Jblog feedWow! Can’t believe time has flown by so quickly.
As always… I am always trying to find more sites on Japan. This page on Buzzle.com list a lot of fun facts about Japan. If you have a chance go check it out. click here to read a bunch of tidbits about Japan.
I can’t believe how fast time has flown. I came across a really cool site for those interested in learning more about Japan. Check out [http://stats-japan.com/]. You can click on a category or click on a prefecture to learn a bunch of interesting facts. Wanna find out where they have the most dentist, foreign residents or murder victims, just click on the appropriate links. Some of the stats that they have up there on are kind of mind boggling. Check it out and let me know what you think.
I remember when I first went to Hakata Train Station in the late 80′s and in throughout the 90′s, it was for the most part… a train station. On my most recent trip in March of 2012, there seems to be some major improvements. One could probably spend the whole day there If you are ever in Fukuoka, stop by Hakata Station!!
If you are as fanatical about Japan as I am, you may already know about NHK World. But for those of you who don’t, when you have a chance you should visit the NHK World site. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/index.html.
At this site, you will (of course) get the latest news on Japan. You will also get to view “On Air” the exact same news cast or documentary that is being shown on TV. Check it out and let me know what you think.
2011 has brought many changes to Japan and the world. With the Japanese economy going down, the Yen getting stronger, exports declining Japan has many challenges ahead. Topping the year was the March 11th earthquake / Tsunami / Nuclear Disaster; an event that will live with us forever. My thoughts and prayers go out to all those who are still suffering as a result of the disaster.
While cruising the web this evening, I came upon “facts-about-japan.com” website. If you’re looking to gather facts about Japan, then this is a decent site. I like the history link perhaps the best of all the links on the site. Having the Google ads in the center of the web page is distracting and takes away from the sites value.
Don’t quite remember how I stumbled upon JapanNewbie.com, but I do know that it sparked my curiosity enough to want to blog about it later.
JapanNewbie is a cool site for those wanting to learn about Japan. For those of you with preconceived notions about Japan, I would definitely recommend you check out this site. There are sites out there with more information “about” Japan but this site has a variety of information about different aspects of Japan. So, if you’re an up and coming Japanophile, stop by and click around the site.
Many years ago, Japan Airlines was king. In the past few years, it has really taken a beating. I hope that one day it may once again regain its status.
I worked for Jalpak in the beginning 90′s. I got to meet some really good people and it was a great learning experience. I recently received an email from a friend of mine saying that Jalpak Bangkok will be shutting down at the end of June. I couldn’t believe it. Jalpak has been in Bangkok since 1979.
As time goes on, we may very well see other major player pull out of certain regions. With the internet, we now have a much more connected world and the need for traditional travel agencies has been dwindling.
[Click on title of post to see attachment]
When I talked to my friends in Fukushima, they tell me that they are pretty much on their own. Not sure if it is the radiation that is keeping people out, but they tell me that the Japan Red Cross is not around. They volunteer at the shelters and tell me that people are in dire need of supplies and it is only getting worse in the shelters.
The stories they tell me are not the stories that the media will talk about. They are fed up with the lack of actual support. There are a lot of feel good measures and millions of Yen/ Dollars being donated to the Japan Red Cross, but if the money is not being transitioned into actual help for the people it is pointless. They have decided to do their own fund raising in an effort to get monies directly to the shelters.
Please click on the picture below. They are selling T-shirts in hopes of generating money for the children and shelters of Fukushima. If you have any questions you can contact me directly or contact them (contact info on attachment).
Having lived through one disaster and having stayed in a shelter. I really feel for the victims of this twin disaster.
You tend to long for any degree of normalcy. Even the little things become luxuries.
One question that I always get, is “I want to help or donate, but I want to give directly to people”. I guess there are a lot of us that feel that our efforts will not go directly to the victims.
In this post, I will post links of where one can find information about giving, helping, or general information about Quake/Tsunami stricken areas.
Help Sites posted by Japan Today (A must see site)
*The Japan Red Cross (direct link to send money directly to them)
Emergency info from Yahoo Japan site (great place to get info)
www.city.fukushima.fukushima.jp (Fukushima City home page)
Fukushima Radio Station (Daily updates on radiation levels)
Radiation Levels in Japan Radiation levels listed by prefecture
NHK World (General info and links in English)
If you are like a few hundred million people around the world caught up in the tragedy unfolding in Japan, you may want to bookmark this site: Japan-earthquake-live-report. The site, is a sub site of www.timeout.jp.
They have put up some useful information for those looking blackout times, train schedules, emergency numbers and so forth
Check it out and let me know what you think.
The devastation is just tragic. I called my friends today in Fukushima and they said that their city does not look the same. The coastal areas are trashed. He said that they felt like there was no help coming and to some degree everyone was on their own.
Despite the devastation, northern Japan is still really cold. I asked my friend where he was at the time the earthquake struck. He said that he was at a preschool teaching when everything hit. There were about 50 kids in the after school program. He said he got everyone under desk or tables and then went around to see if the others were okay. When it stopped, he got the kids out of the building and on to the playground… only to have it start snowing. Ouch!
