Japanese is admittedly one of the most complicated written languages to learn in the world. (Speaking Japanese is fairly straight forward but we’ll get to that another time). With tens of thousands of logographic characters called 漢字, kanji, of which, you need to know at least 2,000 to read a newspaper, it’s a lot to learn. There are a lot of language learning programs for speaking, if you are like me and don’t like the idea of being completely illiterate on your travels in Japan, WaniKani is absolutely spectacular.

Bring on new in-depth experiences! And bring on WaniKani, a program based solely on memory science.

[Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in July of 2018 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.]

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. For some links to products or services in this article, I may earn a small commission by you using my link.  The price for you is not affected.

The Art of Memory Science

Around the time I was interviewing for my position in Japan, I stumbled upon Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer.  It chronicles his ascension to the 2006 US Memory Champion.  First, I didn’t even know that was a thing.  Second, I believe everyone could use better memory skills and I was intrigued.  

My main takeaway from the book was the use of mnemonics. Creating a story, and as ridiculous of one as you can, to help you remember anything. In Joshua Foer’s case, two decks of cards in under 5 minutes.  Insane! The other piece was the relation memory has with the sense of time.  Why does it seem like the work year flies by but you can go away for a weekend and it can last forever?  Your memory is capturing new ideas and distinguishing them from the repetitive nature of work.  It all makes sense!  

Wanikani adds these concepts to another cool memory trick – it is a spaced repetition system. More on that shortly.

Japanese Kanji 101: Where do I start?

Here’s my one plug to help you along (and show you some other areas of my website if you happened to stumble here by accident). You will need a basis of the syllabaries in order to use WaniKani. Japan technically has four methods of writing. Two of these are syllabaries, instead of like the English alphabet, the sounds are in syllables, hence syllabary. Over the years I’ve made myself decks of flashcards for the syllabaries: and you can learn more about katakana and hiragana.  

In searching for a mnemonic-based system to enhance my skills, I came across Tofugu, a language blog that bases much of its information on memory science! Perfect! Thinking of the symbols as a picture and a story will quickly improve reading abilities (though I still, to this day, hate katakana).  Tofugu’s holy grail? WaniKani.

7 Reasons Why Wanikani is Remarkable for Learning Kanji

If you are working on learning Kanji, this may be the best purchase of your life. And I wish they had an affiliate program because I can not praise this enough but low and behold, this is all just coming from me.

1. What is WaniKani?

A memory science-based system that uses mnemonics and spaced repetition system (SRS) to teach you kanji and vocabulary quickly and effectively.  Each piece builds off the next.  You start with radicals, the building blocks of kanji.  Each has its own quirky story that Tofugu has already come up with for you (you can also create your own and include it in the notes section if you want but it’s not necessary).  From there, you learn kanji by combining the mnemonics you learned from the radicals to make a story together that teaches you the meaning and reading. Once you get that, vocabulary words are built the same way.  You get the drift.  Build, build, build!

2. Why makes it efficient?

Many kanji have LOTS of readings.  Typically in schools, you would learn ALL of those readings when first learning the kanji when you might never learn a work that is pronounced that way.  Or it may take you a LONG time to get to that point.  WaniKani teaches you readings as you need them.

The SRS is what REALLY makes it effective.

3. How does it work?

WaniKani is broken into 60 different levels.  Encompassing what would be considered “literate”.  2000 kanji, 6000+ vocabulary words.  Each level has roughly 10 radicals, 30 kanji, and 200 vocabulary words.  First, you learn the mnemonics for that level items and then place them in your “review” queue and the SRS system.

There are 5 levels of progress: apprentice, guru, master, expert, and burn.  Once you’ve “guru’d” 90% of that level’s kanji, you can move on to the next level. Apprentice is when you first learn the item, guru you’re starting to get it, master you have a good feel for it, and expert you basically know it and burn, you never have to see it again because you OWN it.

You’re quizzed in progressively timed intervals and if you get it correct, you go up a notch, get it wrong, you fall back down.  The quiz intervals are 4 hours, 8 hours, 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, and 4 months.  No cheating, you know it or you don’t.

4. Why do I like Wanikani better than other systems?

Anki is an SRS that you can create your OWN flashcard decks for whatever information you care about.  You can also download other people’s “decks” to save yourself time.  This is convenient because, for many Japanese textbooks (Minna No Nihongo is my favorite), people have already created the files for you.  The problem I have with Anki is that you grade yourself on how well you remembered the word and I tend to lie to myself.  Oh! I knew that.  When really I didn’t. Later when I see it again, I have no recollection of the word at all.  WaniKani’s quiz system makes it more effective.

You have to be dedicated.  However, there is an option to go into “vacation mode” which will temporarily suspend the SRS. Don’t do this too long because the science doesn’t lie, you’ll start to forget if you’re gone too long. However, this is great if you just can’t get to studying. Get too far behind and the reviews can be daunting.

5. Kanji learning for adults

WaniKani teaches you easier “looking” kanji first.  口 is a lot easier to recognize than 鴻. Both of those can be pronounced “kou“, by the way. If you are an adult, this part is great. If you think this is a good system for your elementary school kid, it won’t work as well. The assumption is that you know the more difficult-to-grasp concepts, which might have the easiest-looking kanji.

It’s great because it doesn’t throw ridiculously complicated (by stroke number/order) kanji at you right off the bat. Fewer lines, more confidence, more learning.

6. Fast learning

I’ve had Wanikani since 2014. I’m coming clean. The first few years I was religious with it and once I got to a particular point, I started slacking off. Blame the weather and being outside more but probably more so from working on this blog more! If you keep up with your reviews mostly on schedule and answer them mostly correctly (beware of fat-fingering your keyboard or smartphone!!), you can level in about a week. 60 levels, 60 weeks. Just over a year isn’t bad at all!

At the original time of writing this post, I had been working with WaniKani for 2.5 years and very thoroughly could say that I know 800 kanji. Not including the mountains of vocabulary that Wanikani gives you as well. It takes Japanese children till 4th grade (ish) to do that.  That’s what makes this system so impressive.

To further convince you – consider this. Japanese children learn just over 1000 kanji during elementary school with the next 1100 learned through secondary (middle/high) school. That’s 12 years to learn the 2136 most used kanji, or jōyō kanji (常用漢字)! If you keep up with your reviews, you can learn most of that in 1.5-2 years. You will most certainly be in a better position than if you’d followed most traditional learning methods – schools in America don’t get you nearly as far!

7. Wanikani is a great tool to study for JLPT

If you are attempting to tackle the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), WaniKani is an amazing tool to help you get there. A quick rundown of the JLPT if you aren’t familiar with it. There are 5 levels of exams, N5 is the easiest and N1 is the hardest. Prior to 2010, there were only 4 levels, with the new system, N3 was added to “bridge the gap” between the easier and hard levels. Kanji isn’t the only thing you need to know obviously, but it definitely helps you!

N5 has about 80 kanji you must master, N4 adds an additional ~180, N3 and N2 each have another approximately 380 kanji with N1 topping out with 1230 more. Since WaniKani is teaching you “as an adult” you end up learning kanji from all 5 levels very quickly as opposed to more traditional methods teaching you in order of level.

