Crossing the OS Rubicon The OS is dead! Long live the OS! I’m writing this from my freshly installed copy of Windows XP Traditional Chinese Edition. Let jubilation run freely (does that even make sense?). First impressions…sometimes, I feel like running with my tail between my legs back to my Japanese OS. I’ve been in…
Books
Momoko’s Musings: Finding Good Things in the Strangest Places
by momoko
So I was feeling stuck lately—worrying about how inadequate I am at speaking in everyday conversations, not sure how to say something in different ways or different degrees of politeness, and frustrated that the materials I have (e.g. manga, magazines, even bilingual Japanese/English books) seem a bit too advanced for my level right now. How…
How and What to Read
by khatzumoto
The Daily Telegraph, a newspaper from some random, wind-swept island in the North Sea, has this really cool article by Nick Hornby about how to read. I find it interesting because it applies directly to Japanese study in particular and language study in general. A lot of people sneer at manga readers and anime watchers; they’re not “serious”…
Book Review: Understanding Basic Japanese Grammar
by khatzumoto
The book is Understanding Basic Japanese Grammar by Koichi NISHIGUCHI [基礎日本語文法教本 西口光一（著）]. に・ほん・ご き・そ ぶん・ぽう きょう・ほん ISBN: 475740168X You probably know by now what I think about textbooks and studying grammar. Textbooks are the devil’s spawn; studying grammar is a confusing waste of time in terms of actually teaching you how to use the language. Grammar is a “why”,…
How To Use a Japanese Textbook
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…