We can never be too prepared for disaster, but chance does favor the prepared mind.
If you haven’t already noticed, one of the things I do on this Jblog site is to take a look at sites that teach Japanese. I came upon a site[Myjapanesetube.com] that I believe is really good and has the potential to be a great site for learning Japanese. When you click on a video in the the “Video Lessons” link at the top, you will notice the enormous amount of effort put into creating these video lessons.
If you are just starting out I definitely recommend you check out this site.
I really hope that they continue adding content, but… due to the amount of effort put into each video lesson, I think it will be really difficult for the creators to keep on adding content on a weekly or monthly basis.
It is funny how language is always evolving. Over the years, some words are used less frequently and slowly start to fade away. Working in customer service, I have the opportunity of dealing with many retired Japanese customers. I usually need them to fill out a form and have to ask them to “Print” and then “Sign” their name on the paper.
Often,when I ask someone to print their name, I will say, “koko ni namae o kaite kudasai”. They will often ask if they can “sign” in Japanese. Many of them know a good deal of English, so I will usually say ” Eigo de Purinto…”. This will sometimes prompt a “Purinto te nani”? (What is “Print”?)
The younger people will understand “Buroku-tai” or Block style lettering. The older people will understand Katsujitai. So, if you are trying to get someone to print their name, try using “Katsujitai (活字体) to explain yourself.
Note*: To sign your name or to write in cursive is Hikitai. If you are teaching kids, you may want to use “Suzuki-moji”.
Have you ever wanted to get some information out or wanted to “Spread the word”? Well a helpful word to know is [Kuchikomi]. With the advent of Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc. Kuchikomi marketing is a new trend that is overtaking traditional marketing methods.
That’s your tidbit for today.
I came across this site a few weeks ago but am only now finding time to blog about it. I know you must be asking yourself, “What is Learning Chocolate and exactly what does this have to do with learning Japanese”? Those were my thoughts exactly.
Check it out, Learning Chocolate has got to be one of the coolest sites to help you learn vocabulary words. This site does a great job in covering A LOT of vocab AND as you click on a group and you will also be able to click on that word and have it read back to you by a native speaker. FURTHERMORE… they also provide you with activities such as matching and fill in the blank so you can test your skills.
When it comes to vocabulary groups, this site not only covers the basics but also goes above and beyond to include such groups as Kitchenware, Internal Organs, Insect LIfe Cycle, Land Vehicles and MANY more.
To top it off… if this wasn’t good enough, they also allow you to learn Chinese, Spanish, and English.
Check it out and let me know what you think.
So Yesterday I ran into my college professor (of Japanese) and found out that he had retired but was still doing translations. If you plan to attain a high level of Japanese, working in translations, or even doing it as a hobby, will definitely work toward fine tuning your skills and helping you get to the next level.
For reading and translating Japanese, Rikaichan is one of the best tools out there.
In January of 2009 I wrote about Rikaichan. For anyone studying Japanese, this tool is a definite must. Some of the features (as listed on the polarcloud.com site) are:
Original post can be found by clicking here.
Download it , try it out and let me know wheat you think.
Anyone interested in learning about Japan should definitely subscribe to “WebJapan”. Here you will find topics on just about everything there is to learn about Japan. This month they have a few cool videos, but I especially like the one on vending machines.
Japan has vending machines for just about everything and anything. In the video you will see a few, but if you ever live there you will be surprised at the vending machines you see; including neckties, flowers, beer and much more.
Check out the videos they have posted this month and let me know what you think.
update: 9/25/11 checking out this site again, I have found that it is now in German. Not sure if this is temporary or for good. So much for it being a site to help people learn Japanese. Oh well…
As I am getting ready to put out a children’s book to help young learners or ESL students learn the sounds necessary to speak English, I am constantly on the look out for publishers and book stores in Japan.
In my search today, I came across Sasugabooks.com. This is an English site that provides books for anyone wanting to learn Japanese or learn about Japan. They have books in both English and Japanese. Their categories include Anime, Magazines, Origami, Martial Arts, Learn English, Learn Japanese and many more.
If you’re looking for a book on Japan, stop by, check out their site and if you have time, let me know what you think.
I always wonder if there is more going on in this world or if we are just becoming more aware of things as they happen. With the protest in Bangkok, the earthquake in China and the U.S economy on the brink of collapse, I just wonder how much longer we can continue at this pace.
As busy I have been recently, I still do take time out every day to follow issues and events in Japan. One cool and informative site that I thought provided great insight to various aspects of Japan was [TheJapanChannelDcom].
It is Youtube based, provides a lot of info and I definitely recommend anyone interested in Japan to take time to check it out and / or subscribe to it. I haven’t gone through the whole site, but really like the “Japan-How to” videos.
The main site (http://www.thejapanchannel.com)also has links to photos, videos and a forum where you can find out more information.
Hope you like it. Shoot me a comment if you have time to let me know what you think.
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