Learn Japanese with Beb and Alex

Fun Friday for 5th December 2008

Thu, 4 Dec 2008 15:25:00 GMT

#79: It ain't necessarily so

Wed, 3 Dec 2008 15:21:00 GMT

LJP End of Year Party

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 09:05:00 GMT

Learn Japanese pod will be hold a Year End Party for all of you at the Pink Cow in Shibuya. The menu is great and we even have our very own DJs. Entrance is free, so what more do I need to say?

Location: The Pink Cow, Shibuya, Tokyo
Date: Sunday, 14th December 2008
Time: 7pm start
Entrance: Free

More information on our Facebook community at: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=37241583869

#78: It's not like that

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:10:00 GMT

Hosts: Yukki and Alex
Audio Production: Daniel Edwards

#78 Show notes: It's not like that

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Donations to Learn Japanese pod

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 22:32:00 GMT

If you enjoy Learn Japanese then please consider donating to the site. Since this site is becoming more popular running costs are increasing.

Any donations of any amount no matter how small are welcome and of course this is purely voluntary and a way to show your appreciation.

Fun Friday: I like driving in my car

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:01:00 GMT

Naked old japanese men, Kaiten sushi, eating whale meat, moving to Japan from America, the JET program, electronics from Akihabara, bringing your laptop to Japan were just a few of the subjects Waka sensei, Sandra, Jim, Ben and myself talked about on this week's Fun Friday.

This episode was recorded back in June in our rent-a-car as we drove back from a spa in Chiba.

#77: Naruhodo

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:54:00 GMT

Today's lesson is Naruhodo which means "I see" taught to us by the lovely Yukki sensei. Audio production: Daniel Edwards Hosts: Alex and Yukki sensei

#77 Show notes: Naruhodo

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Women and alcohol

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:16:00 GMT

We've been running the Learn Japanese Podcast for a little over three years now so I thought it would be a good time to take stock and have a look at how we were doing. I had a look at the statistics for downloads for the podcasts and compiled a top 10 of the most popular podcasts. From that I was able to get a rough idea of what you people come here for. And it looks like it is cute Japanese girls and alcohol.

Check it out:

Top 10 Learn Japanese Podcasts by download

Learn Japanese Pod website

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:11:00 GMT

We are slowly migrating all information about the Learn Japanese podcasts to http://learnjapanesepod.com which is the main site and portal for the podcasts, forums, free Japanese online lessons and other great resources. This blog will still exist but show notes and other information will be located on the main site from now on, so please bookmark http://learnjapanesepod.com

You can also find my personal website which gives an overview of all the websites I am managing including the Learn Japanese Podcast and Forums

http://alexbrooke.com

Of course you will still be able to download podcasts from this page or you can subscribe via iTunes

Fun Friday: On and off-line study aids for Japanese

Fri, 7 Nov 2008 16:41:00 GMT

You can discuss this podcast and get links to the websites discussed here: http://learnjapanesepod.com/forum/index.php/topic,1070.msg11762.html#msg11762

The forums are back online

Tue, 4 Nov 2008 15:55:00 GMT

We've had some server trouble with the forums but they are finally back online. So please check out the forums!

Click here for the Forums

(The moral of this story is, if you want a website which loads quickly, had no downtime and great customer support DO NOT USE http://servage.com )

#76: It's been a long time baby

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:45:00 GMT

#76 Show notes: Hisashiburi

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Fun Friday: Izakaya Taxi

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:16:00 GMT

To read more about Izakaya taxis, CLICKY HERE!

#75: I told you so!

imunique999@yahoo.co.uk — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:07:00 GMT

#75 Show notes: I told you so

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Fun Friday: Akihabara Safari

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 04:07:00 GMT

As I am migrating this site to the main site more information can be found on this podcast below: Clicky

New Learn Japanese Pod site up

Thu, 2 Oct 2008 19:58:00 GMT

In an effort to make the Learn Japanese pod site look a bit more sexy, I am migrating everything to a new site at:

http://learnjapanesepod.com/home

Please check it out and see what you think. Feel free to email me with your comments, ideas and suggestions to:

imunique999[at]yahoo.co.uk

Fun Friday: Osaka castle with Beb and Waka

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:43:00 GMT

This video is a little late in coming but here it is at last. In August last month I went down to Osaka with Waka sensei to hang out with Beb. We made this movie in front of Osaka castle as we had done two years ago. Time certainly flies ! Check out the other Osaka castle talk shows we did in July 2006 and Enjoy.

#74: Basic Japanese phrases: Ittekimasu

mail@alexbrooke.com — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 11:51:00 GMT

A huge thank you to all of you who came out last Sunday to Yoyogi park and helped to record lesson #74. This wasn't our first outdoor recording but it did have the most people ever, you all know who you are. This week went back to basics with some easy and useful phrases: Ittekimasu, Itterasshai, Tadaima and Okaeri. Enjoy!

Yoyogi get together

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:07:00 GMT

it's a little belated but here is the video of the Learn Japanese Pod get together in Yoyogi on 21st July 2008. Thanks again to everyone who showed up. Yoroshiku!

#73: Giving presents

mail@alexbrooke.com — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 04:01:00 GMT

It's been quite a while but Beb was back this week to record this week's podcast together with Waka sensei and myself. We hung outside Osaka castle and I asked Waka sensei and Beb to teach me some useful phrases for giving presents in Japan. The idea to do this show came from a suggestion sent in by Kaya from Canada. So a bit shout out to you. Hope you enjoy this week's episode.

