Japanese

[Chu]

@Kaishi: Oh, a present teacher is definitely essential in any language class. That's why it's so easy for us - our teacher is AMAZING. She's got the teaching methods, lesson plans, and activities down so well that you only have to study if you don't pay attention/miss class. We still go at a fast pace though - I don't know how she does it.

Haha, at this point I could probably hold a very short and formal conversation with someone. Other than that I'd be lost and confused.

I showed mine! xP You should show yours too.


@Freshie: Ouch. If you do live there, know that the living expenses are a lot higher than here in the states. It's also EXTREMELY humid and crowded. @.@ Because of those two reasons I'll probably never be able to do. *has asthma and anxiety*

[kaishi]

LoL Freshie, have you been to Japan before?

Oh man, I went to Kobe in late July a few years ago. It was like... super gross. I almost fainted in Kyoto it was so hot! Some nice people in a cafe saved me with their AC though. The humidity was like 98% too.. how is that even possible? XD; I didn't mind it too much though. Japan's weather is a lot like here.


LoL I did really well over satellite ... but Japanese has always been really easy for me. When I took the class in college with an actual teacher it was nice, though. Now I am learning stuff I never knew from my DS Japanese game XDD lol, but i know all the grammar... it's mostly just a bajillion words. Let's have a conversation in Japanese! XD You can start so I'll know what topics you can talk about :3

LOL Ok, here's the comic. I drew it when I was 15. I already knew some Japanese at this point 'cause I taught myself for a year or so before Japanese 1, but look how horrible my handwriting is! XD And well, I have nothing to say about the people. LoL we weren't supposed to know katakana yet >_>; so I had to write ice cream in romaji... baw.. I hate romaji. And I did in fact copy that picture of Inu Yasha from my huuuuge compilation book I bought at Kinokuniya. XD And still have, lmao. I don't even like Inu Yasha much.

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Oh god it's soooo bad. XD That was 8 years ago though... ;_; I'm old.

BONUS:
Just for giggles. Yeah, Harajuku! lol that's me in the middle. XD eeugh, I look funny without bangs. LoL I have a gatrillion pictures of Japan. I would LOVE to share them if you guys are interested XD

[Freshie]

I've been to Japan!....IN EPCOT. <3
xD

Yeah, we've never been to Japan, and we know it can be expensive. We've been thinking Osaka, but thats where most of the gaijin are. ^^;; Though if we could find good businesses to work at, we could also be in the more rural areas. ^^

We dunno if we wanna take classes in Japan, or here then go over to work in Japan. Work wise, I'll probably take the easier route for me and become an English teacher for kids. Though if I could, I'll work more towards becoming a fashion designer while there. My boyfriends probably gonna end up doing some sort of computer tech. ^^

[kaishi]

lol well what's your motivation to move there? XD Just curious.

[Freshie]

CUTENESS!
Seriously, I love the cute japanese culture! xD I do love Japanese culture in general though. :3 And also my boyfriend. I'm just afraid I don't seem so into it as my boyfriend..hes been trying to prepare for as long as he can remember to be part of Japan. And I've been taking things so slow and such. I'm actually really into it..I just have a problem with laziness. ;-;

[kerryfox]

I wish I had found this before now, any how I have been studying Japanese going on I wanna say 8 years now >.<
I ran my program here at college out after I got back from the exchange so these last few years have been self study mixed with dropping back in on the 3/4 level classes. Too I lived 30 minutes out side of Osaka and Kobe 2 years ago now on exchange.

Chu- Particles = death. I knew I was in trouble the moment I found a whole book dedicated to wa and ga.

Freshie- The foreign population is really more concentrated in Kobe, Tokyo and Okinawa(Read as the navy has a base there...). Osaka has its pockets but I allways felt I stood out there more then in Kobe per say.

And really the KEY to living in Japan is that darn Visa, you can't just apply for one like you can State side. You have to have a Japanese company/organization sponsor you. I was sponsored by my university when I was there as another option. Other wise you have 90 days to work some thing out. After that you need money and lots of it. I spent more money in the single year I lived there then I have in all of my time in College.
Too I would do an extended visit before you really make the choice to move there. Japan, well I will be blunt, is either you love it and make things work or it breaks you.

kaishi- I vote a photo swap! I have a good amount form my time there I can share too, and if any one is interested too I have my journal I kept when I lived there.

[kaishi]

kerry -- YES, LET'S.

