Mental Tools

Japan is Wherever You Are: 10 Ways to Turn Your Environment Japanese

by khatzumoto

We’ve previously discussed the importance of turning your environment as Japanese as possible. With very little money (far less than you might need for a typical class), you can turn wherever you live into a little Japan. Even if you already live in Japan but your Japanese needs work, these suggestions will still work for…

by khatzumoto

You know, I don’t know how much like me you are. But I imagine that there must be some truth to the idea that if I have a particular problem, then you or someone else shares the same problem. By extension, if I have found a solution or mechanism to deal with that problem, then…

by khatzumoto

Throughout our lives, most of us have had the values of postponing what we like drilled into us. Dinner, then dessert. For religious people, good deeds then heaven. One of my favorite teachers at college, tells a story in his student development class about how toddlers who forced themselves to not eat a single marshmallow…

by khatzumoto

Textbooks for learning Japanese suck. All of them. We could end it right there, but then we would be whiners, and whiners we are not. Whining my feel good at the time, but it’s ultimately just self-destructive. In my humble opinion, it’s far better to be a naive teacher’s pet, doing what you are told…

by khatzumoto

Remember before how I was all “I learned Japanese and held 3 jobs and was going full-time in college in a completely unrelated major”. Remember how I told you that? Well, I’m sorry if I said it in a way to make you feel that you could you could learn Japanese “on the side” while…

by khatzumoto

Listening to girls called Stacy squeaking out “ah ree gar toe go zai moss oo” is not to your advantage. Especially if you are the girl called Stacy. That chick needs help. Classes suck. Not only do they cost money, but they’re boring and they don’t work. You only need look as far as the…