#73 Show notes: Giving presents

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Beer and Sushi!

imunique999@yahoo.co.uk — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT

This show is a cross between a Fun Friday and a regular lesson. Waka sensei, a secret guest and myself got together for a delicious sushi party with some beer the forgotten condiment. In this video Waka sensei teaches us the names of various kinds of Japanese food. DELICIOUS!

#72 Give me a break

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:02:00 GMT

In today's lesson, Waka sensei teaches us a very useful phrase "Kamben shite". This is used for excusing yourself from things you don't want to do, something you might find yourself doing a lot in Japan. We recorded today's podcast outside in the park so apologies for the noise in the background.

#72 Show notes: Give me a break

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Learn Japanese Pod Get together in Yoyogi park

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:51:00 GMT

It's time to make the most of the summer so we are having a Learn Japanese Pod party in Yoyogi Park. Anyone is welcome to come along.

Bring your own whatever if that be food, drink, frisbee, football or even a friend. There is no end time so we'll party as long as the mood takes us. We'll probably be recording or filming the proceedings too.

Stay posted for plan B in case of rain.

Date: Monday 21st July
Time: 1:30pm
Location: By the main fountain
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3114/2667822692_4cac336003_o.jpg

Contact:
Mobile email: alexbrooke[at]softbank.ne.jp
PC email: imunique999[at]yahoo.co.uk

View Larger Map

#71: å¼±èå¼·é£ãThe law of the jungle

Tue, 8 Jul 2008 16:00:00 GMT

In this week's lesson Waka sensei teaches us the phrase åèåé jakuniku kyohshoku or "the law of the jungle".

Show notes coming soon.

#70: Telephone Japanese

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:34:00 GMT

In this week's lesson, Waka sensei teaches Ben and I some useful basic Japanese for phoning a friend. Enjoy.

#70 Show notes: Japanese for the telephone

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:33:00 GMT

#69: What are you into?

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:53:00 GMT

In this week's lesson we study the verb ããã / hamaru. This has various meanings including something that you are really interested in. Enjoy.

#69 show notes: What are you into?

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:51:00 GMT

#68: æ°ãki

mail@alexbrooke.com — Wed, 4 Jun 2008 14:01:00 GMT

This week's lesson covered the various uses of the word æ "KI".
For example:

æããããã/ki ni shinai de / don't worry

æãåãã/ki ni itta / I like it.

æããããã/ ki wo tsukete ne / take care

We covered five examples in the podcast although there are many more uses that you can find here. The podcast was recorded outside by the river. Waka sensei and I thought we would escape the confines of the studio ( the kitchen ) to the wilderness of Chiba ( the park ). It was wonderful to sit outside and hear the beautiful bird song. æåãæãåãã/I really liked it.

Enjoy.

Don't forget our Learn Japanese pod Facebook community
and the Forums

#68 show notes: æ°ãki

Wed, 4 Jun 2008 13:57:00 GMT

Fun Friday: Nikko

mail@alexbrooke.com — Sat, 31 May 2008 03:59:00 GMT

Today's Fun Friday features a video of a trip Waka sensei and myself made to Toshogu in Nikko. More info coming soon...

Fun Fridayãæåæçåãããããããããããèãããããã

Fun Friday: Hanging out with Daniel Edwards

mail@alexbrooke.com — Fri, 23 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT

This week I hung out with my good friend Daniel Edwards a music producer, composer and singer from the States. Amongst his many talents, he is also an excellent Japanese speaker. I asked him how he came to be in Japan and his tips for studying Japanese effectively.

You can check out Daniel's music on his myspace page @:

http://www.myspace.com/danieledwardsmusic

Here are links to some of the topics we talked about:
Basic Kanji Book
Marutei Tsurunen

#67 Sho ga nai / It can't be helped

mail@alexbrooke.com — Wed, 21 May 2008 06:00:00 GMT

If you come to Japan it is impossible to avoid the phrase "sho ga nai" which means "it can't be helped". This phrase along with it's more formal version "shikata ga nai" is used to express the concept of "c'est la vie" when life throws an unpleasant situation your way and you feel powerless to avoid or correct it.

It's raining today, we can't go on a picnic, "sho ga nai".

I failed my entrance exams, "sho ga nai".

The entire world is against us on our whaling policy, "sho ga nai".

"Sho ga nai" has been interpreted as the stoic self sacrificing nature of the Japanese which can also be found in Buddhist teachings and their emphasis on group identity.

"I have to go into work on sunday- sho ga nai"

The ultimate expression of "sho ga nai" was at the end of the second world war when their emperor asked his people to endure the unendurable and embrace defeat.

An unkinder and more western interpretation would conclude "sho ga nai" means "I can't be bothered". Arguably, you cannot run a sucessful company by shrugging your shoulders when your employees are lazy and unmotivated.

Regardless of whether you think "sho ga nai" expresses a fatalistic unwillingness to make changes or is an enlightened acceptance of life, "sho ga nai" is an essential phrase for students of Japanese.

In this lesson, Waka teaches us how to use "sho ga nai" just like a native. Enjoy.

