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ssjup81

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Hello. I've been meaning to do this for a while, but I'm finally on vacation from work! Whee!

 

My name is Wendy. I'm from Central Virginia, but currently residing in Tendo, Yamagata, Japan. Not sure how much longer I'll be here in Japan, though, since I'm not planning on renewing my work contract, which ends in late March. I'm job hunting now hoping to relocate. We'll see what happens. ^^ I've lived in Japan on and off since 2010.

 

That aside, I don't know what I can say. lol I don't watch anime as much as I used to. Newer series I can't really get into much...then again, with work I don't watch much of anything in a general sense. ^^

 

During this week vacation, I would like to finally finish some series I've put on hold for years now, like Blue Seed, Utawareumono, or give other series another go, like Ragnarok, for example.

 

Um, I've written some fics...but I think they suck. lol

 

Um, other than that, I don't know what to say...so please ask me questions. I've always been bad at doing introduction posts. ^^ Oh! I do have a myanimelist. I can share that here, although it's not fully up-to-date, I'd say.

 

http://myanimelist.net/animelist/ssjup81

http://myanimelist.net/mangalist/ssjup81

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Welcome to Anime Forums! Hope you enjoy your stay :)

 

During this week vacation, I would like to finally finish some series I've put on hold for years now, like Blue Seed, Utawareumono, or give other series another go, like Ragnarok, for example.

You know, I do that a lot as well, but then I won't even complete half of what I set out to finish :?

 

And looking at your list, you reminded me that I still need to play Tales of Symphonia sometime soon.

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Hello ssjup81, nice to have you onboard on Anime Forums. :)

 

I've lived in Japan on and off since 2010

Ooh so you would be pretty fluent in Japanese? Do you have any hints for those interested in learning the language?

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Welcome to Anime Forums! Hope you enjoy your stay :)
Thanks a lot. I hope I can contribute to the forums in some way given my lack of watching stuff...unless it's an older series.
You know, I do that a lot as well, but then I won't even complete half of what I set out to finish :?
It's a rarity with me. So far this week, I still haven't started watching anything yet that I wanted to catch up on or finish. Some of those series have been on the backburner for years. I actually went back to Dragon Ball, because I was in a nostalgic mood. lol
And looking at your list, you reminded me that I still need to play Tales of Symphonia sometime soon.
I have the game. I loved it! Unfortunately, I lost the second disc, so even if I wanted to just sit down and play again, I won't be able to complete it. All of my game consoles are back stateside anyway.

 

Too bad the anime didn't do it as much justice as it potentially could have. I prefer its manga to the anime.

Hiya jup~

*hugs*

Howdy! ^_^
Hello ssjup81, nice to have you onboard on Anime Forums. :)
Howdy and thanks. ^_^
Ooh so you would be pretty fluent in Japanese? Do you have any hints for those interested in learning the language?
Actually, my Japanese isn't very good at all and I partially blame my current job for that.

 

My first time here, I was surrounded by more Japanese and actually had to use it on a daily basis to communicate with my non-fluent coworkers. So yeah, it was easier to use it. I went home after that earthquake/tsunami hit and came back the next year for another job. Thought it was ideal, but for that one, I was always surrounded by English. The job was also highly stressful for me. I then finished that job, relocated and started a newer job last year which I still have now....but same problem. I'm surrounded by too much English and don't have a Japanese outlet so my ability has dropped considerably since my first time here. With my current workplace, all of my coworkers are fluent in English or native English speakers. All of the native English speakers are also dating/married to someone Japanese, so they get to use it a lot. For me, I go to work, and come home.

 

But, to start off, I feel it's best to start learning the Japanese alphabet. HIragana, Katakana, and Kanji. If not Kanji right off, at least Hiragana and Katakana which is super easy to get, imo. Kanji is difficult since you just have to memorize it. Kanji can be easily misread. Try not to get stuck in romaji mode as that hinders as opposed to help as that won't be seen very much within the country itself. Flashcards with characters on them (for either) are good to use, especially for Kanji or just writing the characters over and over again until you get it burned into memory. Despite years ago being decent with this, I've become rusty. I suck at writing now. I blame work for that too. The schedule isn't consistent, which is mainly why I'm looking for another job with hours similar to the first one I had here in Japan. It was like a 9:00 - 5:00 type (okay more like 8:30 - 4:30), but I still had the evenings free and I had more energy to study.

 

Next, I'd suggest just picking up a textbook to learn the basic grammar style. Japanese grammar, imo, is actually pretty straightforward and easy. It doesn't really contradict itself the way English does at times.

 

Next, I would suggest listening activities to see what you catch and maybe repeating what you hear or either writing what you hear. Maybe for this type of exercise, since it's for speed, romaji would be okay.

 

Lastly, I would recommend finding someone you can verbally communicate with in Japanese to help build those skills.

 

Oh! There's a site I came across a few weeks ago that may be helpful with reading/writing....

