors item. I asked a former flatmate if he'd seen it and this was his response.

Photograph: Masutatsu Oyama! by KEMPO!

A Rainbowhill Retrospective for 2009

Almost to the end of another year, and what a big year it has been. I have a lot to be thankful for, good health, family and friends, and the support of you my readers and students. Thanks for following. If you've read more than a few posts then you hopefully you'll have noticed that blogging for you is also a learning process for me.

If you have been here for a while and haven't commented, the invitation is always open. There are also many other ways to connect, become a fan on Facebook, follow me on Twitter. If this is your first time here this post will thread a path for you through the archive, and is probably a good way to get to know me better. If you like what you read, please pick up the feed.


Teacher/Pupil: Twitter 19/365

Got to know where you've come from to know where you're going.

I started January with Japan Blog Matsuri post about keeping yourself open to possibilities when travelling to Japan or preparing to live there. The inspiration for getting back into blogging was provided by Chris from Nihongo Notes who blogged about getting over your perfectionist streak. Thanks Chris, your insights helped unblock my inner blogger and helped get this blog back on track.

The message I have is still pretty much the same, maintaining an open mind and understanding your motivation is most important if you want to make the most of the Japanese experience. Any experience you have is yours alone to have, so I asked you what's your flavour of Japanese? A post by Jon on the Kurosawa classic Rashomon had me thinking how inseparable culture and language are. Your perception invariably influences your version of reality.

Get your blog on.

One of the most commented on posts of the year asked if learning Japanese loanwords make you lazy. The post actually lay dormant for quite sometime until I submitted it to JapanSoc and it got picked up on Twitter. I was responding to a mothballed review written in 2001 of Giles Murray's entertaining book of techniques for learning Japanese reviewed elsewhere on this blog. It showed me how a little controversy can go a long way to getting some posts noticed.

In February I posted three ways to enjoy Japanese curry rice, another Japan Blog Matsuri organised by Deas from Rocking in Hakata. Mid month I spent two weeks in Japan before coming back for more eduFire where I learnt that teaching in more than one time zone can be tough. With the exception of Field Mice and Japanese Mnemonics most of my lessons since have been at times that make it hard for those in Australia and Japan to take part. So hello North America and Europe, the Middle East and South Asia!

In March I investigated how reading Manga can be good for your Japanese and how there is always room for humour with some bad Japanese puns. I followed up in April with a guide to learning Japanese through manga with the help of my Twitter friend @natuskigirl.

One thing that I must learn how to do well is some kind of weekly link post. I toyed with the idea of sharing links that my students share in the eduFire classroom and did a photographic retrospective of Spring Sumo tournament. These kinds of posts probably should happen more often, but they also need to contribute a more to the blog than just an automated dump of delicious links or a Flickr feed. April was also the where I tapped into 6 ex-pat perspectives on Japan, a theme I continued with 7 J-bloggers far from Japan in June.

The rise and demise of Superpass.

Superpass was launched in June, and discontinued in December. In that short time it provided me with enough momentum to attract over 300 students to my classes on eduFire, so I'm grateful for it. I'll be exploring new ways to maintain that momentum in the new year, and will continue to produce top content and articles relevant to studying the Japanese language. I'll be looking for ways to offer exclusive discounts to existing students and readers of my blog. Get in early for a subscription to my email newsletter, launching in the new year where you can learn about these discounts first.

Moving forward.

Part of the formula for attracting and supporting new students has been the goals I create on smart.fm. I blogged about the introduction of colloborative smart.fm goals in July, and not much else. I got back in to the swing of things with a guest post on Caught*Red-handed about the history of written Japanese and organised a forum for students of Japanese students on eduFire. There was also a bit of fun with bottom grabbing on Twitter.

In September it was all about the JLPT and test preparation with a five step series to ace the JLPT. The five posts outlining the five steps were also completed in 5 days, which was a bit of an experiment in speed blogging. I was also lucky enough to be able to give away a free month of SuperPass to @aggettzz who was overjoyed. I found posting a series of blogs to complement my classes on eduFire helped maintain my motivation. In October I began a book review of 13 Secrets for Speaking Fluent Japanese, a text I've been using in my Fast Track to Fluency classes.

My network on Twitter has been a fabulous source of inspiration for blogging, and even a source of answers where I am unable to provide them to my students. I find every time I'm asked a question that people really want to know, like "what are the best apps for learning Japanese on iPhone?" I get the best answers from my Twitter friends.

Again in November I asked if my friends were using a monolingual Japanese dictionary and came up with 3 good reasons to use a Japanese only dictionary. I had previously written an article for eduFire How to Choose the Best Japanese Dictionary, but I wanted to go into more detail about discovering new vocabulary using a Japanese monolingual dictionary.