Curious where you might stand JLPT-wise? You’ll know all of N5 kanji by level 16 (not fast enough for you? You’ll be 95% there at level 8); N4 is level 27 which seems far but you’ll be 90% there around level 13; N3 and N2 to have mastered all the kanji you will be at level 50. Levels 50 – 60 will just keep adding more to your N1 repertoire. That said, you will need additional resources for N1 as there are around 260 kanji that WaniKani does not teach you.

How much does Wanikani Cost?

To start with – and particularly why I recommend it (reminder, I am NOT an affiliate or anything, this is just coming from me loving the app so much), the first 3 levels are free! In as little as 3 weeks, you could be on the way to knowing almost 100 kanji and over 200 vocabulary words. And you can read them! Give it a try!! Even if you don’t have aspirations of learning Japanese, trying out the system is fun and an interesting way to learn.

Past that, the costs are quite reasonable. At the time of updating this post, you have a choice of monthly ($9/month), annual ($89/year), or springing for lifetime access ($299/once). If it’s around Christmas time, look out for deals as they generally have been giving them at all levels.

Keeping up with your reviews: A word of caution

The reviews may seem slow at first but don’t be fooled, it catches up quickly if you aren’t working on them every day. Expect several hundred at a time to get through as you progress up. Here again, lies the beauty of memory science and the spaced repetition system – you’ll find yourself getting very fast and “knowing” i.e. fluency for the terms.

If it gets out of hand though due to life, along with the pause function I mentioned earlier, there’s also a “reset” button. Which is not for the faint of heart – you can’t undo it! That said, I wanted a clean start to my learning – and figured it couldn’t hurt the refresh – so I restarted at ground zero.

And you know what? I love it, even more, this time around.  

Pin this for later

I’m going save you the trouble and teach you the most useful word in Japanese, すみません (sumimasen).  I very distinctively remember this.  When I first came to Japan in January of 2006, I’d been in love with Japan since I was little.

• Watched anime religiously.  I was the president of the anime society in uni… yeah, I’ll admit it, I wear my otaku proudly.
• Would randomly try and teach myself Japanese.  Unfortunately, the times Japanese was offered at school always interfered with my mandatory engineering classes.
• “Concentrated” in Japan for IB Art in high school.
• I could go on…

That being said, embarrassing to admit, I knew maybe 10 words.  You know, the normal: hello, goodbye, thank you (I have some beef with how this is used, that’s for another day), I’m sorry, order a beer, count to 10.  Or at least I thought, I knew the word for I’m sorry.  Granted, gomennasai、ごめんなさい (interested in an overview of hiragana, one of Japan’s syllabaries? The details are fascinating) does mean “I’m sorry”, you don’t hear it very often in Japan. 

Sumimasen, すみません, not only means I’m sorry or please excuse me, where in English we would say “thank you”, in Japanese you say sumimasen. However, it means so much more, and I’d never even heard it (and apparently wasn’t picking up on it by watching all that anime)!  Let alone get stuck tongue-twisting it (it took me a second to get su-mi-ma-sen). Let’s delve in!

[Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in August of 2018 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.]

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. For some links to products or services in this article, I may earn a small commission by you using my link.  The price for you is not affected.

The 7 Ways of Sumimasen

While it is normally written as kana alone (すみません), formally it is 済みません. The kanji, 済 can mean “settle (as in debt)”, “relieve of a burden”, “finish”. To be quite literal, the word sumimasen is the polite negative of the verb “sumu” (済む, to be over/to be settled). But it gets more complicated than that.

In the late 1990s, linguist Risako Ide performed a study on the meaning of “sumimasen” to which they titled, “‘Sorry for your kindness’: Japanese interactional ritual in public discourse”. The purpose? To explain the dual function of the word as both an expression of apology but also of thanks. It then delves into how this has become a ritualistic notion in Japanese conversation. The main takeaway is there are SEVEN meanings of the word. Hence making sumimasen a super useful word in Japanese.

1. Can be used as a sincere apology (see more in a second why you use this instead of gomennasai)
2. As a quasi-thanks and apology
3. To make a request
4. As a way to get attention
5. Said while taking leave
6. Used as an affirmative response
7. Finally as an exchange of acknowledgment that stems into a very ritualistic aspect of “aisatsu”.

Just to be confusing, you can also say “すいません” or “suimasen”, that or “sumimasen” are valid. As it is just dropping the consonant, it makes it slightly easier to say, it is also a bit less formal to say suimasen vs. sumimasen.

1. Gomennasai vs. Sumimasen, using sumimasen as a sincere apology

Recall back in the days of 10 Japanese words worth of knowledge, I had learned “gomennasai” (ごめんなさい) was how you say “I’m sorry”. Now, if you happen to say “gomennasai” to a complete stranger, it’s fine. You’ll get your point across. “I’m sorry”.  Which unlike sumimasen with it’s 7 different uses, gomennasai (and it’s shortened renditions) only has one. It doesn’t have the nuisances available to you, and “gomennasai” has a personal aspect to it. You know this person and you really mean it.  Think deep bow means it. I did some great personal injustice to you and acknowledging my mistake.

That said, with friends and close coworkers, I normally drop the ending (as you do with many things in Japanese) and just say “gomen”.  Saying “gomen” is much less formal than “gomennesai” but it still has a personal connection aspect to it. 

As a casual traveler, I would ere more on using sumimasen as an apology, but where? Think “I bumped into you just now and I’m terribly sorry”. More polite but not “I just hit you with my car”.  Nuances with language, so fun.  For most cases, you’ll be in the accidental-bump stage and sumimasen is a much more appropriate word in that instance than gomennasai.

More formally, you could say “sumimasen deshita”. In terms of truly sincere apologies, moushiwake arimasen. 申し訳ありません is the most formal, but I digress.

2. As a quasi-thanks and apology

It took me a second to be able to describe this one in English terms. Here you are using it in a very humble sense to show regret for asking something but also thanks for doing it. Say you’re watching a documentary about Japan with your friends but they’d rather be watching anime and you oblige by changing the Roku over to the Crunchyroll app. Your friend would say “sumimasen” in this case cause they know you love that documentary but they are thankful you let them change the course of the evening.

Another instance would be where someone may hold the door for you (elevator or otherwise), it’s more common to hear people say “sumimasen” vs. “arigatou” for “thank you”.

3. Making a request with sumimasen

Say you’re lost looking at a map or trying to find someplace to go, the easiest way to get someone’s attention is to say “sumimasen” and look helpless like you probably are feeling.

You can think of it as “excuse me” as in “excuse me could you please tell me how to get to X because Japanese addresses are super confusing!”. That’s right folks, say bye-bye to street names, we work mostly with blocks in Japan. While there are some, it gets difficult. So if you need to ask for directions whether while walking, driving, or taking the train, you would start off “sumimasen”.

