Archive for July, 2009
Learn Japanese Pod Party in Yamanashi

Want to meet other Learn Japanese Podders? Tired of Tokyo and want to party at the foot of mount Fuji with some amazing music? Then come to our Learn Japanese Pod weekend party in Yamanashi on 29th and 30th August. It’s going to be held at the Earth Embassy Odyssey weekend party. The entrance fee is ¥3500. You get a weekend of amazing music, DJs and live bands. There will be food stalls, a bar and cafe plus some other interesting events. (Stay tuned for more information on that)
Getting there is easy. There is a Keio bus that runs from Shinjuku directly to the Earth Embassy. For more information please contact the Earth Embassy or me directy at info(at)learnjapanesepod(dot)com. Alternatively you can twitter me at http://twitter.com/japanesepodcast We also have a facebook event for this here. Please make sure to contact me as soon as possible so I can organize bus tickets for those with no wheels.
Incidentally this Learn Japanese Pod party is our first anniversary party. Doesn’t time fly?!
View Earth Embassy Odyssey Party 29th/30th August 2009 in a larger map
All The Learn Japanese Pod Articles
To make this site even easier to navigate I have compiled all the non-podcast Learn Japanese Pod articles in one easy-to-find list. The articles cover a wide range of topics however Japan, learning Japanese and site information are central themes. Check out the entire article list here.
J-Slang 05: Dekichatta Kekkon
Today’s J-Slang is…
できちゃった結婚
Dekichatta Kekkon = Getting married because of a pregnancy
僕たちできちゃった結婚しちゃいました
bokutachi dekichatta kekkon shichaimashita = We got married because (she) got pregnant
I was going to write about the various issues surrounding birth control in Japan but on second thoughts I decided to give this one a miss. Suffice it to say, the pill was only made available in Japan as late as 1999 only after viagra became available.
Don’t be surpirsed if you hear the above phrase…
Capsual Hotel Madness
This is an interesting thread about Capsual hotels in Japan on the forums. Check it out
The New Learn Japanese Pod Logo?
I wish I could have drawn this but I have two left hands. Luckily I am surrounded by some very creative and artistic types who help out. This logo was made by the talented bboykrilin a.k.a Paul Hunter, a UK based web designer, artist and illustrator.
I think he’s pretty much captured the feeling of Learn Japanese Pod here with the slightly bemused Gozilla, the ipod and the JLP dedicated bike(?) bag.
So a huge shout out to bboykrilin and his awesome sketch. I love it.
Maybe it is T shirt making time.
All the podcasts
ポッドキャストをもっと見つかりやすいために全部今までやったポッドキャストをまとめてこのページに載せました。是非見てください。http://learnjapanesepod.com/all-podcasts/
A lot of people have been asking me to make the podcasts easier to find on this site. Therefor I have made one list of all the lesson podcasts on one page. Hope this helps: http://learnjapanesepod.com/all-podcasts/
Learn Japanese Pod groups
You can connect to other Learn Japanese Pod cats on various social networks including Facebook, Twitter, Mixi and Asoboo. Also, don’t forget to check out the Forums.
#94 Maji de
In this week’s show, Waka sensei taught us a really useful phrase you hear a lot these days which is まじmaji. It comes from まじめ-majime which means serious. Remember that this is very casual Japanese and should only be used between friends. It’s not very suitable for work. In a more formal situation you might use 本当に – hontou ni which means “really” or “very”. Check out the show notes below or download the PDF to see how まじ is used.
Show notes for lesson#94:まじで
まじで- maji de – Seriously/Very
1.
A: 明日仕事やめるよ。
B: まじで?
A: Ashita shigoto yameru yo
B: Maji de?
A: I’m quitting work tomorrow
B: Really? (Seriously?)
2.
A:彼はどう?
B: まじむかつく
A: Kare wa dou?
B: Maji mukatsuku
A: What’s he like?
B: Really annoying
3.
A:このケーキはどう?
B: まじやばい
A: Kono keeki wa dou?
B: Maji yabai
A: How’s this cake?