Links:
Kyuma Fumio and Sho ga nai

#67 Show notes: Sho ga nai / It can't be helped

Wed, 21 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Here are the lesson notes for lesson #67

#66 Ordering beer

mail@alexbrooke.com — Thu, 15 May 2008 16:56:00 GMT

Today, Waka teaches us how to order a beer in Japan. She also teaches us how to stop your boss trying to get you drunk. KAMPAI!

#66 Show notes: Ordering beer

Thu, 15 May 2008 16:52:00 GMT

Here are the show notes for lesson #66

Fun Friday: Hanging out at the sushi restaurant

mail@alexbrooke.com — Sat, 10 May 2008 03:59:00 GMT

This week's fun Friday comes from the conveyor belt sushi restaurant or Kaitenzushi. We sat and talked about various topics while stuffing our faces with delicious sushi. Some ginger slices and cups of green tea made it a fantastic meal. Enjoy!

Learn Japanese on Facebook

Fri, 2 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT

I have created a new community for Learn Japanese for all you Facebook fans. I think this will present a new opportunity for people into Japanese to hang out and exchange info and events. I hope you enjoy it. So please join the Learn Japanese Facebook community!

We also have the Learn Japanese Mixi community and don't forget to join the FORUMS!

Yoroshiku

Fun Friday: Hanging out in Odaiba

mail@alexbrooke.com — Thu, 1 May 2008 15:34:00 GMT

My brother Ben and I hung out on the man made beach in the port area of Odaiba in Tokyo. The weather was perfect as we watched the sun set and talked on subjects from magic karaoke pills to architecture in Japan and more.

Here is a list of links on the topics we covered
Japandra.blogspot.com
Provoice Karaoke pills
"Shutting out the sun" (book review)
Hikikomori
"Dave Barry Does Japan" (book review)
L'institut Franco-Japonaise
The Fuji building
Odaiba

Also, don't forget to check out our forums and our Facebook community.

The Loop line tour

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 08:23:00 GMT

Back in November 2005, El Gringo and myself did what they say shouldn't have been done. We rode around the Loop line in Osaka and made a movie of it. El Gringo has just finished editing the final episode, part 8 of 8. Viewers with a low threshold for naked flesh and immoral behavior should fast forward at the Intermission part of the movie.

See all 8 parts here on youtube:
Loopline on youtube

Alternatively you can download the episodes to your ipod from here:

Loopline on NFTOS

#65 Let's do lunch

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:16:00 GMT

Today Waka teaches us how to ask people to go out for lunch in Japanese.

#65 Show notes: Let's do lunch

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:30:00 GMT

Here are the lesson notes for show #65 in PDF form. This lesson is about talking about lunch in Japanese.

#64 It's a lie!

Wed, 9 Apr 2008 14:52:00 GMT

This week we study the word "uso". It means "lie" and that's the truth.

#64 Show notes It's a lie

Wed, 9 Apr 2008 14:08:00 GMT

Here are the show notes for lesson #64

Show notes fixed

Tue, 8 Apr 2008 11:29:00 GMT

For some reason the show notes for lesson #62 weren't working but they are up and working now. Just scroll down the page to find them or click here: Show#62 lesson notes

#63 No way, that's outrageous

Thu, 3 Apr 2008 14:07:00 GMT

In this Learn Japanese podcast we look at the phrase "tondemonai" which has various meanings depending on the context including "outrageous", "unthinkable" and "impossible".

Waka sensei was kind enough to research the various uses of this word and type up all the lesson notes for us. She also helped to record the podcast so in the end I paid her for her efforts in ramen.

Enjoy.

#63 Show notes

Thu, 3 Apr 2008 14:04:00 GMT

Here are the show notes for lesson #63

#62 to lend something

mail@alexbrooke.com — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:11:00 GMT

In this podcast, Waka sensei teaches us the various uses of the verb "KASU" to lend.

#62 show notes (to lend something)

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:08:00 GMT

Here are the show notes for lesson #62 which focuses on the verb Kasu (to lend)

Blogging

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 02:05:00 GMT

Find out about the latest J-madness on the learn Japanese blog here!

Learn Japanese Pod Blog

#61: Borrowing stuff

mail@alexbrooke.com — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:24:00 GMT

Waka sensei was kind enough to teach me Japanese outside on her sunny flower filled wooden deck. This week we studied the verb "Kariru" which means to borrow. This is a very useful word you can use in everyday conversation. Sorry about the noisy dog in the background.

#61 show notes

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:33:00 GMT

These are the show notes for lesson#61

Prapatang.com

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:49:00 GMT

I've just set up a new bi-lingual Social Networking site for Japanese and English speakers called Prapatang. The idea of this site to get people together for language exchanges and to learn a little about different cultures.

I noticed that there are a lot of people out there interested in Mixi but maybe don't have the skills to read all the Kanji contained. There are also a lot of Japanese people interested in meeting foreigners and practicing English.

The site is in BETA so it is a little buggy but it should be easy and fun to use. Why not check it out. Any comments and suggestions would be welcome.

So check it out: PRAPATANG.COM

White day

mail@alexbrooke.com — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 16:33:00 GMT

In this video, Beb tells us about the various intricacies of Valentine's day and White day in Japan. It's not just about buying a bunch of roses! Enjoy.

Fun Friday: Hanging out in Chiba again

mail@alexbrooke.com — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 09:09:00 GMT

I hung out with Waka sensei again, sipped tea on her beautiful deck and talked our heads off. First off we discussed some news stories including whalers missing their targets thanks to the efforts of the Sea Shepard and other anti whaling groups. Apparently by the end of March, the whalers will only have caught 500 or so whales well under their original quota of 900. We also briefly talked about the Tax dodging sisters who got busted for stashing an incredible $56 million in their garage.