4. Sumi-ing at Restaurants and other “getting attention” uses

Now, the creme de la creme…I have a tendency to make things a verb or randomly add “y”s to things. Sumi-ing is one of those instances.  Like with friends, “you sumi-ing or am I?” (notice also, I dropped part of the word, #welcometojapanese101).  What am I talking about?  Well, in Japan, the staff at restaurants will generally leave you completely alone unless you call them over. 

This isn’t America where they’ll be stopping by to check on you.  You need something? Ask.  And by ask, I mean, don’t feel bad about yelling “sumimasen”. Yes, I said yelling.  It can get loud in izakayas, or you could be in a one-man show and they had to run to the back.  One problem with this is it gets ingrained in you and I have to stop myself from yelling “sumimasen” in other countries, though it is pretty funny when it slips in America.

Similarly, if you need to get someone’s attention because, say they dropped their wallet on the street (more on my missing wallet story another time), you would yell it in this case too.

5. Politely taking your leave

This one starts to get into “失礼します” (shitsureishimasu, which literally can be “I’m being rude) territory but stick with me.  When will you here “shitsurei shimasu”? Often when a waiter comes to take your order at a restaurant or drops off food at your table. It has an “I’m intruding” feel to it. But what else could you use in that situation? Sumimasen.

Another perfect use that fits this aspect? How about when you are trying to end a conversation? This is the word for you. Frankly I wish we had something similar in English.

6. As affirmation

Say you’re waiting to get into a super popular ramen restaurant. It’s finally your turn! The employee comes out and says “sorry to make you wait” (お待たせしました, omataseshimashita!), you could just grunt in acknowledgment – you’re hungry after all for some spicy ramen goodness (maybe, tantanmen is one of my faves at least!). Or more politely, you can say…ding ding ding, sumimasen!

Side note: the apologizing for making you wait as opposed to in America where you are probably more likely to hear something like “thanks for waiting”, goes back to the humble aspect of the Japanese language.

7. Timed in ritual

Aisatsu (挨拶) can basically be compared to what we would consider different types of “greetings” in English. A bit more complicated than that for our current purposes. It’s deeply a ritual aspect of Japan. Think bowing! Which is exactly what this use of sumimasen is. Think of it as a verbal use for the non-verbal bow.

The Japanese language is fun!

There you have it, some helpful tips and a bit of humor for you, I hope. To start, I would concentrate on using sumimasen as an apology, like when you bump into someone while exploring busy areas, like the historic regions of Kanazawa, and definitely try out “sumi-ing” at the local monjayaki restaurants in Tokyo or any restaurant or izakaya, for ordering or asking for the bill. Except perhaps those with a doorbell, like Denny’s.

Like I’ve said before, Japanese is a fun language, case in point by my writing over 1500 words about ONE word. If you want to expand your knowledge of Japanese, definitely check out some of my text reviews.

Do you have a favorite word?

How long your commute in Japan is can vary greatly depending on if you are in a big city or countryside. Let’s also be realistic, everyone likes to avoid crowded trains in Japan – I don’t know anyone that likes to be packed in by the train pushers! While most people commute in Japan by train, there are also those that drive and (in my opinion) the lucky that can bike or walk. They all have their pluses and minuses and some of these tips can help out with everyday tourists. What’s the best way for commuting in Japan?

[Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in June of 2018 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy and comprehensiveness.]

Japanese words for Commuting: A Quick Japanese lesson

There are all sorts of ways to talk about commuting in Japanese.  The main kanji for all of this is 通, usually pronounced “tsu-u”, つう (on-yomi or “chinese” reading) or “ka-yo”, かよ (kun-yomi, the Japanese reading).

A good majority of the time you see 通, it will have something to do with commuting. Here’s a few:

• 通い – かよい, kayoi – commuting
• 通学 -つうがく, tsuugaku – commuting to school
• 通勤 – つうきん, tsuukin – commuting to work
• 通勤時間 – つうきんじかん, tsuukinjikan – commuting time
• 通勤手当 – つうきんてあて, tsuukinteate – commuting allowance

通勤時間: Commuting time in Japan

Commuting time in Japan is such an important topic that when looking for housing, it is always a listed characteristic. “6 min walk to X train station”, “40 minute commute to Tokyo”.

Rightfully so, when you figure that the average commuting time in Tokyo is 49 minutes.

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. For some links to products or services in this article, I may earn a small commission by you using my link.  The price for you is not affected.

Commute in Japan by Train

The best part about this? You can combine your love of walking OR biking with it, provided you have the correct gear to get your bike on the train (must be in a bag in Japan).  Its swift, convenient, and you can catch up on your reading.  Make sure while you’re at it to get your commuter pass.  The only downside is there is a cost associated with it, but depending on your company that might not be an issue with the “commuting allowance”.

Some people even take the shinkansen to work! (At least part way)

通勤手当: Commuting allowance in Japan

It should be noted if you are contemplating moving to Japan, that most companies include a “commuting allowance” similar to what they do to promote public transportation in large cities in the US, my reference point.

It is also tax-exempt to a certain point and might be something you take into account when you consider your options for your commute in Japan.

Don’t be a nuisance on your train commute

Every year the Japan Private Rail Association conducts a survey on top train habit annoyances. There are 18 different categories which are further broken down in sub-rankings. The top for 2019 were:

• People not knowing how to sit properly (don’t stretch out, offer your seat to elderly/pregnant, take up only the required room)
• Manners for getting on and off (don’t block the door!)
• Not knowing how to hold and store luggage (if you have a backpack, wear it on your front, put it in the overhead or at your feet but not in others way).

The rankings come out a little bit different every year but it’s important to mind your manners when riding the train.

Avoiding getting smushed on the train in Japan

If you are near a big city in Japan, it’s pretty common knowledge that the trains can get packed. We’ve all seen the videos of the professional train pushers, or oshiya (押し屋), shoving people into crowded trains in Japan.

The Japan Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) has a standard for congestion rate that can help you understand what to expect on your commute in Japan.

• 100% Capacity is defined as everyone can be seated, hold on to a hand strap, or the pillars near the door
• 150% you can still spread and read the newspaper comfortably but it’s getting a bit busier
• 180% you are forced to fold your newspaper but you can still read (anyone else seriously love this is the comparison factor?!). This is the upper limit of “comfort” on your ride
• 200% you’re now very close friends with your neighboring passengers but you could “still read a weekly magazine” (e.g. you can still get your phone)
• 250% you are packed like sardines and can’t move anything except for the movement of the train is your movement

Most congested train lines in Tokyo

How to have the best commute in Japan? Avoid the most crowded trains in Japan! I would also suggest this for those that would like to avoid this during your trip to Japan. The MLIT conveniently rank the top most congested train lines! From a recent study, these are all above the 180% mark, making them not comfortable for reading:

• Tokyo Subway Tozai Line: 199%
• JR East Keihin Tohoku Line: 186%
• JR East Sobu Line: 197%
• JR East Saikyo Line: 185%
• JR East Yokosuka Line: 196%
• Tokyu Denentoshi Line: 185%
• JR East Nambu Line: 189%
• JR East Chuo Rapid Line: 184%
• JR East Tokaido Line: 187%
• JR East Sobu Rapid Line: 181%
• Tokyo Nippori Toner Liner: 187%

Average across the board top 3 most congested metropolitan train systems are Tokyo at 163%, Nagoya and Osaka come in 2nd and 3rd place with 131% and 125% averages.