B: It’s seriously delicious
Random Phrase of the week
明日は皆既日食なんだって
ashita wa kaikinisshoku nan datte
They say there’s a total solar eclipse tomorrow
Learn Japanese Pod, ©Alex Brooke, 2009
Rainbow Over Tokyo
Today I saw this amazing rainbow in Yoyogi next to the NHK hall. It stopped us in our tracks and hypnotised us to pull out our Twitter connected mobile phones and snap away. I was standing near the outdoor stage listening to some DJs spin which they are still possibly doing now.
今日代々木に行ったらすごい虹を見ることができた。虹を見た人と私の反応は同じだった。携帯を出して写メールを撮った。その時にNHKホールの近くにある舞台にいっていろいろなDJの音楽を聞いた。もしかしたら今も皿回しをやってるかも。
J-Slang 04: Tennen Boke
Today’s J-Slang is…
天然ボケ
Tennen Boke = Stupid (naturally dim)
彼女きれいだけど天然ボケだよね
Kanojo kirei dakedo tennen boke da yo ne = She’s pretty but a little dim
This phrase is gloriously mean and rude so be careful when you use it. TENNEN means natural and BOKE means stupid or foolish. BOKE also refers to the funny man in a Japanese comedy duo who makes the daft wisecracks. The straight guy is refered to as the TSUKKOMI.
TENNEN BOKE suggests that the person it is being used for hasn’t been naturally blessed in the brains department. It is sometimes used rather uncharitably to beautiful celebrities who seemingly didn’t use intelligence to get where they are today.
Learn Japanese Pod Translation Project
こんにちは、bonjour, buenas dias, hallo, 你好 and नमस्ते! Do you speak a language other than English? Would you like to be involved in a project to teach Japanese to non-native English speakers? Here’s the idea.
I’m going to make 10 introductory lessons for beginners in Japanese which cover the basic concepts, grammar and tips for getting started in the language. I then want to translate these 10 pages into as many languages as possible. I’d really like to get a Chinese translation, French, German and Spanish translations too. It would be fantastic to get a Hindi translation too.
This won’t be a huge translation project, 10 short pages at most which will be uploaded over a few weeks. This is simply a labor of love for anyone who is a huge nerd like me who loves studying Japanese and other languages.
If you are interested please leave a comment on this post or email me at info(at)learnjapanesepod(dot)com
ありがとう、merci, gracias, danke, 謝謝 and आभारी हुँ!
Beer Pong Comes To Tokyo

Ethan Green, Tokyo based music journalist and man about town is hosting his very first event next week at the Ruby Room in Shibuya! Tokyo’s inaugural Beer Pong Night! Come down, show your support, and party with us!
“What’s Beer Pong?” you may ask? Only the most popular game in the US college scene! Enter the tournament for your chance at GLORY! Mark your calendars now!
Beer Pong Tournament!
The Ruby Room in Shibuya
Saturday, July 18th
9PM – late
1500JPY (includes 1 drink and 1 game ticket)
When Ethan asked me along to some juvenile frat boy drinking games I knew I had to get involved. Even if everything else fails, Ethan will be able to say he was the man who brought beer pong to Tokyo!
How to download free Japanese music
Muzie is a site for you to listen to and download free Japanese music. A lot of the featured artists are not signed to major lables so there is a high chance you will find something new.
Most of the MP3s are streamed via Real Player with a medium bit rate quality so the sound isn’t perfect. There are a few high quality MP3 downloads however.
You will need to be able to read Japanese to navigate the site. Alternatively you could just about get the gist of whats going on with this Google translation of Muzie. Again, this site is best if viewed as a place to discover new music and artists.
Check it out!
iPhone Podcast reviews
The iPhone now lets you write a review on apps and podcasts you have downloaded. We would like to get your reviews posted from the iphone. Check this link on how to write reviews for apps and podcasts like ours. This is our first review.

Ouch, Mr Kloranfm! I’ll have to take issue with some of the points in this review.
The “guests” mostly consist of drunk girls they bring into the studio.
First off, they weren’t drunk girls, well not very, plus I had had waaay more to drink than they had. Also, it’s not a studio, it’s a crappy kitchen. The very idea we would record something in a studio goes against our principles of doing anything properly. Which leads me onto the next point.
It’s a shame because if they were organized and professional they might actually have a good podcast.