 

www.tanoshiijapanese.com

 

You can study up on Kanji and such here. I've gone back to the beginning. My problem with Kanji is that for some of them, I may know what it is separate, but not sure how to read it when combined with another Kanji character. For example....

 

手話: This is combining the characters for "hand" and "language". I had no idea how to read this, but understood its meaning. When I first saw this, I thought it was "tego"...but it's read as "shuwa". I thought it was "tego" because of how with languages they tack "go" at the end of it. So I figured, "Hand Language" or "Sign Language". English 英語 (Eigo)、 Spanish スペイン語 (Spaingo)、Japanese 日本語 (Nihongo), etc.

 

火山: This is another I didn't know the reading of, but figured out the meaning. Fire + Mountain. Volcano. So yeah, this is the Kanji issue that's a bit tough for most learners.

 

Sorry for the long explanation. I tend to have a bad habit of over explaining stuff. ^^

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Actually, my Japanese isn't very good at all and I partially blame my current job for that.

On the contrary, it sounds like you're quite proficient. I can barely do basic conversational Japanese from a beginner's course and watching anime. xD

 

I've been interested in learning it for sometime now as I've actually been to Japan twice now. Once for work purposes and recently for holiday. Whilst Tokyo and Kyoto had decent English, I felt I was missing out considerably whenever I went shopping as I couldn't ask basic questions in Japanese or even strike up a basic conversation. There are limits to what Google Translate can do on the spot on my smartphone. :?

 

Eating out and shopping in general was challenging too as I couldn't read any of the hiragana or kanji. Many places did have a English menu but yeah, often the English isn't great and sort of takes away from the experience.

 

Next, I'd suggest just picking up a textbook to learn the basic grammar style.

Would you recommend any particular one? Or would online resources be the way to go? :)

 

Next, I would suggest listening activities to see what you catch and maybe repeating what you hear or either writing what you hear.

I actually found slice of life anime to be really good for listening practice, many of the phrases they use do match real life ones that are likely to be used.

 

Lastly, I would recommend finding someone you can verbally communicate with in Japanese to help build those skills.

I have access to a Japanese teacher I work with at my workplace and he did offer me some resources, however it is difficult to practice Japanese conversations during work hours as he is quite busy. Definitely agree it would be worthwhile finding someone to chat with on a more casual basis.

 

Sorry for the long explanation. I tend to have a bad habit of over explaining stuff. ^^

I found it very informative ssjup81, thank you. :)

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On the contrary, it sounds like you're quite proficient. I can barely do basic conversational Japanese from a beginner's course and watching anime. xD
Nah. I'm not very proficient at all. lol I have trouble expressing my thoughts in Japanese and I usually get "gist" not 100% understanding if someone speaks to me.

 

Since I've lived where I am currently, the most I've used Japanese was when I was in the hospital. Recently, I had to do a nearly 7 week hospital stay. The end of August to early October. >< It actually was a good thing for Japanese because I had to use it everyday.

I've been interested in learning it for sometime now as I've actually been to Japan twice now. Once for work purposes and recently for holiday. Whilst Tokyo and Kyoto had decent English, I felt I was missing out considerably whenever I went shopping as I couldn't ask basic questions in Japanese or even strike up a basic conversation. There are limits to what Google Translate can do on the spot on my smartphone. :?
Oh I see. In August, during Obon this year, I finally visited Kyoto amongst other places. I'd actually had never visited anyplace south of Yokohama. lol About time I finally visited the two old capitals (Kyoto/Nara).

 

Hm, questions to ask...I'm assuming maybe like, 'How much is it?" and things like that? Oh I try to avoid Google Translate. I have a dictionary/translator app on my smartphone.

Eating out and shopping in general was challenging too as I couldn't read any of the hiragana or kanji. Many places did have a English menu but yeah, often the English isn't great and sort of takes away from the experience.
Yeah, this is why it's important to at least learn Hiragana and Katakana. That'll make getting around a little easier.

 

As for restaurants....to be honest, I don't go out to them much. Like a traditional Japanese restaurant, I know there'll probably be a lot of Kanji I can't figure out, so I only go if I have someone with me. Now stuff like ramen shops or yakitori shops or soba shops, etc., for instance, are easier to get.

 

What kind of restaurants did you go to?

Would you recommend any particular one? Or would online resources be the way to go? :)
Well, probably online in this day and age. Like I said, maybe that website I linked earlier, www.tanoshiijapanese.com would be good.
I actually found slice of life anime to be really good for listening practice, many of the phrases they use do match real life ones that are likely to be used.
I feel that it's also good for catching pronunciation too.
I have access to a Japanese teacher I work with at my workplace and he did offer me some resources, however it is difficult to practice Japanese conversations during work hours as he is quite busy. Definitely agree it would be worthwhile finding someone to chat with on a more casual basis.
Yeah, this would definitely be best. Maybe you could hang out after work or something like that.
I found it very informative ssjup81, thank you. :)
Glad to help in some way. lol ^^;
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What kind of restaurants did you go to?