Commuting by car in Japan

Driving has its place, maybe you need to run an errand after work and don’t want to lug your purchases around by hand (I’m talking to you, craft beer purchases).  There are, however, what feels like a bazillion lights on the “surface roads”, and if you need to (or it’s more efficient time-wise) take the highways to work, the toll fees add up FAST. 

All highways in Japan are tolled. More reason to take the train when you are going places.  Not to mention, gas is expensive, too.

The amount you are allowed to claim for driving a car for your commute in Japan is based off your travel distance so that is something to note as well.

Walking (or running) to work in Japan

Who else loves walking to work? Gets you fresh air and a bit of exercise first thing in the morning and ready for your day.  If you are a convenient distance to your place of work, this is a very common method of commute in Japan. It makes it nice that you can even tie in your training for a road race as part of your commute!

One downside? It likes to rain in Japan, in and out of the rainy season.  Having good rain gear is a must! I prefer a light jacket that I can fold up neatly and carry around that is multi-purpose – i.e. it also works well for running.

With preparation, running is also an option!  Get a good running backpack like the options from Nathan and you’re on your way.

Biking to work in Japan

Biking as a commute in Japan option goes right along with walking to work as an excellent way to mix exercise in with your commute. Make sure you have proper lights and know the rules of the road.  In general, it’s unlawful to ride on the sidewalks. Some exceptions to that are if it is marked for cyclists, or you are younger than 13 or older than 70.

A word of caution past the typical “be aware of your surroundings”. Watch out for tile and grating, it’s super slick in wet weather. I use to ride an elevator through a mountain to the top of my neighborhood (yeah, that was awesome) and there was tile right outside where you used your key to open the door. More than once my bike came out from under me, super awesome with clip-in shoes…

What’s your favorite way to commute in Japan?

Leave me a comment below!

If you haven’t figured out by reading some of my other posts, like my one on AnimeJapan or the Sailor Moon Exhibit that was in Roppongi, or the Sailor Moon Cafe pop-up I like to frequent, or my opening night attendance to the Sailor Moon Dinner Show/Restaurant Shining Moon Tokyo – I’m slightly obsessed with Sailor Moon. When I found out about the Sailor Moon Fan Club in 2016, I had to let my other super fan friends know. That includes you, wider world wide web audience!

[Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in July of 2016 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy and comprehensiveness.]

I may be obsessed with Sailor Moon

This, my friends, is also why I should be stalking the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Official Site on a near daily basis. There is always new news coming out that I am interested in. While Google’s translation feature has been steadily improving over the years since I first went to Japan and leaps and bounds since I first moved there, it also gives me an excellent case on why I need to improve my Japanese. It’s a lot more fun to read in the native language and I love any excuse to work on my kanji reading abilities.

I originally stumbled upon the Sailor Moon Fan Club when I finished watching the final episode of season 3 of Sailor Moon Crystal.  I start purusing the internet for hints to when Season 4 is coming out.  (Four years later, that’s finally becoming a thing in the form of Sailor Moon Eternal coming out September 11th, 2020!)

Where has the Official Sailor Moon Fan Club been all my life?!

Next thing I know, I stumbled upon the first official app for Android! Low and behold, it’s members only. Digging deeper and using all my brain power on translating a LOAD of Japanese, there it is.  Official Sailor Moon Fan Club?!

2016 was the first year that the Sailor Moon Fan Club became available to overseas fans. Fan clubs are actually a substantial thing in Japan but it’s rare that they’d be offered elsewhere.

Now that it has been a thing for six years, every year you renew, you get new incentives.

What is included in the Sailor Moon Fan Club membership?

While it is slightly more lucrative to have membership while in Japan (there are events you can go to), it still has some perks to be a member of the Official Sailor Moon Fan Club, which is actually named “Pretty Guardians”.

1. You get a membership card. If you are renewing, it will have the same number as when you first registered. Each year it consists of a different illustration of the Sailor Moon characters.
2. Each year comes with a different “Nakayoshi” gift which I’m assuming they are using the “close friend” use of the word. in 2016 is was a lip gloss case in the shape of a broach. In 2020 it is Luna Pen Case for cosmetics. It includes a eye shadow pallet and brush inside.
3. If you are a renewing member, you get some additional swag of a bag and file set.
4. Access to the game that original lead me to this discovery.
5. Exclusive rights to special merchandise and events (I’m in Japan! I can GO to those events!!)
6. and more…

When can I sign up and how much?

Each year you have until Usagi’s birthday (Sailor Moon’s name) of June 30th to sign up. It costs 5500 yen or whatever that translates to with the going exchange rate to USD. There is also a 1700 yen fee for shipping all of your goodies.

If you have been in the club for 3 years you are considered a “Prism stars Member” and 5 years “Crystal Stars Member”. What’s that get you? A special bonus!

The first step is registering your email address, after that you can fill out your application, pay, and then wait patiently for your goodies to get to you!

Is membership worth it?

In the grand scheme of things, it is more just for fun. But if you love Sailor Moon trinkets as much as the next super fan, it does give you exclusive rights to different products! My membership is on its way, is yours?

Oh, and if you don’t want to miss signing up in the future? You can auto subscribe!

Looking for Japanese conversation classes in Yokosuka? There are many options to choose from. Before moving to Japan, I had started self-teaching myself some basic conversation grammar and the three written languages, ひらがな (hiragana – syllabary used for Japanese words), カタカナ(katakana – a second syllabary mostly used for emphasis and foreign words) and 漢字 (kanji – Chinese characters of which you need a working knowledge of ~2000 to read a newspaper).

Reading is a key skill to have control of, especially when eating out in Japan!  I had the benefit of some basic knowledge from the 8 prior trips I had made to Japan but no real opportunity to speak past “hello”, “excuse me” and “can I have this?”. I really needed there to be some Japanese conversation classes in Yokosuka.

Personally, for me, living in a foreign country I believe you should make every effort to speak their language.  Even if you are somewhere for a short time, making an effort one speaking the language will serve you at least twice over. The bottom line: having a basic understanding of the Japanese language is beneficial. Not just to get by in town, but also to have better relationships and understanding of the culture.

[Update as of 6/27/2022- Classes are on again! But make sure to check ahead of time as the schedule could be impacted by COVID.]

Japanese Conversation Classes in Yokosuka

Going to be honest, trying to research courses available beforehand lead me to nothing promising in the local area. The closest was in Yokohama and mostly they were available in Tokyo.  Yokosuka is close to Tokyo, but not THAT close. There had to be something available but apparently not searchable on the English side of Google.

Luckily, a coworker was familiar with the Yokosuka International Association (YIA) which offers DAILY Japanese conversation classes in Yokosuka, sometimes morning and night. Now I’m passing this knowledge off to you!

What to Expect from the Sensei

There are 10 different groups of volunteers that run each of the Japanese Conversation classes in Yokosuka.  Most are prior teachers or tutors but I believe some have taken up the hobby in retirement, they are all are trained in teaching Japanese.