Oh the slander continues. How could this reviewer insinuate we should be organized and professional when our motto is “disorganized amateurs”?! As we say, if a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing any old how. I’ve been called a few things in my time but professional and organized is not one of them. How dare you sir! Unshaken by this review, we promise to keep bringing you the same badly recorded, amateurish podcast as before!
Anyway, please check out the review feature on the iPhone if you have one and send us another crappy review.
A shout out to Ady for giving us the heads up on this one.
J-Slang 03: Samu!
Today’s J-Slang is…
さむっ
SAMU = That’s not funny
あの冗談さむっ
Ano joudan samu = That joke is terrible!
SAMU comes from the adjective SAMUI which means cold. Use SAMU when someone tells an unoriginal joke, usually with a pathetic punch line or an awful pun, so bad it almost makes you shiver.
These are also sometimes referred to as 親父ギャグ / OYAJI GYAGU or a joke an old guy would tell such as an annoying uncle at a family get together with a bad sense of humor. I hear this a lot when someone cracks an old groaner and everyone wants to let the person know they shouldn’t give up their day job.
From Twitter: tomoakiyama@japanesepodcast Good one! Often “sabui” to emphasize it’s so cold that your nose is stuffy and you can’t help pronouncing “m” like “b”.
Fun Friday for 3rd July 2009
We kicked off this week’s Fun Friday with some awesome rap from Kenjiman. Check out his Myspace page for some excellent tunes and incredible rapping from Tokyo. (If you are a band in Japan, please contact us at info(at)learnjapanesepod(dot)com if you would like your music to be considered for our podcast)
The festival season was today’s theme which is starting in Japan. Waka sensei and myself will be checking out as many summer events as we can in Japan and reporting you about it stay tuned. Check out our festival calendars for Kanto and Kansai to find some great events to attend.
We also talked about the latest Eco convenience store located in Kyoto which doesn’t sell plastic bottles or provide plastic shopping bags for customers. It’s the first of its kind in Japan and we will be waiting to see if the idea spreads. Waka sensei suggested that plastic manufacturers had try to protect the “pet bottle” in Japan which is why this idea hadn’t taken off sooner. I suggested that plastic bottle making ninjas would soon put a stop to this. Waka sensei didn’t agree…
A big shout out to Dennis for sending this photo of an ad to ask people to smoke more responsibly.

The interesting thing is, in the UK you have posters telling you to quit smoking whereas in Japan they tell you how to be a good smoker. And being good is not disturbing those around you. The tide is slowly turning in Japan as more and more public areas are designated as smoke free areas. I’m not sure what will happen when they take the last cigarette away from the hassled and stressed salaryman. Japan could have a revolt on their hands.
Again thanks to Dennis for the picture. Please send us your own Japan related pictures, comments, questions and suggestions to info(at)learnjapanesepod(dot)com or alternatively leave a comment at the end of this post. DOMO!
Kansai Fireworks Calendar 2009
View Fireworks Festivals Japan 2009 in a larger map
25th July (Saturday)
(Osaka)
天神祭奉納花火 Tenjin Festival Fireworks display
Time: 19:00-21:00
Location: MAP/地図 5 min walk from JR Sakuranomiya station (桜ノ宮駅), Loop line (環状線)
4000 fireworks / 1.3 million spectators / TEL: 06-6353-002/ http://www.tenjinsan.com/tjm.html
Check out this Tenjin Festival Video
(Osaka)
岸和田港まつり花火大会 Kishiwada Minato Festival Fireworks
Time: 20:00 – 21:00