Mostly Shokudo resutaunts around the tourist attractions. :)

 

Have you ever been to the multi-storey shopping centres directly adjacent within Kyoto Station? There are some nice restaurants there. :)

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Mostly Shokudo resutaunts around the tourist attractions. :)
Ah, like totally Japanese. That can be tough, trying to figure out the menus and stuff.
Have you ever been to the multi-storey shopping centres directly adjacent within Kyoto Station? There are some nice restaurants there. :)
Sorry, no I haven't. I've only been to Kyoto once and that was during Obon last August. Everyone and their mother is off that time of the year. lol When I finally arrived in Kyoto, it was so terribly hot and stuff, I didn't do any sightseeing my second day. I stayed in my nice cool hotel room. Someday I'll visit again, but in the fall or spring. Never again in summer.
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Ah, like totally Japanese. That can be tough, trying to figure out the menus and stuff.

Well they often had an English menu as I only went to ones that were around tourist areas. I'm sure you can relate to what I'm saying when I say that the level of English throughout Japan is, to put it bluntly... poor. At least when compared to other Asian countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. Often the English word order is wrong but it's good enough to get the gist of it.

 

Sorry, no I haven't. I've only been to Kyoto once and that was during Obon last August.

It sounds like you have to be careful when visiting during festivals or special events as they sound like they get extremely busy! Speaking of events, one day I would like to visit during the cherry blossom bloom season but again that sounds like it gets very busy from a tourist perspective. Have you had a chance to experience that?

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Well they often had an English menu as I only went to ones that were around tourist areas. I'm sure you can relate to what I'm saying when I say that the level of English throughout Japan is, to put it bluntly... poor. At least when compared to other Asian countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. Often the English word order is wrong but it's good enough to get the gist of it.
Yeah, compared to other Asian countries, English in Japan is poor, despite the fact that people are stuck studying it throughout junior high and senior high school. The way it's taught is pretty bad. A lot of subjects in Japan, seemingly, is mostly taught with rote memorization in mind. English classes are taught with kids memorizing the examples for tests and stuff like that. They don't write speeches and such (I know in my language classes in high school we had to do that) or write out original content in the language they're learning, they don't speak it in class very much, and despite having six years of studying it, they're still below a beginner level at most. The classes are pretty much taught for them to pass tests (entrance exams) as opposed to actually communicating. They also use WAY too much Japanese in class.

 

I studied Spanish in middle/high school altogether for four years. My last year was horrid though as I just couldn't get it...but never mind. I don't know about other places, but for my school with our language classes, each year, our native language was used less and less by our teachers, and the target language was used more and more so we would get used of hearing it. By the fourth and fifth year there's no English used at all. In Japanese schools, it's pretty much translation translation translation. The government here is determined to get everyone good at English by the time 2020 comes around.

It sounds like you have to be careful when visiting during festivals or special events as they sound like they get extremely busy!
Yeah. If people actually TOOK a vacation instead of waiting around for national holidays, places would be less crowded. Here's some info I heard. Every month in Japan has at least one national holiday...other than August, but the government came up with a new national holiday that I think will go into effect 2016 or maybe this year. It'll be called "Yama no Hi"...Mountain Day. I heard they do this because it's an excuse for employees to actually have a day off since some people just don't take vacations because they feel obligated to work. It's like, the mentality here is that you "live to work" as opposed to its being working to live. Lots of issues regarding that...but never mind about all the social junk here (even though I've always been interested in it myself). Let's talk about the fun stuff. ^_^
Speaking of events, one day I would like to visit during the cherry blossom bloom season but again that sounds like it gets very busy from a tourist perspective. Have you had a chance to experience that?
Actually the hanami time isn't particularly crowded. Depending on where you are in Japan, the bloom takes place later in the spring or early spring. It's just another trip to the park, really so it's not particularly crowded. The Hanami viewing is part of the season, so you can go on a workday and not worry about there being crowds.

 

In Tokyo, the cherry blossoms usually bloom in late March and early April, I think. The more north you go, the later the cherry blossoms bloom. Where I am, usually they bloom sometime in May, so yeah, that shouldn't be a problem.

 

The most crowded times of the year to probably go anyplace in Japan is August (because of Obon and many kids being off from school) and Golden Week.

 

Now, as for festivals....I think those will always be crowded. lol

 

Oh, I forgot to answer your initial question. Yes, I have experienced a Cherry Blossom viewing. The year before last, I went with a couple of friends, so there was a festival going on and since it was in the park/shrine area there were also lots of cherry blossoms. Some people have viewing parties. Just have a picnic in the park under the cherry blossom trees and appreciating them...but people also do a lot of drinking. My friend and I (she's from the US too) went, and it was crazy! These drunk dudes asked us to join their party. It was hilarious. They then wanted to do photos and stuff, like everyone does at viewing parties with friends. So yeah, I have, but it wasn't crowded. lol

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