Forewarning: This is immersion learning, the best kind of learning in my opinion for foreign languages, but does take some getting used to for some people. If you are stuck, they will break into English for you. Try your best to start thinking in Japanese though!

There are normally anywhere from 6-10 teachers and groups of 1-5 students with each teacher.  Is your group too beginner or too advanced? They might adjust you themselves but in either case, think of the benefits before you ask to be moved. Hearing more advanced Japanese could help you improve faster. If you are ahead, helping lesser experienced people could help solidify your knowledge.

The Application Process

Yes, that sounds scary. No, it’s not. If you go to the association’s website or main office, it might confuse you though. No need to worry, you can just show up a few minutes before a scheduled class of the different volunteer groups under the YIA umbrella without anything with you. Most of “the application” is basic information like your name and email address. The rest is to give them an idea of your level of Japanese so they can place you with the correct group.

Are they going to cost a lot?  Surprisingly, no!

The best part is the price of these Japanese conversation classes in Yokosuka.  The Monday evening class is 1000 yen (or about $10 USD) for the year. Some of the others are 1000 yen for every trimester.  The classes usually have one day off a month and a break in summer and winter for a few weeks but you can’t beat that price regardless.

The classes that are 1000 yen per trimester contribute to extra outings besides class. The fee goes to a group outing where they normally include lunch at a restaurant so, in my eyes, the cost is nil.  

What about learning material?

The Japanese Conversation classes in Yokosuka all work off the Minna no Nihongo series of books. Of the four textbook series I’ve used over the years, it’s my favorite. Remember how I said this is an immersion–style Japanese conversation class? Well, the books are completely in Japanese as well. It helps to start with a working knowledge of the syllabaries. Don’t worry, the teachers will help you! There is an additional text that translates the concepts for you.

Having your own copy is handy but not required. The 先生 (sensei, teachers, I’m starting you early!) will either have a copy for you to use or printouts. Personally, I like having my own. You’ll need the text and the translation book and they are quite affordable compared to some other textbooks.

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. For some links to products or services in this article, I may earn a small commission by you using my link.  The price for you is not affected.

Japanese Conversation Classes in Yokosuka Schedule

You can see the entire schedule here for 2022 (they follow the Japanese school year that runs from April to March). You can see the day of the week and time, which days of the month, who gives each class, where they are located, and the fee associated.

Where are they located?

You’ll see on the schedule that there are two main locations.  When you put those into Google, just make sure they are the Yokosuka locations as they are generic names. Here are the links to each of them!

Bunka Kaikan 文化会館

Soga Fukushi Kaikan 総合福祉会館

Werk Yokosuka ヴェルクよこすか (Also where YIA’s office is)

You can also visit YIA’s office for more information.  They are very friendly but all of the volunteer groups will also be able to help you with more information. They are located on the second floor, head left then right out of the elevator.

How do I find out more?

YIAs website is mostly in Japanese and hard to find in the first place for information on what they have to offer.  Hence, I hope this post is very helpful for others looking for an outlet for learning Japanese!  I’ve been extremely proud of the improvements I’ve made going to these classes.

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Whereas the internet and apps seem to have taken over the language learning world, there is still a strong case for a clear and concise course in text. Having an organized path is beneficial to the learning process. Possibly one of the best textbooks in the world for learning Japanese is Minna no Nihongo (みんなの日本語).

First lesson: Minna or 皆, means “everyone”. Therefore, the title of the series means, “Japanese for everyone”.

A Language Series for the People

Fun fact? The Minna Series (abbreviation, it’s how we roll) is actually adapted from a different language series.

Shin Nihongo no Kiso is a series known for it’s learning methodology written in the early 1990s but is aimed at engineers. By trade, I’m an engineer so apparently, I should be promoting the Shin Series!

While nearly identical, the dividing factor was whom the study material was aimed at. The vocabulary in the Shin Nihongo no Kiso series is highly technical. Minna no Nihongo is for more general learning.

Is it really for everyone?

While it is excellent beginner-level material, Minna no Nihongo (みんなの日本語) is not for the faint of heart (more on that soon). However, it is one of the most used Japanese language texts in Japan as it was set up to be used by Japanese speaking teachers (or sensei, 先生). It is the textbook series that Japanese conversation classes in Yokosuka use as well as other private tutors.

If you are taking a conversation class in Japan, it’s highly likely this will be your course material. Colleges in the states tend to use “Genki: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese”, or more commonly referred to as “Genki”, while also instructional, many language learners prefer Minna.

Why the second edition?

First things first, there are two editions, you want the second! (I’ll give you links below). Why am I bringing this up? Well, one, it can be slightly confusing if you try and look up anything about Minna no Nihongo online by yourself, there are a LOT of different materials. (I’m speaking from experience). Two, it’s an improvement.

The first edition books (本冊) are split into beginner (初級, shokyu) and intermediate (中級, chukyu) levels, each with two volumes. The second edition condensed that into Beginner Level I and II, two volumes instead of four.

However, one thing hasn’t changed and that is that you will require a second “Translation and Grammatical Notes” book for each level. Why? Because the text is SOLELY in Japanese. The grammar notes are translated separately into 13 different languages: English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Thai, Indonesian, Russian, German, Vietnamese, Italian, and Burmese.

Minna no Nihongo (みんなの日本語): Start with the basics

Being the main text is solely in Japanese, it greatly helps to already have a working knowledge of hiragana and katakana.  The first section of the text includes charts, you’ll have to move over to the translation text for pronunciations though.

If you speak English (you’re reading an English site, so that’s a good assumption on my part), there are romanized versions of both levels as well but I recommend staying away from the crutch that gives you.

What to expect with the Main Text (本冊) of Minna No Nihongo

There are 25 chapters or lessons, each building on the previous. Total of 50 chapters between both books. You’ll be introduced to a cast of characters. Get ready to follow their journey and experiences in Japan through your learning. Within each lesson, you’ll have the following:

• Vocabulary
• Sentence patterns
• Example sentences
• Conversation
• Three levels of exercises: one to help you to understand the grammatical structure; the second helps with patterns; third is to help with conversation abilities.
• Practice questions (if you were in a graded class, call it the quiz section)

YES! There is an answer key

In an earlier version of this article, I had stated that I was unaware if there was an answer key or not. Early in my Japanese learning, I hadn’t noticed it in the back of the main textbook. The section gives you answers to all Exercise B and C questions from each chapter.

This is a plus over other Japanese language textbooks like Genki. To find the answers with Genki, you must purchase a separate answer key book. I want to say this is indicative of it being part of the American education system but it could also be just for the fact that the company gets more money!

What’s in the Translation and Grammar Notes?

Some may think to require a second book to be tedious. Though, even as a pair, it is still quite inexpensive. However, the nice thing about using this series? Remember how it is translated into 13 languages? Immersion-style is the best way to learn.

Teachers may speak English as needed, however, some of the students might be Chinese, Vietnamese, etc.  A teacher, therefore, can teach any number of students without themselves having a full grasp on the students’ native tongue.