By the end of November most people studying Japanese were preparing for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. I could probably do a lot better at rounding up resources for the JLPT, but it's a long way off now and there is plenty of time. At least I have a game plan for how I'd like to approach the JLPT in 2010.

Thank you for reading.

It has been a big year, and I have lots of people to thank. I'm planning to have an even bigger year in 2010 and I want to get things of to a good start. Why don't you become a fan of the Rainbowhill Language Lab on Facebook or follow @rainbowhill on Twitter. If you have done a lesson with me on eduFire, please tell me what you think, I want to get to know you better. If you haven't already, Get in early for a subscription to my email newsletter. In it you'll find discounts on lessons with me, specific tips for preparing for the JLPT and of course all the best content on Japanese language and culture.

あけましておめでとう

All the best for 2010!

New Japanese Language Proficiency Test for 2010

No Test Content Specifications for New JLPT 2010

Earlier in December the Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services (JEES) released further detail about the New Japanese Language Language Proficiency Test. As has been reported elsewhere this marks the first time the test has been offered with five levels, with a extra level intended to bridge the large gap between the previous 3rd and 2nd levels.

Other bloggers were quick to point out other major departures from the the previous test format, including the intention not to publish test specifications or past tests, and the requirement to pass each section of the test for an overall pass. It seems that the Japan Foundation have moved to modernise the test to measure both “Japanese language knowledge, including vocabulary and grammar,” and “the competence required to perform communicative tasks using language knowledge.”

There are also other small changes to the presentation of test sections, and the types of questions within them. Under development is a 'can-do' list of proficiencies which will be provided to help examinees and other better understand the test in practical terms.

What does this mean for you if you want to take the test in 2010?

Some things never change, like the need to do hour upon hour of mind numbing study, but if you want to know if the test is right for you here are some answers to questions I get asked all the time.

Who is it for? The JLPT was devised in 1984 to respond to a growing demand among students of Japanese to evaluate and certify Japanese language ability. It has grown in to a internationally recognised test the results of which have been used for employment screening and evaluation for pay rises and promotions. In 2008 well over half a million people took the test in centres all over the world.

Why should I do it? You should do it if you want to certify that you have passed a standardised test which measures Japanese language proficiency. The Japan Foundation have expanded the aims to inlcude measuring “the competence required to perform communicative tasks using language knowledge”. I don't think a paper based test will never come close to testing your communicative ability without a spoken section. Having said that though, it's always good to have something to aim for and if you need some reason to break open your text books this is as good as it will ever get.

What does it test? Test levels N5 (beginner) through to N3 (lower intermediate) are broken in to three sections; vocabulary, grammar/reading and listening. Test levels N2 (intermediate) and N1 (advanced) include vocabulary and reading/grammar in the first section, and lsitening in the second. Speaking and writing are not measured directly. Answers are machine scored multi-choice as in the current test. More details are provided in the New Japanese-Language Proficiency Test Guidebook - Executive Summary (pdf).

When is it held? In 2009 the JLPT was held on the first Sunday in July, but the level 1 and level 2 tests were held only in Japan, South Korea, China and Taiwan. The first Sunday in December is known to most who have taken the test as a day of dread all over the world. If you plan on taking the test this year, nothing less than your full comittment from day one is needed to pass at the level appropriate to your perceived ability now. There is a handy table in the executive summary (pdf) of linguistic competencies required to pass each level.

Where is it held? The test is held in over 150 locations outside of Japan, however in 2009 the July test was only held in China, Korea, Mongolia and Taiwan. Locations for the test are not normally confirmed until test vouchers are received but you can get a good idea if one is close to you by looking at the list of local host institutions. Application forms are not normally published until a few months before the test date either, and outside of Japan they can be a bit hard to come by. Host institutions are the first place you should ask, their phone numbers are published on the same list. For those of you wanting to take the test in Japan here is the list of test sites, and a link to bookstores where you may purchase the application form.

How should I prepare? The Japan Foundation have determined that it is inappropriate to publish "Test Content Specifications", a major departure from previous years. Their reasoning is that rote memorisation of vocabulary, kanji and grammar does not guarantee you are capable of using Japanese for communication. It does go a long way however. I have written about the best way to prepare for the JLPT, and have run some online training on how Ace the JLPT at any level. I plan to run similar training in 2010 and tailor content for the select group of people that sign up for my newsletter that launches in the new year.

How will I know what is on the test? The executive summary (pdf) contains a “Composition of Test Items” at each level of the test, which is something you can use to structure your study. Other things that could prove useful include the “A Summary of the Linguistic Competence Required for Each Level” found in the executive summary (pdf) and the "New Japanese-Language Proficiency Test Sample Questions" found on the official website of the Japanese-Language Proficiency test.