I've been studying Japanese for around 9 years now :3 Not diligently or I'd be a lot better, lol. I took 5 years of classes and have been studying on my own the rest of the time.

And you also said pretty much what I was going to say. Japan is NOT what everyone thinks it is. Outside of expenses, visa, etc. to deal with, there's also just the Japanese attitude. They are sometimes a tough people to deal with.
I was going to suggest going for about a month to see, because there is never becoming "part of Japan," but you can live there and be tolerated as long as you've got a job.

I want to teach there, but only for a few years. Although, if I could get a job studying Japanese history, that'd be cool and then I wouldn't mind staying. I do love Japan, but it's not the entire focus of my interests, and I certainly wouldn't want to live there.....
When I'm teaching, I'd love to be located in some smaller town -- I've found the people there are muuuch nicer. I love Kansai (Kansai food is the best!), but I'm also veeeery fond of Yokohama.

[Chu]

I agree; from what I heard Kansai is a good place to be. I think that's where my Japanese teacher lived when she was there; either that or where a friend of her's lives.

I also want to add that they don't treat women with the equality that you'd hope. Business women take the brunt of the bad treatment with long work hours and little to no toleration of pregnancy leaves. They also apparently find it very hard to progress in the business world, much less be taken seriously. That's why there are so few young Japanese people as opposed to the older ones - less and less women are kind of forced to take their careers much more seriously than their families, and the fact that the Japanese live so long adds to the dilemma because many can't take care of themselves very well.


Japanese test tomorrow. @ 3@ Wish me luck!


And your manga is cute, Kaishi! XD So much better than mine.

[Freshie]

So I think our plan is to teach ourself Japanese, and/or take some courses in it. We'll probably be moving back to his home town in 2 or so years where thats probably where we'll take the classes if any. Then work towards degrees and then figure it all out from there...

[kaishi]

From my experience, Japanese is easy to teach yourself if you've got a good source, so you should be okay. :3 But having a teacher is definitely a plus if you have trouble learning languages.



Having been all over Kansai and and also in Tokyo/Tokyo area, I'd have to say Kansai food is over 9000 times better. When I was in Tokyo I barely ate out because the food was weird -- I got my favorite dish and it just was NOT the same. I mostly ate tiny bits of food from the Lawson. XD; I LOVE LAWSON.

Good luck on your test!!! I'm sure you'll do great. :D LoL, and my manga is hiiiideous XD

[Chu]

I wouldn't know but I think it would be a great place to learn as long as you have the basics down really well. ^^; Going straight to Japan after learning only a few years of Japanese would be overwhelming.


Kaishi reminds me that I'm not that fond of Japanese food. >< There are some great dishes but generally I don't like it very much.

[Hiroku]

I can translate it to an even more untranslatable and forgotten dialect.

[Freshie]

Actually, if any one of you wanna help me sometime with Japanese, that would be greatly appreciated. ^^;;
Since I gotta limit my English related sites and whatnot. I love Midorea so mixing loves would help me much I think. My boyfriend may liked Midorea a bit. (Hes a silly boy and doesn't like avatar sites, especially if I'm on them all the time not learning Japanese :P)

[kerryfox]

kaishi- I'll have to go pull them up here, they are mixed in a number of places as my laptop's power cable bit the dust when I was there and as it is going on 5 years it has to be plugged in to work...so half of them are up and a few of the last ones I took there are on my hard drive still...

I really dislike Tokyo in general, they speak to fast and as you said lack good food.

First rule to living in Japan for me was, You are not Japanese you will never be Japanese. Once you accept that you are allways on the out side of the system then you either pack up and go or stay and make it work.


But oddly despite all the negative I do want to live there. I am planning to start with teaching english and seeing where that gets me.

Freshie- Do you know Hiragana and Katakana?
I wouldn't mind helping you learn =^.^=

Chu- It is the glass celling effect. I often say Japan is 1950's America because of the social problems they face. Rather sad but it is thankfully changing to some degree even if it is super slow about it.

[Chu]

O: Chu's stupid; give her plain form pointers! This is what I have so far, and I'm almost positive it's wrong:

私の冬休み
BWAHAHA CHU'S NAME VANISHED. O:

私の冬休みがつまらないだ。ラッズくんはミチガン州にいきた、だから、わたしはとてもさびしだ!

(Made bigger to help you read it.)

I'm iffy on all of the plain form. DX I'll be adding the date that he left for and came back from Michigan.


EDIT: Okay, how would I say "he was gone until __"?