Along with a translation and explanation of all the lesson material, you will also find general explanations of the Japanese writing system and pronunciations, as well as counter suffixes (the bane of Japanese learning!) and conjugations of verbs.

Time Required

The writers suggest it will take between 4-6 hours to be proficient at each chapter. That equates to 300 hours for both levels. That seems like a lot (one hour a day = 10 months for beginning Japanese?!) but it goes with anything, if it is something you are passionate about, you’ll find ways to carve out pieces of your day to fit it in.

Can I use this to study for the JLPT?

Of course! Though I haven’t been able to find a direct comparison, you should definitely be able to use this to study for the N5/N4 test for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. I’d highly recommend the additional use of the Kanji supplement text to help with that portion of the test. Add Minna no Nihongo Kanji textbook with memory-science based Kanji app, WaniKani, and you’ll be golden.

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program in which I may earn a small commission by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.  The price to you is not affected!  

Cons of Minna No Nihongo

Textbooks such as Genki give you the first three chapters to get your syllabaries up to speed. Others like “Japanese for Busy People” (which my workplace uses for an intro to the Japanese language) are completely romanized. Or can be! They do have a kana version as well.

Therefore, some will most likely fault the need for two books instead of one. With this, the necessity to already have a working level grasp of Hiragana and Katakana can scare off some.

Pros of Minna No Nihongo

The reverse of that: What I like most about the Minna series is the fact it is entirely in Japanese. I’d started with romanized text before moving to Japan and while they were good textbooks and I learned from them, they are a crutch.  

With the Minna no Nihongo series, I’ve been able to learn much quicker and find that reading, in general, “out in the wild” is easier.  It helps me when I “think” in the language I am learning, which having the text fully Japanese forces.

Further, the translation book gives, in my opinion, some of the best explanations of Japanese grammar points in a textbook. It also gives you additional information on cultural points and some extra vocabulary. If you want the best grasp ever though, I highly recommend you also get “A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar”.

There is the added benefit of CDs for the two main texts, with recordings of all vocabulary, sentence Patterns, example Sentences, drill C and dialogue, making it a solid choice for self-teaching.

Self Studying?

The books are laid out in a way to make stepping through the process easy. Learn the vocabulary, practice the sentence structure, hold some conversation, and check your results. The translation book is your friend.

The biggest tip is to read aloud and get comfortable with the way the words roll off your tongue. Make sure to also listen to the CDs to help with the natural rhythm. Use your new knowledge as much as possible!

Supplementary Books

There are nearly 10 supplementary books for each level of the series but past the Kanji book, I’d migrate to other resources. There are a bunch of audiovisual materials as well but as I don’t have those, I’m not discussing them.

Where to find the Minna No Nihongo books

If you are already in Japan, you should be able to find the main text and translation book at most book stores under the “Foreign Language” Sections. The depth of language learning materials will astound you! If you are interested in the supplementary ones, you’ll have to order them. Great thing Japan post is so quick! The book store can also order them for you.

If you are outside Japan, Amazon has got you covered!

Level I

• Minna No Nihongo Textbook (Red) (Beginner I)
• Minna No Nihongo Translation Book (Beginner I) 
• Minna No Nihongo Kanji (Beginner I)

Level 2

• Minna No Nihongo Textbook (Blue) (Beginner 2)
• Minna No Nihongo Translation Book (Beginner 2)
• Minna No Nihongo Kanji (Beginner 2)

Other available options

If you picked up on my name dropping of Genki and Busy People (with super long titles, everyone abbreviates them!), I’ve used both of those in my language classes at work. The classes are presented in English, hence, mostly English book. As I said, that’s a crutch that for me is not worth the extra time, I learn better with immersion but to each their own.

Genki is the most expensive option of the three and Busy People is the cheapest. If you’re learning for fluency, I’d stick to Minna. If you are learning to better help your experience visiting Japan, Japanese for Busy People is a good option for the cost. It has a romanized, kana and full version so you can pick the best for you.

Oh, and if you decide that the romanized version is best for you? (If speaking is your thing, go for it! But you will want to read while in Japan). There is a romanized version of Minna as well.

Is it the best?

I’ll let you answer that for yourself but with my experience, Minna no Nihongo by far the best option out there. It’s helped me in many situations around Japan, from discovering sumimasen was one of my favorite words, to helping me ask for the bill at restaurants, and to have a better experience with my trips around Japan.

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As you may be aware, the Japanese language has THREE written languages. Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. The first two are often referred to as Japanese syllabaries (and in Japanese, Kana), as they are purely phonetic sounds whereas Kanji is a logographic (one symbol stands for an entire word; logograph is a better term than pictograph, side note). You can also think of them as the Japanese alphabet.

In order to read Japanese, you must have a good grasp on all three as written Japanese is a combination of kana and kanji. If you are trying to learn some basic Japanese, it’s super helpful to learn Hiragana and Katakana. Don’t worry, you can do this fast!

In my opinion, it’s a little easier when you understand the background.

How to write Hiragana and Katakana in Kanji

Now I’m just trying to be confusing, not really! Keep reading and you’ll get the lead in. While you most likely will see hiragana written as ひらがな, it can also be written in Kanji, 平仮名. Katakana is written IN katakana as カタカナbut it also has a kanji spelling, 片仮名. Why is this?

What is Kana (仮名)?

Let’s start at the beginning. I think there is a misconception that only Japanese kanji were derived from Chinese. Nope, they didn’t have ANY written language before that. Kanji was hard. So they borrowed even further to create the Japanese syllabaries. 仮名, or Kana, literally means “temporary” or “borrowed” name.

Hiragana and Katakana both derived from Chinese Characters as well. Notice the second half of those words, and ignore the fact that the “k” in kana gets changed to a “G” in hiragana for the time being.  That’s something to do with the sounds and when you have “kanji-kanji compounds”, as I like to say.  They are both “kana”.

So, where did hiragana and katakana come from?

The builders of the Japanese written language found kanji that had the sound they were looking for and simplified it down to something easier to write. The 平 in Hiragana means “ordinary”, so purely a simplification of the original .  片 in Katakana means “incomplete” or “one sided”, meaning they just took part of a character.

But why are there TWO syllabaries in Japanese?

Just to make it more difficult for us, I kid, I kid. Hiragana can be considered the “cursive” version of the syllabaries, whereas Katakana is more angular and “script”. Due to that, when they were first developed, Hiragana was more often used by women (it’s prettier) and Katakana was used by men.  That’s long since been lost.

When do you use hiragana and katakana?

You could write Japanese purely in kana but it would be greatly confusing. Why? Because Japanese has only about 100 distinct sounds to its name (compared to 1000s in English) so many words are exactly the same. Hence, there is furigana (振り仮名) often used for complicated kanji as well as almost exclusively in children’s books. These are the small kana characters above kanji which allows you to know how to pronounce them. 

Hiragana is used in conjunction with kanji (logographic characters) to create adverbs, verbs, etc. Katakana nowadays is used for non-Chinese derived foreign words. Why non-Chinese? Because Chinese words they just use the original Chinese characters :). You will also see Katakana when an emphasis is meant, similar to italics.

