This episode was recorded by me, Alex, in Tokyo and Asuka, on the east coast of the United States and I think it actually worked quite well so we will be recording some more podcasts soon this way.

In this episode we talked about various things including Japanese food, comparing New York and Tokyo and what Asuka misses from Japan. We also talked about our new magazine featuring Japanese lessons and articles on traveling to Japan which you can sign up to here.   If you sign up, we will also be sending some free PDF Japanese lessons in the near future as we discussed in the podcast.

As always, we’d love to talk to you so please check out our forum, Facebook page or email us at info[at]learnjapanesepod.com

Enjoy!

On this week’s Fun Friday, Sandra (@sandrajapandra) and I talked about Quakebook, a collection of essays, photos and art by those affected by the tsunami and earthquakes in Japan.

Originally started by a tweet by a former British journalist @ourmaninabiko, the idea was to crowd source contributions for a book that could be quickly edited together and sold to help those in need in Japan.

100% of the profits go to the Japan Red Cross so if you haven’t already please consider purchasing a copy on Amazon.

A huge thanks to Sandra for hanging out with us, sharing her thoughts and explaining how this inspired project came into being.

Sandra also appeared in this Fun Friday episode, and this one too.

Other topics mentioned in this podcast are:

• William Gibson - Neuromancer
• Yoko Ono
• Japan Red Cross

G’day possums, we couldn’t let Oprah have all the fun so I decided to take Learn Japanese Pod on the road to Sydney Australia. I had an absolutely fantastic time in Sydney and Melbourne and hope to be coming back to Oz soon.

In this Fun Friday I was joined by Wes and we talked about:

1) Not talking about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan

2) Why we came to Australia (Mostly to escape the hay fever season in Japan)

3) Japanese influences in Australia

4) Asking you what you want to know about Japan

To get in touch with us you can find us on our twitter feed, facebook group or send us an email at info[at]learnjapanesepod.com

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This week’s Learn Japanese Pod Fun Friday edition podcast was recorded at 67 Gyoza in Ebisu. I was joined by Asami and as we thought the food was really good we decided to record a podcast review about it. (You can check out our other restaurant reviews here)

67 Gyoza is a restaurant that specialises in gyoza (dumplings) and was created by the famous sumo wrestler Musashimaru. His restaurant derives it name from the fact he became the 67th Yokozuna, the highest rank achievable in sumo. There are four restaurants in the 67 Gyoza chain and we visited the one in Ebisu.

Our recommendations

You should definitely try the following:

1)鉄板焼き餃子

Teppanyaki Gyoza – 8 pieces of pan fried gyoza

2) タンタン焼き餃子

Tantan yaki gyoza – Cooked gyoza in szechuan style soup

3) ピリ辛チキンバー

Pirikara chikin baa – Deep fried chicken wings in spicy sauce.

We also tried some hot sake called 桜正宗 which is pretty potent so you have been warned!

All in all the food was great, it was lively and fun but not too crowded. The menu has a great selection of food I had never tried before. If you are a little fussy like me, you will be able to find something that suits you.

So please check it out!

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In this week’s Fun Friday, Karamoon and I talk about 外食 / gaishoku or eating out. We talk about some of my favorite restaurants in Tokyo which have great food and are reasonably priced. Here is a list of the restaurants we talked about which I have visited.

大戸屋 Ootoya
	Otoya is a reasonabky priced chain restaurant serving a good selection of Japanese food. This is a great place to sample typical Japanese dishes without breaking the bank.	Website Map
空の庭 Sora No Niwa
	Sora No Niwa is a chain restaurant that specializes in delicious tofu dishes. Other items on the menu are worth trying and they have a good selection of Sake. Not as cheap as Ootoya but nicer decor and subtle flavors.	Shibuya Branch Ebisu Branch Map
一風堂 Ippudo
	Ippudo is a ramen chain serving Hakata style ramen. I am not a ramen fan but this is an exception for me. They have a good selction of miso ramen, gyoza and other side dishes. They also have branches in New York and Singapore.	Website Map
Crayon House
	Located in Omotesando, Crayon house is a shop for families that includes two natural food restaurants (but not all vegitarian or vegan). You can also shop there for books, toys, vegetables and more.	Website Map
築地すし好 Tsukiji-Sushiko
	This is a great chain of sushi restaurants to check out when visiting Japan for your real sushi experience. I’ve been to the Kagurazaka restaurant which is worth a visit.	Website Map
Sakana Isshin 魚一心
	Sakana Isshin is a chain of Kaiten Sushi restaurants. This is a great place to try kaiten sushi at a very low prices. I visited the restaurant in Tsudanuma but please be careful to avoid peak times as it can get very busy there.	Website Map

