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admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:13:59 +0000

Newsletter Survey

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:23:44 +0000

We are starting a new newsletter for Learn Japanese Pod with the latest information about the site, links to Japanese learning resources and more. You can sign up to it on the top right of this website.

We’d like to get your opinion on what should go in the newsletter so why not take one minute to tell us with this survey. Thanks for your time and comments!

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Kana Invaders

admin — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:13:55 +0000

Learn to read Hiragana and Katakana with our new game Kana Invaders. It’s easy to play. First, chose the type of game, either Hiragana or Katakana. Then select the level of difficulty. Finally try to blast the Kana Invaders by typing the kana displayed. If you are too slow they will land on your head and it’s all game over man.

PLAY KANA INVADERS!

A huge shout out to Ricardo who made this game and designed this website. Check out his awesomeness at Cataplasma.

As we would like to improve this game, please feel free to leave your comments and feedback here.

Learning Hirgana and Katakana

Learn Japanese Pod iPhone app

admin — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 12:45:52 +0000

We are proud to announce the launch of the new iPhone app for Learn Japanese Pod. This application allows you to stream or download your favorite podcasts. It also includes show notes and soon we will be adding new shows that you will only be able to access on the iPhone app. Try it out and tell us what you think about it.

Click here to get the new Learn Japanese Pod iPhone app.

Japan Population Quiz

admin — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 11:51:37 +0000

Try out your general knowledge on population statistics from Japan. There are 10 questions in this quiz.

Latest News

admin — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 12:15:26 +0000

Giant green monsters trample Tokyo as Learn Japanese Pod gets a new facelift and logo design. Aw, ain’t it cute?! I hope you like it.

We also have new podcasts coming out and I have been talking to Beb about making some more lessons with her so please watch this space.

Apartment hunting

Leviathon — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 01:07:21 +0000

I’ve just signed a contract for a new apartment in Japan after a day of hunting via two different estate agents. One based in Ikebukuro, and the other in Iidabashi. Both were looking for me east of those locations, but the end results was markedly different.

The first way Lead Trust and the second Able.

In the end I signed with Able, however I first went to Lead Trust. Also recommended to me were Mini Mini, but in the end I didn’t go. They do apparently deal in quite a lot of very small, but cheap apartments and a English friend of mine said good things about the company. Lead Trust I didn’t get any recommendations about, but a Japanese friend found some apartments online via them so he booked an appointment for me. Able was recommended via a friend as having been used twice before with good results.

From my experience, don’t use Lead Trust. Their service was fine, although I didn’t like the fact that everything they showed me has two months gift money （礼金）when 1 month is common, but the apartments were OK and we got taken to three, the last of which was a newly refurbished, pretty large manshon（マンション） 3 minutes from a very convenient station. The price was good (1 month gift money), the location excellent. The final bill however was extortionate. Their agency fee was 1.05 (one point zero five) months rent, which isn’t unusual but many agencies at this time of the year have a campaign for half price fees. The apartment also came with a cleaning fee (nearly half a month’s rent), for the previous tenant or for me, I don’t know, and an extra fee (1/4 month’s rent), I can’t remember what it was for, and then the thing which made me angry; a charge for a guarantor company even thou my Japanese friend sitting next to me was going to be the the guarantor. ‘But because you’re a foreigner the guarantor company is still required, even if you have a guarantor already’ they said. That’s an extra 1/2 month’s rent, please. Bollocks. I’m not entirely sure if that was a lie, but research online suggests this just isn’t the case. You only use a company if you haven’t got a Japanese that can do it. Maybe different landlords are picker than others, but the guy in the agency said ‘almost always’ this is so, which I do think is either ignorance or a lie.

Suffice to say, I didn’t sign. In any case, I still needed to see Able.

This estate agent was far better. Same service (I see why they charge so much, you get driven to each place by an agent), but with a better selection of apartments with lower initial fees. They had a campaign which was half price fees, and no cleaning fee or guarantor money. I got a new apartment in a nice location for work, for a lot less up front money. They even pushed the gift money down a bit on my request.

You can go with other companies who specialize in dealing with foreigners. I was recommended Tokyo Rent but they didn’t have anything in the area I wanted. There are others too. I expect rents to be higher with these companies or else quality lower.

A few things I learned.

1) Searching online isn’t as useful as I thought. The information of some apartments was just wrong. Campaign special prices that rise after 3 months, or just plain wrong. I don’t think there was a single one found online that we actually went to see. If you want the most accurate information go direct to an agency and get them to find places. You have to do it anyway.

2) Check the charges first. Obvious, but I really wasn’t expecting that guarantor charge or cleaning fee.

3) Learn to write your address, occupation and company address, in kanji.

4) Generally you have to pay gift money. Places without tend to have higher rent.