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program in which I may earn a small commission by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.  The price to you is not affected!  

The Fifty Sounds (五十音) of Learning Hiragana and Katakana

The Japanese syllabaries or Japanese alphabet are both organized into 5 X 10 tables.  The 五十音 (go-jyuu-on, fifty sounds) or sometimes referred to as a-i-u-e-o order by English speaking learners. Don’t get it mixed up with English vowel order!

Just to make it confusing, it’s not actually 50 sounds but 46 + 1. The plus 1 is for “n” which you’ll never see it by itself. “Yi”, “ye”, and “wu” never existed as best I know. “Wi” and “we” were officially removed in 1946 due to the fact that they were similar enough to “i” and “e”. In old texts, you will sometimes see them.

The consonants are in the order so it’s important to remember it. Not just because it is required if you want to use a dictionary! I like this mnemonic (remember I love memory science!) from “Learning Japanese Hiragana and Katakana”. Take the first letter of each of the words and that gets you the order.

“Ah, Kana signs! Take note how many you read well (n).” 

from “Learning Japanese Hiragana and Katakana”

The other 50 or so sounds to get Japanese 100 sounds

Remember I said there are about 100 sounds in Japanese and that’s what makes learning kanji important? I constantly have to ask my coworkers, “can you write the kanji for that?” if I don’t know the context well enough to know which word they mean.  

Well, if the Japanese syllabaries or Japanese alphabet have 47 sounds, where are the rest coming from?

You have the following: 20 dakuon, 5 handokuon, 36 youon and 1 sokuon. You also have mini vowel modifiers now too but that’s really a modern addition and I’m not as good with them so I’m not going to talk about them.  Because honestly, when you are first learning and even what you will see in country, you won’t need that.

Dakuon 濁音

Translated is “voiced sound”, however, that first kanji is “turbid” (big word, I know) which can mean “deficient in clarity” which is exactly what these sounds are!  They are modifiers to the originals. So when you see a ” or tenten mark (yes, very similar to quotation mark), K turns into G, S turns into Z, T turns into D and H turns into B.     

Ji and Zu are written as the Z line unless they are clearly derived from Chi and Tsu in compounds and repeat syllables.

Handakuon 半濁音

This is a half-dakuon. Or a “half turbid sound”….Oh, Japan. You add a “maru” (small circle to the top right-hand corner) which turns H into P.

Youon   拗音

This combination of “i” column with ya, yu or yo and shortens the sound.

For example, shi (し) and ya (や) become sha (しゃ).

Sokuon 促音                                    

And this is why my Japanese is better than my English. The English term for this is “Geminate”. It means to double or repeat a speech sound or identical adjacent sounds. Little confusing as you double the NEXT consonant.

For example, いった, itta. To type this with the Japanese language turned on for your keyboard, you just put i-t-t-a and it will automatically do the “small tsu” (っ) character. It’s more of a pause than an actual sound. 

5 Tips for learning the Japanese alphabet or Japanese syllabaries

1. Learn hiragana first

Yes, I’m serious. Hiragana! Sure, katakana is useful for menus but it will help you more, in the long run, to learn Japanese if you can read how the majority of the Japanese language is written. The very basics of conversation, “こんにちは” (konnichiwa, good morning), are in hiragana after all.  

2. Practice writing hiragana and katakana

This is the only time I will tell you it is also helpful to WRITE. Kanji there isn’t much need as typing is easier but for hiragana and katakana practice it is important. Some practice writing will help them stick in your brain.

One book that I use and love, if you couldn’t tell from the quote above, is “Learning Japanese Hiragana and Katakana”.

3. Look at kana or Japanese alphabet regularly

Next? Look at the kana regularly. Did you sign up for my cheat sheet already? I suggest you print it out and tape it where you’ll notice it. One of the best spots? Namely the wall in front of your toilet, if you have one available.

Have a free minute? Use your writing hiragana and katakana practice above to make yourself some flashcards. Then during commercial breaks watching awesome Japanese shows or anime you can do a quick run through.

Don’t have time to make them yourself? You can but there are also some really great sets already made from you.

4. Get an app

There are plenty of good free apps out there but if you want it to “Stick”, make sure to get one based on memory science. Make a story about the characters to remember them by. To me, た almost looks like “ta” for instance, as a super simple example. Memory science works best if the association is outlandish though. Make up something crazy!  

5. Speak the sounds out loud

Another helpful hint? Say the syllable out loud as you review them. You want to get to the point that you are thinking in hiragana and katakana. It may just be the visual nature of my brain but when I say a word, I normally see how it is written in my minds eye.

So when saying the sounds, at first I was converting them to romaji (English alphabet) in my head, and then spitting back out the Japanese writing.  Having multiple mental functions going at once (hearing and visual) helps speed this process along, of “thinking fluently”.

Eventually, you start “seeing” the kana instead of the English equivalent. And once you have those basics, you’ll be moving on to Japanese vocabulary and speaking in no time.

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One of the very best ways you’ll learn Japanese vocabulary is through the memory science learning app, WaniKani.  However, it’s always a good idea to supplement and have different methods of learning to better cement what your brain is processing.

The 日本語単語スピードマスター which directly translates as “Japanese Vocabulary Speed Master” or as they state “Quick Mastery of Vocabulary” is by the same learning organization that brought Speak Japanese, my absolute favorite phrase books for once you’ve moved on from Lonely Planet. 

Don’t worry that this series won’t keep up, there are four levels from beginning to advanced.

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program in which I may earn a small commission by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.  The price to you is not affected!  

Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT)

If you are looking to take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), the different levels of this series focuses on the vocabulary you can expect to see on the exams. N5 is the lowest level, reaching to N1 as the highest.

It’s nice to have it split that way for test taking purposes but it also works you through the language at a good pace for understanding.

Quick Mastery of Japanese Vocabulary

Basic 1800 is for the N4/N5 level student and of course, a good basis for everyone learning the language.  Standard 2400 is written with the N3 student in mind. Intermediate 2500 is for N2. You see where this is going, Advanced 2800 is for N1.

All come with CDs, 2 in this case, so that you can hear a native speaker for each of the words.  The books are broken down into units which each cover a different topic to allow you to learn the words efficiently as like things are matched together.  

Each word or set of words has a example sentence to go with it. There are cultural antidotes where necessary to help you understand how the word is used.  Each “Unit” starts out with basics like numbers and counting and move further into hobbies and daily life as well as describing things and places.  The building blocks for everything you need to speak Japanese.

What’s with the Red Plastic Sheets?

The book is translated in English, Chinese AND Korean but the other two languages don’t deter from the English translations.  There is a version that’s translated into Thai, Vietnamese and Indonesian so make sure you get the correct one if you decide to purchase this series of Japanese language books.

So what’s the deal with the red plastic sheets that they books come with? The translations are written in red ink.  This is brilliant and you see Japanese school children with books on the train all the time that are set up this way.  

This should be a thing with all textbooks.  It really helps you zip through the sheets and not “cheat” on knowing.  Each entry has a check block to keep track of when you know it.  The example sentences are ALSO in red in for the translations. I love this book.  