We talked a little about retro Japanese games including Super Mario and about how I will be setting up a shop to sell Japanese goods abroad. Stay tuned for more info.

For useful links for improving your Japanese check out Freejapaneselessons.blogspot.com and boostyourjapanese.com

Finally we listened to some tracks from the hilarious show Sora mimi Awa (video). Viewers of the show submit songs in other languages that sound like they contain funny phrases or words in Japanese. Submissions tend to vary in quality but the good ones are hilarious including "Through the never "by Metallica. In the chorus James Hetfield sings "Twisting
Turning, Through the never". However, to Japanese people it sounds like "Sushi, Tori, Furo, Nero" or "Sushi, chicken, bath, sleep". This show never ceases to cause a few giggles.

Don't for get to check out:
THE FORUMS
THE NEWSLETTER

What's your favorite word? Revisted.

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 12:34:00 GMT

Your favorite podcast on Learn Japanese

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 12:20:00 GMT

Please help me out by voting for your favorite podcast on Learn Japanese. Remember there are videos, Japanese lessons and "Fun Fridays". Vote for your favorite type of podcast and then feel free to leave a comment on which number you liked the best. Any other constructive criticism would be wonderful.

SO VOTE NOW! It'll only take a minute!

Japan survey

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 15:07:00 GMT

What aspect of Japan are you interested in. Please take 30 seconds to finish our survey.

TAKE THE SURVEY !

Fun Friday: Hanging out in Chiba

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 11:03:00 GMT

Today, Waka sensei and myself hung out in Chiba and discussed various news topics including an incident involving a man in drag turning up at a high school and causing a small riot. Listen to hear more weird tales.

#60 It's obvious

mail@alexbrooke.com — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 03:08:00 GMT

Today Waka sensei teaches us about the word "ã?ã?ãã?ã?â? (atarimae) which has a few meanings including, obvious, of course and to take something for granted. This is quite a useful phrase that you will hear in daily conversation to express that a fact or answer to a question is obvious. It can also be used to express the idea of taking things for granted.

Resources:
Atarimae example sentences

Don't forget to check out the...
FORUMS
CHATROOM
BLOG

And you can sign up to our newsletter to keep you informed on the latest Japanese language resources and entertainment here

#60 Show notes

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 03:06:00 GMT

Here are the show notes for lesson #60

Fun Friday in Osaka castle park

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 12:56:00 GMT

Yes, yes, I know it's not Friday but I wanted to get this video out as soon as possible. In this video Beb and I talk about Rob and Makiko's wedding, music and other various things.

Enjoy

Fun Friday: Save the planet!

mail@alexbrooke.com — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 02:05:00 GMT

Welcome to Fun Friday, a podcast where we put away our text books, relax and talk about issues on Japan and studying Japanese. This week, Waka sensei and myself talked about Genetically Modified organisms, whaling and other environmental issues and how they affect Japan. I hope we didn't get to preachy for you and we are certainly not experts on environmental issues. I just hope this podcast could be act as a point of departure for your own research and conversations on the environment.

Here are some links to sites we talked about:

Letter to Simon Crean of the Australian Ministry of trade to ask him to stop GMOs being grown in Australia and being imported to Japan.
https://www.greenpeace.or.jp/ssl/gm/cyberaction/canola/?cyber

Greenpeace anti whaling campaign "Save Mr Splashy pants"

Campaign to stop Meiji using GMOs in their products.
http://www.greenpeace.or.jp/campaign/gm/cyberaction/meiji2

The Pinky Show explains What's wrong with GMOs.

And here are some useful vocabulary we used to talk about the environment:

çåããenvironment
ã?ãã??ãã?

é?ä?å?çã?æ?ã?ïäçï Genetically Modified (crops)
ã?ã?ãã?ã??ã?ã?ã?ïã?ã??ãã?ï

æ?é Whaling
ã?ã?ã?

Feel free to email us at mail[at]alexbrooke.com if you have any comments or responses to this.

Don't forget to join the forums
Our Facebook community
Hang out in the chat room
and the general blog

#59 It's Cold!

mail@alexbrooke.com — Thu, 7 Feb 2008 11:32:00 GMT

Hello again everyone and Learn Japanese Pod is back with a new free Japanese lesson podcast for your entertainment and edification. In this lesson Beb and I discussed the use of the word "åã?/ã?ãã?/samuiâ? or cold.

However, this word can also mean something is unfunny. Why? The idea is, when you hear a joke that is so bad, it sends shivers down your spine, hence "Samui!". So it's a great way to tell someone not to give up their day job.

Another word in Japanese that is used to describe something cold is "åã?ã?/ã?ã?ã?ã?/tsumetaiâ?. Like Samui, this means cold however it is used to describe objects and liquids. Samui is usually used just to talk about temperature. For example you can say "kyou wa samui" or today it is cold. However you say "kono koucha ga tsumetai" or this tea is cold. Another possible use is "ano hito wa tsumetai" or that person is cold. (Standoffish/distant/unfriendly)

Check out the show notes below for a full explanation and other examples. Also check out the Learn Japanese Pod Blog for general news and on Japan and Japanese lessons. And of course listen to the podcast!

