Japanese Hobby: Culture

JALUP flashcards, the best thing since Genki

<div> 
 I recently discovered the website Japanese level up by a guy named Adam. It has been around for a few years but I never gave it the attention it deserved. Which really was a mistake. Apart from lots of motivational articles and road lines on what to expect of your Japanese studies (which are a little hit and miss) he did some fantastic flashcards for learning Japanese.
Each level (beginner, intermediate, expert, master) consists of 1000 cards. And after the beginner level, each card is entirely in Japanese. I haven’t encountered that J-J approach for learning new vocab in any other pack before. Sure, it’s heavily inspired by the website All-Japanese-all-the-time but to make professional, voiced cards in J-J available is a novum for me.
Starting from the ground up each flashcard is introducing one new item that you learn and only consists of previously learned items otherwise.
That way you always know that you need to be fully able to understand each part of a card. Regardless if it’s about grammar or vocab. I’m currently starting from scratch again and bought the beginner pack. Through iTunes. I have been searching for an “effortless” way to brush up on my Japanese. Something that allows me to have a daily study routine on the side that isn’t very time-consuming but still effective and versatile. It’s difficult to find something like that. It’s either just vocab or just grammar or just Kanji.
What Adam’s cards are doing so right is that mix of grammar and vocab. And his approach to teaching real-life Japanese. Not just the polite basics and short forms that you find everywhere but a little “slang” in between. And the great part is that you can just “touch” each part of a sentence to directly go to the card where you learned that specific item. Be it a gramaticall term or vocab.
Everything you learn, you learn as part of a whole sentence. And everything you learn is practical Japanese. Stuff you actually will encounter again.
Apart from using the cards themselves with a build in SRS, there are also stories available and the function to listen to all the cards you learned. I’m always thinking that when I finally have a car of my own (ideally with Carplay) I can just start the app and listen to all the stuff I went through on my daily commute. Ok, I could do this on my daily commute by bike as well but I’d rather stick to my podcasts for now.
Adam launched his new iOS / Android Apps last summer, which are fully voiced (with a very lovely Japanese voice as well). It all started with pre-made Anki decks but the new App versions (after a little intermezzo with an online version called JALUP-Next) are much more convenient.
I really love these cards, they are just so well made and definitely worth the price, which is a little steep (130€ for a 1000 cards). But they are pure quality and alongside <a href="https://www.japanesetease.net/how-i-learn-japanese-my-essentials/">Genki</a> (which is still great to have for the grammar taught in the decks) it’s a perfect pair. The grammar points introduced in the beginner deck are even more or less in the same order as in the Genki textbooks so you can easily get a more in-depth explanation if you need one (of course there are countless online resources but I still think nothing beats a good textbook as a resource).
So here comes my suggestion: 
Go through the JALUP beginner deck and make yourself notes for each grammar point that you’re struggling with or which just is a tad too complex to be grasped from the flashcard alone. Practice it with the flashcard of the beginner deck but make sure to just get a little more background knowledge with Genki.
<h3>What I always recommend: Take notes for yourself.</h3>
Write the key points down for yourself in your own words and maybe even include a picture/screenshot/scan from the resource that helped you to understand it in the first place. That way you’re building a near little reference book for yourself and you’ll be learning much much faster. At least for me, it’s the worth the effort.
The App I’m currently using for note taking:
I’m using <a href="https://agenda.com/">Agenda</a>, a wonderfully designed note-taking app for iOS and OSX. There is always <a href="https://bear.app/">Bear</a> and the built-in Apple Notes App (I can always only speak for the Apple eco-system, sorry) but Agenda has been my go-to notes App since October.
It looks amazing, it allows you to make beautiful lists and the styling with different paragraphs and finally the ability to include images makes it the perfect tool for me. After all, it doesn’t hurt that the styling is heavily inspired by <a href="https://culturedcode.com/things/">Things</a> (another App I really love for my daily workflow and really helps me to focus on the things that matter).
In the end, it doesn’t matter what you use the only thing that counts is that you’re taking notes for yourself. Not for everything and just a few words and maybe a picture of the example sentences or the conjugation are more than enough. That way you can quickly look things up in a very comprised and effective way.

Just head over to Adam’s website <a href="https://japaneselevelup.com/item-store/">Japanese-level-up</a> or just download the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/jalup/id1381152695?mt=8">App</a> and give it a try. The first 100 cards of each deck are free and should give you a pretty good idea what the whole system is all about.
It’s how everything started for me as well and after finishing the first bunch I decided to take to plunge and just invest in my Japanese. I know 130€ is steep, I was struggling as well, but these cards are really so well made and efficient that they are worth every penny. And when do you have the possibility to directly get in touch with the author of your textbook?
Like always please let me know your thoughts in the comments. Would love to hear from JALUP veterans and their journey.
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JALUP flashcards, the best thing since Genki

I recently discovered the website Japanese level up by a guy named Adam. It has been around for a few year...