Location: MAP/地図 30 mins walk from Kishiwada station (岸和田駅), Nankai hon line (南海本線)
1500 fireworks / 20000 spectators / TEL: 072-423-9618/
(Hyogo)
芦屋サマーカーニバル Ashiya Summer Carnival
Time: 20:00 start
Location: MAP/地図 Ashiya City Park 芦屋市総合公園/Nearest station -Ashiya station / 芦屋駅 /
5000 fireworks / 90000 spectators / TEL: 0797-35-0871/
(Hyogo)
姫路みなと祭海上花火大会 Himeji Port Fireworks Festival
Time: 19:30-20:45
Location: MAP/地図 25 min walk from Shikama Station on the Sanyo Dentetsu line 山陽電鉄本線飾磨駅
3300 fireworks / http://www.city.himeji.lg.jp/s60/2212506/_10217/_10017.html
1st August (Saturday)
(Osaka)
教祖祭PL花火芸術 Kyoso Festival PL Fireworks Display
Time: 19:45 – 20:45
Location: MAP/地図 10 mins walk from Tondabayashi station (富田林駅), Kintetsu Nagano line (近鉄長野線)
20000 fireworks / 300000 spectators /TEL: 0721-23-6625/ http://www.perfect-liberty.or.jp/
7th August (Friday)
(Shiga)
びわ湖花火大会 Lake Biwa Fireworks display
Time: 19:30– 20:30
Location: MAP/地図 5 mins walk from Hamaotsu station (浜大津駅)
10000 fireworks / 350000 spectators / TEL: 077-511-1530 / http://www.biwako-visitors.jp/
8th August (Saturday)
(Osaka)
なにわ淀川花火大会 Naniwa Yodogawa Fireworks Display
Time: 19:50– 20:40
Location: MAP/地図 10 mins walk from Jyuso station (十三駅), Hankyu line (阪急線)
or Tsukamoto station (塚本駅), JR kobe line (JR神戸線)
3000 fireworks / 380000 spectators /TEL: 06-6307-5522/http://www.yodohanabi.com/
15th August (Saturday)
(Kyoto)
あやべ水無月まつり Ayabe Festival
Time: 20:00– 20:45
Location: MAP/地図 10 mins walk east from Ayabe Station 綾部駅
4000 fireworks / 35000 spectators /TEL: 0773-42-0701
Learn English at Learn Japanese Pod?!
Recently we have been getting emails from Japanese people listening to the Learn Japanese Pod podcast to learn English. This was a development I didn’t see coming but it makes sense.
最近日本人の方からメールが届いて、英語を勉強するためにLearn Japaneseを聞いていらっしゃるそうです。ちょっとおかしいかなと思ったけれども考えると分かります。
Most of the podcasts we do are aimed at beginner or low intermediate Japanese language learners and as a result we translate everything we teach into English. Japanese people and other non native English speakers have been listening our podcasts to hear the banter bewteen Waka sensei and myself in order to learn natural English conversations. Here’s an email I got from Kaori san (below)
ポッドキャストのレベルはだいたい初級と中級レベルです。そして日本語の会話を全部英語に翻訳します。日本語の例文の間に私と和歌先生のくだらない話が多いです。自然な英語を勉強するために日本人や英語母国語じゃない方はこの話を聞いていらっしゃるそうです。かおりさんという方から下記のメールをもらいました。
私は今英語を勉強しています。英語の勉強は難しいですT_Tそして英語の勉強のサイトを探していたところ、このサイトを見つけました。learn japaneseという名前なので、英語ではないのかなと最初は思いましたが、このサイトでたくさんの英語が聞けますし、ここでの英語を聞いたり読んだりすると、自然な英会話や表現を覚えることができることを発見したのでとても気に入っています。
I’m studying English now, it’s very hard. I found this site while looking for a site to study English. With a name like “Learn Japanese” I didn’t think I’d be able to learn English. However, you can hear a lot of English on the site as well as read it so you can learn a lot of natural English conversations and phrases. So I like it a lot.
So I am hoping she is not the only Japanese person to listen to this podcast. If that is the case then maybe we can set up a language exchange bewteen native Japanese and English speakers. I know that the forums are lacking in Japanese members partly because the majority of the posts are written in English. I suppose if I could do this podcast from scratch I should have done the English – Japanese language exchange podcast.
In the mean time, thanks for listening and let’s see if we can’t get an English – Japanese language exchange going.
このようなメールをもらうととてもうれしいです。そして日本人と英語を話せる人と英語ー日本語交流をしようかなと思いました。今のところ掲示板のほとんどは英語で書いてるせいか日本人のメンバーはあんまりいません。
これからもっと日本語で書いて日本人のメンバーが増えるように頑張ります!是非Learn Japanese Podの掲示板のメンバーになってください! Learn Japanese Pod 掲示板はこちら
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