YOROSHIKU ONEGAISHIMASU

Also, don't forget to join the forums to ask your questions about Japan and join the growing community.

#59 Show notes

Thu, 7 Feb 2008 11:24:00 GMT

Here are the show notes for lesson #59. Enjoy!

What can I do to save the whales?

Mon, 4 Feb 2008 13:37:00 GMT

Learn Japanese Pod is joining the campaign to save Mr Splashy Pants.
Find out how to save him and his whale friends from those nasty Japanese whalers!

HELP MR SPLASHY PANTS!

Fun Friday: Japanese TV shows

mail@alexbrooke.com — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:16:00 GMT

Welcome to Fun Friday, a chance for us to put away our text books and talk about all things Japanese. This week Waka sensei and myself talked about various finds on the internet and TV that I have found helpful for studying Japanese. First off is "The World Of Golden Eggs". It is a hilarious anime with English subtitles I found on the internet and that really helped me with my Japanese.

After that we talked about Matsumoto's suberanai hanashi. Suberanai Hanashi basically translates as funny stories. In this program, Matsumoto, the famous Japanese comedian, gathers together some of his friends to spin some humourous yarns. Pretty hard stuff if you don't have Waka sensei to help you out. Finally we checked out the horror that is Japanesebugfights.com

Links from the show:
1) The World of Golden Eggs
2) Matsumoto's Suberanai hanashi
3) Japanesebugfights.com
4) Learn Japanese pod Facebook community. Osaka beats Tokyo hands down community.

Don't forget to join the forums and check out the chat room and blog.

An apology for the sound which occasionally skipped. Gomen. I think we should have that problem fixed for next time.

Fun Friday: On the Shinkansen

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 23:16:00 GMT

I made this video just for fun and as a reminder of the many hours I have spent looking out of the Shinkansen at the countryside gliding past. I must have used it close to a hundred times commuting between Tokyo, Osaka and sometimes Fukuoka for work. It's clean, fast, on time and generally quite a smooth experience. However for some reason there always seems to be a competition between the pensioners as to who can eat the weirdest and most stinky bento. One old man opens his bento box with an expression on his face that seems to say "behold, sliced boiled eggs and crunchy fishy snacks". And then another old lady will open her bento "dried stinky squid, I win!". It is usually better to bring your own food on the Shinkansen on a long journey. Although the food isn't bad, it is expensive and if I wanted to burn money when I ate out I'd live in London. The thing I love about traveling on Japanese trains is that speaking on the phone is considered rude. Oh, the times I've had to endure idiots on buses in America and wankers on the tube in London screaming down their phone things like "I'm on the train...no...I SAID I'M ON THE TRAIN". The Shinkansen also has quiet cars where phones have to be switched off completely. The other great thing is you can drink alcohol on the train. So phones are out and getting completely pissed is in. The Shinkansen started running in 1964 in time for the Tokyo Olympics and hasn't had a single fatality due to collisions, derailments, typhoons or even earthquakes. There was one fatality when a child got caught in one of the doors and there are jumpers too but it is a safe train. Top potential speeds of the Shinkansen would be 443 kph set by the Class 955 (300X) test train but general operation speeds are around 300 kph so I believe the TGV in France is actually faster. If you want to know more nerdy stuff about the Shinkansen you can go here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinkansen Enjoy the video. The music in the video is "Muziqawi Silt" by the "Wallias Band". I chose the music because of the driving beat and the pentatonic melody slightly reminiscent of Japanese music. Here's to Ethiopian jazz.

Vlogs on Japan

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:30:00 GMT

If you want to know more about life in Japan, youtube is a good resource. There are more and more foreigners living in Japan and making some pretty entertaining and informational videos that are worth checking out. So I made a video showing three people I subscribe to youtube under the life in Japan umbrella.

They include:

atomicboyx

discount sausage

Tokyocooney

You can also find my youtube videos here

On the Dotonbori bridge with Wes

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 13:56:00 GMT

Here's a little video of Wes and myself on the Dotonbori bridge in Shinsaibashi in Osaka. We were contemplating bridge jumpers, the Hanshin tigers and people in cute hats.

Live on the radio tonight

Wed, 9 Jan 2008 18:29:00 GMT

Tonight I'm appearing on Head Stand, a program hosted by my good friend Patrick Widdess on 209 radio in Cambridge in the UK. Headstand features an eclectic selection of music, poetry and conversation with guests every show. You can listen to the show live today 9th January 2008 from 10pm to 12am GMT. Click on the following link to stream live or download the podcast later. http://www.209radio.co.uk/shows/profile.php?show=headstand I'll also be videoing the show and hope to put the results up here soon. Keep posted.

Complex Kanji

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 10:22:00 GMT

Learn Japanese has been a little quiet as of late but for the mean time here is a small article I wrote on some of the most complex kanji in Japanese.

Complex Kanji

Cycling in Osaka

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 08:49:00 GMT

I've changed the address of my personal blog to:

http://learnjapanesepod.com/newblog/

The latest post is about how cycling is the best way to get around Osaka.

Cycling in Osaka

Yoroshiku

What Japan is thinking about

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 02:45:00 GMT

This is just a little plug for my personal blog. I did a search on Google zeitgeist to see what searches Japanese people were making.

Here are the results.

CLICKY!

I hope to be doing some new podcasts soon so sorry for a small gap in podcasts.

Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level 1 video

Sat, 1 Dec 2007 10:26:00 GMT

Three posts in one day? Is it a record? Well here is the last video for you for the level 1 Japanese Language Proficiency Test.

Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level 2 video

Sat, 1 Dec 2007 03:20:00 GMT

Here is the level 2 Japanese Language Proficiency Test crammer video. Again, this is just for fun and to help you in a small way towards passing your test.

Good luck!

Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level 3 video

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 10:16:00 GMT

The Japanese Language Proficiency Test is almost upon us so I thought I would do a fun video for you last minute crammers. The video contains 10 kanji that often appear in the level 3 JLPT and I have added a few example sentences so you know how to use them.

A big shout out to Wes who researched and chose the Kanji for the video. I'll be coming out with a level 2 and level 1 video very soon.

Enjoy!

Lesson #58: Just cut it out will you?

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 05:10:00 GMT

I got together with Beb and studied how to tell someone to cut it out in Japanese. We had a look a standard and kansai dialects and learned a few more useful phrases along the way. Some of these phrases can be a little frank so be careful when using them.

lesson notes

Lesson #58 show notes

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 04:46:00 GMT

Here are the show notes for lesson #58

All show notes are here

News from the other side talk show #40

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:49:00 GMT

OK this is late and it isn't the Learn Japanese podcast but "News from the other side", a podcast I help my friend Rob out with every now and then. I thought I'd include it here in this blog because we did a kanji of the day section. I hope you enjoy it. Yoropiku Oh and the kanji of the day was... é?ãwhich means heavy.

If you liked that you can also check out talk show #42 This show had an extra special helping of random streams of consciousness and nonsense. But it was fun to make and we did include some kanji for you students of Japanese. Enjoy.

Alex's blog

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 13:51:00 GMT

I thought I would put a link to my personal blog just for those of you who are interested. I talk about what I have been doing recently including my various music and internet projects. I thought I would keep it separate from the Libsyn blog here because it is not all strictly Japanese.

You can either click on the link at the top or HERE!

The next Learn Japanese Pod show will be posted this Wednesday with the lovely Beb chan! I also hope to be getting out a video for Fun Friday amazingly enough on...well...Friday.

Yoroshiku very much !

Fun Friday with DJ Wes (Whaling and fingerprinting)

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 07:46:00 GMT

I caught up with DJ Wes and we talk about various things including whaling, fingerprinting and other Japan related topics.

Enjoy

#57 shownotes

Thu, 22 Nov 2007 02:11:00 GMT

#57 Self introductions in Japanese

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:11:00 GMT

After a long absence Beb is back to teach us how to give an extended self introduction in Japanese. These introductions can be used for introducing yourself to groups of people for example when starting a new job or beginning a Japanese class.

#57 lesson notes

Here is a compilation of all the self introduction lessons and videos we have posted previously. I thought it would be useful to group them together.

Lesson 54
Read: http://japanese.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=270135
Direct download: http://media.libsyn.com/media/japanese/lj54.mp3

Makiko self introduction
Read: http://japanese.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=88248
Video: http://media.libsyn.com/media/japanese/jikoshoukai.m4v

Buy Beb's music

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 07:19:00 GMT

If you like this podcast then why not show your appreciation by buying Beb's sexy single ? It costs $3 and we will throw in an extra mysterious Karaoke track and the theme music to this podcast. So please buy her track so Beb can be a famous J Pop star and eat ! This will also help us with various internet/bandwidth costs. Yoroshiku very much !

Fun Friday: Awa odori

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 15:49:00 GMT

This is a video of the Awa dance native to Tokushima prefecture. It is performed every summer at the same time as the Bon festival and it's roots go back to 1587 when the Daimyo of Awa province, Lord Hachisuka Iemasa opened Tokushima castle. The celebrations got a little out of hand but were so much fun they decided to do it again every year with the dance moves reflecting the drunken stumbling festival goers. The dance is performed with Shamisen, flutes and drums.

When I saw it, I was struck by the trance like nature of the rhythm and melody. Now imagine that on one too many cups of Sake. It was all good fun and a really fulfilling cultural experience.

A big shout out to Jarrod who filmed and designed the opening titles.

Enjoy...

Fun Friday with Wes

mail@alexbrooke.com — Fri, 9 Nov 2007 05:00:00 GMT

It's been a long time but I got in touch with D.J Wes who has just got out of hospital. Waka sensei and I talked to him about open heart surgery and hospitals in Japan and his upcoming Japanese Language Proficiency test amongst other things.

Waka and I wish Wes a speedy recovery and success in taking the level one JLPT !

Ganbatte Wes !

Enjoy

#56 Saving Energy

Thu, 8 Nov 2007 10:03:00 GMT

Holy energy saving lightbulbs ! It's lesson #56 with Waka sensei and myself Alex to give you a lesson in saving energy in Japan although it can't be said it happens much here. Maybe they are as bad as everyone else. But don't give up friends, the polar bears are counting on us.

We also talked a little about the Japanese homes, double glazing and the death of the Nova Bunny. Quite a mixed bag this week.

So sit back, relax and enjoy the podcast.

#56 Lesson notes

About us...

Thu, 8 Nov 2007 03:31:00 GMT

Check out our new profile page @:

http://learnjapanesepod.com/profile/

Quiz time

Sat, 3 Nov 2007 23:07:00 GMT

Particle quiz

Flash Quiz

Fri, 2 Nov 2007 12:51:00 GMT

Check out this new flash quiz I have made for you clever Japanese students. It's just a basic quiz but I hope to be making new sexier quizzes soon.