There are other options. I could have rented a place with my company. It would have been furnished, although probably not cheaper for the location I wanted. No initial fees, of course, but if I move company I have to move apartment anyway. I could have got cheaper rent If I’d hunted more but I had a deadline and the place I finally found was very nice.

Now the hassle of moving my stuff, and cleaning this current apartment to within an inch of it’s life.

How to find an apartment in Tokyo (Part 1)

34th Grand Sumo Tournament

Leviathon — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:18:59 +0000

I went to see the 34th Grand Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Stadium on Sunday. This was the first time for me, seeing live sumo, although as a kid I always used to watch it on Channel 4 in the UK. At that time however sumo was still pretty much a Japanese only sport, but now foreigners are coming to dominated the top ranks. You can Wikipedia for more info although the foreign born reference is out of date. This site shows a list of all wrestlers and states there are 57 active foreign fighters out of 703.

Two wrestlers going at it

Doesn’t sound a lot, but as you restrict to the higher ranks, the percentage goes up a bit. Although, I had gotten the impression that there was a crisis in sumo with the number of foreigners outweighing native Japanese. From looking at the stats I still see a great number of Japanese. Maybe it’s because the top rank, Yokozuna, has been dominated by foreigners for the last 10 years (see bottom of page).

But in any case, Sunday’s 1-day tournament is outside the normal schedule for determining rank, and was won by a Japanese, apparently a feat last done 7 years ago.

Will they start this time?

The final was between a Bulgarian born Ozeki (2nd rank) by the name of Kotooshu, and a native Sekiwake (3rd rank) wrestler called Goeido. Goeido had made it past several higher ranked wrestlers, including toppling the reigning champion and Yokozuna in the semi-final, before tripping up the Bulgarian to claim the top prize, a hefty 円3,200,000 (about $36,000 dollars). Not bad for a days work, although in global sporting terms quite modest I suppose.

Bulgarian finalist

As could be expected from a drought of native champions, everyone was quite pleased when Goeido won, the post championship interview focusing on how great it was a native had won after so long. Although as in the best sumo tradition, the interviewer did most of the talking.

The sumo itself was much as I remember. A long preamble in which the opponents glare at each other and pretend to get ready to start, although you know full well they won’t at the sweeper guys haven’t even gotten out the way yet. Once they’ve done this 2 or 3 times, they start the match, which is usually over in 10 seconds. Although, you couldn’t feel bored as the matches continued one after another pretty much without rest, the ceremony of the whole event always allowing your eyes to be kept busy with something interesting, be it the guy who sings at the end of each

Keeping the ring tidy

bout, the sweepers keeping the ring clean and correct, the wrestlers themselves and their elaborate preparation, or magnificent dress of the referees.

Traditional crooner

We were there for about 2 hours, in not too shabby seats on the second floor. Although maybe next time I’ll fork out for the first floor cushion seats, so I can throw them at the ring when something happens I like (or not), as many people did for the final two bouts.

No related posts.

Hay Fever in Japan “花粉症” (Kafunshō)

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:59:38 +0000

It’s February which means the hay fever season is upon us. Every year at this time, thousands of tons of cedar pollen swirls around Japan making life miserable for millions. The number of sufferers depends on who you ask but estimates range from 10% to 20% of people in Japan and that’s a lot of runny noses.

Business has been quick to cash in by providing a wide range of products designed to alleviate symptoms. These include antihistamine tablets, face masks, nose sprays and goggles which account for 20 billion yen in annual sales.

Why does Japan have so much cedar?

Between the 50s and 70s, around 4.5 million hectares of cedar trees were planted in an attempt to meet the growing need for construction materials. However, it eventually became more economical to import lumber from abroad making the cedar plantations obsolete. Even today as the forests mature the amount of cedar produced increases as do the number of hay fever sufferers. Apparently, even the monkeys are suffering. The cedar looks as if it is here to stay as government plans to reduce the plantations are not ambitious or well funded.

In the mean time the only course open to most people is to by whatever is on offer at the pharmacy and check out the pollen maps of Japan. Weathernews.jp has an excellent pollen map of Japan updated in real time. I’ll definitely be referring to it in the coming months. Wish me luck and plenty of chainsaws…

Some useful links:

Tackling The Cedar Blight

General Facts on Hey Fever (Japan Times)

Hay Fever in Japan (What Japan Thinks)

Environmental Ministry Pollen Map

Tokyo Weekender on NHK

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 13:55:35 +0000

This is a video segment about the Tokyo Weekender Magazine which I am involved with. It’s a magazine for the foreign community living in Tokyo and has been going for about 40 years.

The other day, NHK came, filmed around the office and followed Kelly the editor of the magazine on her rounds. I’m in the video for about 2 seconds trying and failing to not look like a complete idiot speaking Japanese.

Some of the Japanese in this isn’t too challenging so this might be good practice for you budding students of the language. NHK was also kind enough to provide subtitles for our interviews so there is some reading practice for you too.

Enjoy.

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