Which level should I take? Since the new test levels correspond to the past test levels past tests are always going to be the best way of establishing your current level. The only grey area is with N3 where the number of kanji and vocabulary required fall somewhere between the old level 3 and 2. Jonathon Waller has created an excellent comparison of the old versus the new JLPT with descriptions drawn from the JEES to help you decide which test to take.

After all that, if you still want to take it, please read on.

Let there be no illusions.

This test takes a fair commitment of time and energy, you must make sacrifices. There are few excuses on test day if you rock up unprepared, and the pit in your stomach is bottomless when you realise all that time has gone to waste in March when results are released. If you want to know how others who have just taken the test are spending their time right now see my light hearted attempt to infuse some joy in to the long wait for results.

It is also clear from reading the executive summary that you must come to the test a well rounded student with no obvious weaknesses.

"examinees must now exceed the minimum acceptable score for both the total as well as each scoring section. Failure to exceed the minimum acceptable score in any scoring sections will result in a fail for the entire test."

I'll be going into much greater detail about how to prepare for the test for those that sign up for the newsletter. In the meantime check out past posts on preparing for the JLPT, including an hour of exam preparation training on eduFire, and the series 'Ace The Japanese Language Proficiency Test At Any Level'.

• Take the first step to Ace the JLPT - Know yourself
  
• Take the second step to Ace the JLPT - Know the terrain
  
• Take the third step to Ace the JLPT - Train your weaknesses
  
• Take the fourth step to Ace the JLPT - Race your strengths
  
• Take the fifth step to Ace the JLPT - Stay fresh
  

5 Steps To Ace The Japanese Language Proficiency Test At Any Level is a Free Online Seminar at eduFire

How will this change your approach in 2010?

Are you taking the test this year? Do you plan to do things differently this time around?

Get Your LangFreq On Twitter

New Tool LangFreq Helps to Uncover the Most Common Words on Twitter

Everybody loves Twitter for the people, but not many people know how useful the bots can be. When Evan Williams talked about the impact of persistant communication on being social at LeWeb03 in December 2007, it was in the context of Twitter as a command line interface.

The idea had been around for quite some time and came about as Twitter began to open up the API, heralding the rise of Twitter as a mobile applications platform. A whole ecosystem of apps and bots sprung up around the api, now inhabiting the Twitter fan wiki in various states of (dis)repair.

One of the points Ev liked to make was that too often we ask "What can we add to a product to make it better?" He thought rather we should be asking "What can we take away to create something new?"

The new austerity.

Many of the bots that have sprung relate to productivity or novelty, but there is also a small handful devoted to languages. One of the most recent additions to this burgeoning hive of activity is LangFreq by Zyaga. LangFreq is set of language tools including word frequency, phrase rank and comparison, language translation and identification.

Zyaga and I first talked about his ideas in my Japanese classes on eduFire as he was developing these web tools to compare word frequency across a few languages. During an exchange of emails I suggested that Twitter would not only be a good source of data, but a good platform for a command line interface to his web work.

A Twitter bot is born.

The LangFreq suite of language learning tools is in beta so there is still plenty of work to be done, already it's showing lots of promise. LangFreq is built on the simple premise that someone studying the 100 most frequent words in any language would be much further ahead than someone studying 100 words at random.

Linguists have long been aware that there might be some advantage to learners in identifying a core vocabulary^[1]. There are a certain number of high frequency words in each language that cover a large proportion of words in common use^[2]. The notion of a core vocabulary has also become a central principle of some language learning systems, notably Pimsleur.

LangFreq addresses the need to know these most frequent words simply and cleanly on the website for English and Spanish. For Japanese however, the situation is a little more difficult. The trouble with Japanese is that it is difficult to define where one word ends and another begins^[3]. Although it is possible that breaking words down into smaller units makes it easier to work with, doing so limts the applicability of the tool.

Japanese is a language largely built on compunds of two or more kanji and the okurigana that helps identify the nature of the verb conjugation or adjectival inflection. It will be interesting to see how Zyaga solves this computational problem. It might be worthwhile taking another look at Jim Breen's classic Japanese dictionary WWWJDIC, or looking at the work of Rick Noelle and his Japanese Sentence Parser which uses the MeCab morphological analyzer.

Taking a closer look at the bot.

Please go and take a closer look at the bot @langfreq, I'll be doing an indepth comparison with some other similar bots in the next week or so.



It's pretty easy to get started. There are only four commands including help, rank, translate and identify. The bot is an elegant way to get this kind of information about core words when you are out and about.

Have a play around with it and tell me what you think. Do you use bots like these?



1. Carter, Ronald. “Is there a Core Vocabulary? Some Implications for Language Teaching*.” Applied Linguistics 8, no. 2 (February 1, 1987): 178-193.



2. Nation, I. S. P. Learning vocabulary in another language. Cambridge Univ Pr, 2001. [pdf]

3. Douglas, M. O. “Japanese Cloze Tests: Toward Their: Construction.” [pdf]