Yoroshiku.

#55: Basic questions in Japanese

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 07:49:00 GMT

In this week's lesson we study some basic questions in Japanese. These are typical questions you might be asked when meeting someone for the first time in Japan. Therefore I hope you will find these very practical.

Links:
Lesson #55 lesson notes

All lesson notes

Panic living #43 by El Gringo

Mundo Popular Don't forget to check out the Forums and the live chat page

Lesson #54 Self introductions

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 23:03:00 GMT

I wanted to get back to basics so I asked Waka to teach me some basic introductions in Japanese. I think this is a very useful structure you will use again and again. Enjoy !

Show notes: http://learnjapanesepod.com.lessonnotes/show54.pdf

New chat room

Sat, 20 Oct 2007 12:20:00 GMT

We have just installed a new chat room. I'll probably be using this to keep in touch with listeners when we do a live show. Feel free to log in anytime and chat away.

http://learnjapanesepod.com/chat/

Fun Friday: Studying Japanese

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 06:26:00 GMT

Transcript for Fun Friday for 19th October 2007

I recorded a conversation with Rob last week at L'Institut Franco-Japonaise Iidabashi in Tokyo. I was initially intending to talk about the focus of this podcast and how to organize it. Ironically we lost our focus and ability to organize, at least, my thoughts and the conversation went off on various tangents. However, I thought there were som e good points raised. Those points included what to teach students of Japanese, how people study languages, what kind of people study Japanese and our own experiences of learning the language.

I decided to record and transcribe this conversation since I thought there might be some helpful hints or perhaps new perspectives for students of Japanese to discover. So here it is. Rob and I talking about Japanese amongst other things.

Rob: I was saying that rather focusing on a particular level of Japanese you should you should focus on useful Japanese and again not just useful conversational Japanese but since you are working with not just audio but also video and using internet you can upload photos and stuff like that. It just makes sense to focus on the visual.

Alex: The stuff that you're in contact with everyday

Rob: Yeah, but things thats that people would encounter the minute they get off the boat. But a second reason is I think that the way people learn Japanese and the types of...I guess what draws certain people to Japanese...I don't know if it's personality type or what but Japanese is a much more visual language than other languages. Of course all modern languages...my point was that for me, all of my languages have been very conversational, not to say that I didn't read them because reading really helped but I never reached that point where I would was like OK I can't read this

Alex: Recently I've been thinking of how I should, what I should focus on in terms of teaching Japanese and what to include on the site. Before I was thinking I'm going to split it into beginner, intermediate and advanced Japanese but I'm only one person, I'm also just doing this for fun.

Rob: But there's an error if you're dividing any language up by a level because that's not how it works. It doesn't function on levels, like you get it all at once. Yeah and what's useful. And so conversational... what's useful is gonna be "where's the toilet? Can I have a beer please?"

Alex: Opening an onigiri

Rob: And written is going to be like "Don't go beyond this point" "Don't park your bicycle here" "No shoes, no shirt, no service" that kind of thing.

Alex: And that, that sometimes is like quote unquote difficult Japanese. That Kanji in a classic text book would divide it from...going from a "beginner" to increasingly more complex Japanese. That kanji that you need to know for signs that are outside your front door would be difficult and you wouldn't learn that for ages.

Rob: Well that's the fundamental flaw of dividing a language up in levels it's got nothing to do with levels. It's got to do with...in the sense of Japanese you need to learn whatever comes first...You're thinking about one thing and that's the teaching itself and I'm thinking of...I'm on a slightly different train of thought which is about what kind of a language Japanese is.

Alex: Go for it

Rob: And I think that whereas to be fluent in any language, of course that involves opening your mouth and communication involves...when you're a child as you're growing up acquiring a first language you start with listening and speaking although the visual cues are there from the beginning. It's not reading but it's like you're connecting words to some...to an object but I think that in Japanese, I think, the part of Japanese I think that intrigues a lot of people is the visual part.

Alex: Right

Rob: Right ?

Alex: And it's a visual country isn't it?

Rob: I think there's a really clear connection between Manga and Anime and people who are into it and the whole cosplay thing and it's a very, very visual language, I think. And therefore I'm always surprised at how many people are really into studying their kanji.

Alex: I was like that when I first came to Japan.

Rob: That's what I'm saying, you connected with that part. I only connected with it in the sense that "wow, I wonder if I could ever get to the point where I could read this language someday". Listening to it, I was like "this makes sense, this is easy".

Alex: You came to it through a more conversational practical angle. I came to Japanese through a very academic visual kind if literary way.

Rob: In the beginning I was interested in the writing. I definitely am not into the sound or the rhythm of the language. I much prefer Spanish, Portuguese or French for speaking and the way it sounds. Like I'm really not into the way Japanese sounds the same way with German. I'm just not into the way German sounds.

Alex: I'm into the way Japanese sounds simply more for the exoticness of it the fact that it isn't related to European languages at all.

Rob: But I think if you were going for the sound, I think, you for Asian languages, Thai or Vietnamese or Chinese sounds more exotic to me. Japanese, the vowel consonant vowel thing sounds like Spanish or Italian to me without the Latin blood.