You can get in touch with us at:

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or email us at info[at]learnjapanesepod[dot]com

We’d love to hear about what your Japanese study plans are for the coming year so please post a note here.

In the podcast we talked about the various new Year’s traditions in Japan, gave some shout outs and talked about the Learn Japanese pod iPhone and Android apps.

So here’s to 2011, have fun tonight and an awesome 2011!

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Today Asuka and I checked out a small festival (祭り) in the trendy neighbourhood of Sangenjaya (三軒茶屋) in western Tokyo.

三軒茶屋 means three tea houses which is a reference to it’s past as a stop over for travellers coming in and out of Tokyo. Today it has coffee shops, restaurants and a great drinking area near the station.

It’s also close to Shimokitazawa (下北沢) which is known for it’s youth culture, second hand stores and music which is definitely worth a visit if you are in the neighbourhood.

One great aspect of Tokyo are the local festivals such as the one we checked out today in Sangenjaya. As with many small festivals in Japan there is a check list of things essential for making a Japanese Matsuri. These include but are not limited to:

屋台- yatai – stalls that sell food and other items

焼きそば – Yakisoba -fried noodles, yum

タコヤキ – Takoyaki – Cooked octopus in a dumpling

金魚すくい – Kingyo sukui – A game where children try to scoop up goldfish to win them

お面 – Omen – Plastic masks for kids usually in the form of a manga or anime character

御神輿 – Omikoshi -A portable shrine that is carried by the local community around the town

The list goes on but I shall end it there.

A huge shout out and thank you to Asuka who took me around the festival and told me a little about her life and Japanese culture. She has her own podcast which you can find at Asukashow.com Check it out!

Hiragana and Katakana are the two basic phonetic scripts used in Japanese which beginners should tackle to start being able to read the language.

Rob found Kanatap through his studies of Hangul which could also inform people how to learn the basic phonetic scripts of Hiragana and Katakana.

Other methods include using Anki and also watching youtube videos with basic vocabulary lessons on Japanese.

We hope you enjoy the podcast.

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If you want useful information on cycling in Tokyo or to network with other cyclists then Tokyo Cycle Club is a good website and forum.

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Today’s Fun Friday edition of Learn Japanese Pod was recorded at the A to Z cafe in Omotesando in Aoyama. I was joined by Jim and Sandra of Japandra fame.

The walls of the A to Z cafe are adorned with drawings by the artist Yoshitomo Nara and they even have a mock up of his studio.

In the podcast we talked about Sandra’s latest article for Japan Pulse Blog which is about Twiwari. It’s an ingenious scheme where businesses post discounts for services on Twitter.

We also talked about the renovation of Kabukiza and old theatre in Higashi Ginza which has daily Kabuki shows popular with fans and tourists. This led us on to the topic of the Tokyo Marathon as Jim took part and ran past Kabukiza. We gave a shout out to Joseph Tame who podcasted his marathon run. We mentioned Run Keeper which is a great iPhone app and time keeper for athletes.

Other points mentioned in the podcast:

Tokyo International Anime Fair
Tokyo Kawaii Exhibition @ The Design Festa Gallery
Daniel and Yuki
El Gringo and News From The Other Side
Dan Morales of How to Japanese
K-Pop boys
Smart FM
Kotoba iPhone App
Run Keeper iPhone App
Anki
Learn Japanese Pod Forums