Tips for studying Japanese vocabulary

After studying Japanese for many years now, there’s a few tricks that I’ve learned that helps with retention. Hopefully you can put them to use as well.

• Study every day. No excuses, the repetition helps.
• Watch programming in Japanese and try to ignore the subtitles or turn them off. Or something I like doing, critique the translators work. I love watching Japanese documentaries, shows or just some new anime (Sailor Moon makes that super easy as I know the story by heart).
• Label items around your house with their Japanese names!
• While out in town, try and call out different words in Japanese in your head.
• Speak, speak, speak. Try and say things in Japanese as much as possible.

What’s your favorite way to learn vocabulary?

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When you are learning a new language, phrase books and text books will certainly get you far. However, learning the phrases that truly make you sound fluent (the “ums” and “what was that again…”) aren’t necessarily touched on. Bring in the Speak Japanese Series of books.

Speak Japanese Series

The great thing about these books is they have English translations for everything. More over, they are perfect for self teaching. Each Speak Japanese book comes with its own CD so that you can hear the proper pronunciation. A key to speaking like a local. What I will discuss below are the books I’ve used personally but it is not the entirety of the series. You can visit J Research directly and see the treasure trove they have to offer.

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program in which I may earn a small commission by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.  Price to you is not affected!  

88 Basic Patterns for Japanese Conversation

The goal of 88 Basic Patterns for Japanese Conversation is to improve your rhetoric in every day speech of Japanese. It gives the meaning, background and usage in form of conversation examples.  It’s a beginner – intermediate level and broken into two sections.  Start with the “essential” sentence patterns which help you join together larger concepts. The second is 80 examples that are broken into further parts so you know when to use them.  The CD allows you to hear a native speaker say each sentence.

200 Quick and Easy Phrases for Japanese Conversation

Consider 200 Quick and Easy Phrases for Japanese Conversation a phrase book on the next plane for beginning to intermediate level. The goal is to not just remember a fixed phrase but to know in which situations to use them in. This is for quick and to the point things you hear all the time.  Again, broken into two parts with further break down in sections like “Surprise and Questioning”, “Explanation”, “Advice and Worries” and culminating in “Cliché of everyday phrases”.  There are a total of 10.  Each gives at least three different example. Including when to use them and sometimes related phrases or words you would commonly hear with it.

125 Extended Patterns for Japanese Conversation

Once you’ve mastered the above, you can move on to the intermediate to advanced levels.  125 Extended Patterns for Japanese Conversation goal is to allow you to continue the conversation on. Split into three different parts, Part 1 contains more of the basic sentence patterns. Part 2 is sentences based on a purpose. Finally, part 3 is for conveying nuances. Helps extensively with the rhythm and flow of Japanese conversation and will have you speak Japanese in no time.

210 Additional Super-Miniature Phrases for Immediate Use in Japanese Conversation

The goal of 210 Additional Super-Miniature Phrases for Immediate Use in Japanese Conversation is to expand and deepen the content of a conversation for intermediate level and up. A well collected example of easy and commonly used phrases. These are used in every day speech by native Japanese speakers.

Study Methodology for Speak Japanese Series

When to study?! Read on the train or when you have a free moment with these perfect sized books.  You can start using what you learn right away and they have more “real conversation” Japanese than you’ll find with a textbook like the Minna no Nihongo series. 

Oh, and while a lot of the kanji in the Speak Japanese books have furigana (the little letters that help you with the pronunciation), I highly recommend WaniKani as a way to learn kanji. (Link to my post on the subject, not an affiliate, though I wish they had a program!)

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I’m bemused by American’s that take offense to people not speaking the local language when visiting the US, “this is America! We speak English!”, but that then go to other countries and still expect people to speak to them in English.  Strike bemused. Embarrassed? Care not to be associated with them? Happy when I’m mistaken for an Australian?  Appalled, really. Especially when their solution to not being understood is to just speak LOUDER English.

Screaming at someone in a foreign language is NOT the solution, people.  It’s not everyone.  Just a choice few that make me want to slam my head against a desk or bow profuse apologies for my countrymen’s rudeness.  

It is enough, even, to drive me to air my frustrations on the internet for the world than to bash back in my face ‘how dare you!’.  That’s how things go nowadays, correct? Hear me out first! Speaking the local language while abroad really can make a difference!

Etiquette abroad: Speaking the Local language

A word on etiquette for traveling to or living in a foreign country. Especially in Japan. Even the smallest attempts to try speaking the local language will get you leaps and bounds ahead.  

For starters, commit these 5 phrases to memory: hello, excuse me, thank you, I’m sorry, can I have a beer? (konnichiwa, sumimasen, arigatou, gomennesai, nama bi-ru onegaishimasu).  

I don’t know how many times I’ve said a basic “Konnichiwa” (good afternoon) to a store clerk and had accolades returned to me about “how wonderful you speak Japanese!” and “how long have you been here?!”.  All in Japanese, of course.

Some people take offense to that, actually, if you catch rants on Twitter, but if it puts a smile on someones face to have been spoken in their native tongue – which it does – why not make someone’s day?!

Even though Japan’s hospitality is well known around the world, I find that to escalate even more so with basic attempts at speaking Japanese. What years ago I thought was a non-welcoming attitude (hardly everywhere, but some places I’d find), I’ve found recently that it’s not because you don’t speak Japanese, it is actually in a lot of cases that THEY don’t speak English. And feel bad about it!

Again, you’ll find arguments to the contrary but this is my experience after many years in country. A nice disposition goes a long ways!

Learn some quick basics of the Japanese language

This is why, it’s great to have some working knowledge of the language.  Especially for food!  A quick “日本語は大丈夫” (nihongo wa daijyoubu) or “Japanese is OK!” and you’re welcomed with open arms. I’ve found some of the best food in places that gave me the “oh we’re sorry we don’t have an English menu” look first, to be happy that they can have me enjoy their food.

Sure, there’s still some struggle sometimes but you made that first attempt and you receive a certain amount of respect for that. Kanji is scary and intimidating but a lot of food names can be found in Katakana, the “foreign words” syllabary.  Also, apps now make it super easy to translate on the spot!  Pointing is okay if all else fails on pronunciation.

It’s nice to be able to say “thank you” in the native tongue though.  

Of course, the quintessential “生ビールお願いします” (nama bi-ru onegaishimasu) or “can I have a draft beer please?” will also take you far.

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program in which I may earn a small commission by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.  The price to you is not affected!  

Phrase books go a long way

In resort areas or the big cities (Tokyo for sure), English is a lot more common, there is much more of an attempt to speak it.  Quip back a word or two of Japanese though, and see what you get.  To help out, I’m personally a fan of the Lonely Planet Japanese Phrasebook & Dictionary  and carried it on my person for years until I was comfortable enough without it. The smile and appreciation you get are worth every attempt in the world.

So let’s have less yelling (I promise, it doesn’t work :)) and more smiles. Make an attempt at speaking the local language. You’ll be surprised the doors it may open. And if you’re going to be somewhere a little longer? Try and get some conversation classes in!

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