Alex: I see two different trajectories through the way we've studied Japanese. I think you came to Japanese "Right, let's meet people, let's communicate" which is actually I think the best way to do it. I came through...I came to Japanese in more of an academic nerdy way. I was Mr Kanji King, I would sit down everyday, I would learn a hundred kanji a week, you know and we had these kanji contests. And what that meant was that for me, my Japanese was very academic. I could reel off these really nice sounding textbook Japanese phrases...that Japanese people "Oh you know so and so author or whatever..." But then take me to an Izakaya and my Japanese would kind of break down whereas you...

Rob: That was my starting point.

Alex: Yeah that was your starting point. And so for the longest time I had this really "good vocabulary" Like I knew äå?ååãpopulation density and I could order a beer in a bar but there was loads of like really "simple vocabulary" that I just didn't know. A lot of really simple stuff. And actually I find my Japanese...I've learned it the wrong way round, I started with all the difficult stuff first and now I'm actually starting to learn loads of easy stuff, you know...easy everyday stuff that most Japanese people learn. So my Japanese studies have been a bit bizarre.

Rob: By the time I got to Japan, I was 27 I think and I was done studying anything. If I do it, it's because I'm having fun and it's interesting and no pressure. Actually, when I studied French, I had no pressure on me because I was already trilingual. I was like, you know what, if I don't get this French thing who cares ? Like France is nothing special. Well you know it's like the whole mystique of Japan fades away after a couple of years of becoming more or less fluent and being able to read and write a little. And it was the same way with France. It was like the mystique was gone after two months of, oh they have swear words too, you know, it's like, all off a sudden it's not such a beautiful sexy language when you realize, what they're saying is not really that profound.

Alex: One thing I've found, especially with mass media in Japan is that there is always less than meets the eye. And you study Japanese for ages and ages and one of my goals was I wanna...I want to understand the news. And actually that's not so hard because they're using repeating phrases again and again like it doesn't take that long to understand the weather forecast 'cos it's textbook NHK. But then my next one was like OK now I want to understand comedians and that is hard. Because it's you know they're using slang, and colloquialisms and stuff like that but when you start to understand what they're saying it's like, that's all they're talking about ? That's it ? You know ? So it's always less than meets the eye.

OK well, I'll cut it off there seeing as we really did start to side track and talk about bike racing and Italy. But I hope you got some interesting and hopefully useful perspectives on learning Japanese. In conclusion I guess there is no single way to study Japanese. We all learn differently and in different circumstances for example learning in a pub verses doing an academic university course. Japanese is quite a visual language and it's great if you want to study kanji but I wished I had spent a little less time in kanji books and more in pubs or in the street at least for my spoken Japanese. Try not to focus too much on levels of difficulty and try to learn what you need as it turns up in everyday life. Maybe that advice is obvious but I hadn't really worked that out when I first came to Japan. Just think about all the Japanese you would learn passively in the street, reading signs, listening to conversations etc.

Well that's it for now, I hope that helped some of you out there.

Be sure to check out the forums at learnjapanesepod.com/forum and register on the main site to get access to lessons and the newsletter that will be sent out about twice a month.

ææèéåã?ã?ã??ã?ã?ã?ãã?ã?ã?ã?æåãã

#53: Using an electronic Japanese menu

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 15:25:00 GMT

Why bother to learn Kanji when you can just use pictures ? In more and more restaurants today in Japan you can order food using portable electronic menus. The menu is an A4 touch screen device that sits on a charger on the table and can also be detached and hand held. It's quite a sturdy piece of electronics that looks like it can handle a few splashes of beer or yakiniku sauce. The screen has an easy to navigate user interface with pictures and various menus for you to touch and order. Once you have selected your food you can touch the confirm promt and it will send a relay to the kitchen for your food to be prepared and served to you. It's an ingenious system that must save a lot of time and labour although you will need to read a little Japanese to use it. Here is a list of the basic kanji you will need to navigate around the menu.

ææïã?ãã?ããïOrder
ææçè?ïã?ãã?ããã?ã??ã?ãïConfirm your order
èïã?ã??ïMeat
éïã?ã?ã?ïFish
è?ïã?ã?ïVegetables
æ?ïã?ã?ïFried food
éïã?ã?ïDrinks
ããããïDessert

I was going to release this video as a Fun Friday episode but I thought why wait. Check it out.

Don't forget to join the forums
Also you can get the newsletter by registering on the main site

Fun Friday: How to eat an Onigiri

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 14:49:00 GMT

Rob and Alex show you how to open an Onigiri packet. The onigiri is a rice ball wrapped in seaweed which is very popular in Japan. It comes in a variety of flavours including plum, tuna, salmon to name a few. They are cheap and delicious but opening the packaging can be a little confusing especially if you can't read the instructions on the packaging.

I hope this video saves someone in an onigiri crisis...

Subscribe to the newsletter

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 14:40:00 GMT

Subscribe to the new newsletter to get the latest information on podcasts, Japanese study tips and web resources.

You can now join the news letter from the main site HERE

(You can register in the bottom left corner)

#52: Ippai

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 03:49:00 GMT

In this week's lesson, Beb teaches us how to use the word "Ippai". Listen to the conversations and example sentences to get an idea of how to use this word.

Don't forget to join the forums

And sign up for the newsletter here

#52 Lesson notes

All lesson notes

New site up

Mon, 8 Oct 2007 13:33:00 GMT

Yet again we have a new main site up at Learnjapanesepod.com
I have played around with quite a few designs but this one is the most interactive and content packed. I will continue to update it.

Hope you like it.