Is Wanikani worth the effort for learning Kanji? A re-evaluation

<div> 
 Learning Japanese is a time-intensive task and you often have to re-evaluate where you want to focus on. Do you want to improve your conversational skills, build a good vocab foundation or work on your reading skills and Kanji knowledge. I’ve written about <a href="https://www.japanesetease.net/getting-back-learning-japanese-wanikani/">WaniKani</a> on more than a few instances and use it since 2012. It’s even part of my <a href="https://www.japanesetease.net/how-i-learn-japanese-my-essentials/">Japanese self-study guide</a>. But lately, I began to question the website and their way of teaching the Kanji.
Everything began with WaniKani’s introduction of new radicals. For those who don’t know: A Kanji is made up out of several (or just one) little symbols. You think about a fitting image for each radical and make a story for yourself that you can easily relate to. The further you go the more complex are the Kanji you’re learning and the stories as well.
The whole idea with that radical approach isn’t new and was first introduced by James Heisig’s fantastic book “Remembering the Kanji”. The one I actually started with myself. Just that book and my Anki deck. WaniKani is doing everything for you. The radical names, the stories and because everybody has such a different background I never really liked most of their radical names. And that’s where the convenience of WaniKani becomes a problem.
I don’t like their radical names. You can always change the stories about each Kanji and just write them as a little note under each card but you can’t change the radical names. And even writing your own stories on the note section is not really convenient because it’s just barely visible when doing your reviews. And it’s not intended to be used like this as well. I may work for many but it didn’t really work for me because the stories just became more and more abstruse the further I came.
Now on to the second problem: The time it takes to finish WaniKani. Like I previously wrote you have to be wary about how you spend your study time. You can’t do everything at once and of course, you want to see some results. If you don’t have the feeling of making real progress you’ll quickly lose interest and will probably quit.
Good things take time and it’s always better to study slowly and consistently instead of just rushing through the content. But WaniKani is taking hours over hours to teach you words which you probably won’t use. And when you actually encounter them in the wild you’ll probably have more than a few instances where you can remember the basic meaning you learned but it just doesn’t make any sense in that sentence.

<h3>My problems with WaniKani</h3>
WaniKani is full of Japanese vocab consisting of the newly taught Kanji. A good idea so that you can instantly practice what you just learned.
But how useful is learning vocabulary out of context? Not very much in my opinion. Yes, WaniKani has some sample sentences in the notes but I would really prefer to learn whole sentences instead. Or maybe an idea: Be presented with a whole sentence and you just have to input (that’s how WK works) the underlined word.
The vocab you learn is not always the most useful. Its main purpose is to improve your Kanji reading so that you can instantly use that newly learned Kanji and put your reading skills to the test. And while you’re at it you can learn the different readings as well. But never forget that this is all part of your study time. Which is limited. So maybe doing the Heisig approach where you just learn a meaning for each Kanji so that you can safely recognize it and in a second step when you’re studying vocab you learn the readings automatically.
After spending a good amount of time with WaniKani I have a few problems with it:
<ul>
<li>
<ul>
<li> You need lots of time because you’re learning lots of Kanji and even more vocab of dubious practicality (which is more or less intended, I know).</li>
<li>The second quarrel is with their whole system: It works for many, yes, but I still think that making your own radicals and stories is the way to go. Because of triceratops, grain and yeah geoduck.</li>
<li>And the third one about time: I feel their SRS intervals are too intense. Something like 4h, 8h 23h, 47h. Answering the same item correctly four times in a row until you hit a two-day space.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
Tofugu is a great website and taking the idea behind Remembering the Kanji and wrapping it up into a neat little pre-made package for the Internet-generation was a great idea. But for someone who has to be time efficient it’s not the best choice.
There is just way too much filler around your core incentive. Which is to learn the Kanji. I’m not working with a computer and my work days don’t allow me to check WaniKani in between. I need something which allows me to just study for 20 minutes in the morning with a coffee next to me and maybe dedicate a few minutes in the evening as well. But that has to be enough.
<h3>What I’ll do after graduating in the summer</h3>
I’ll start with Heisig’s Remembering the Kanji again. That book I bought 7 years ago and a new Anki deck. I want to start fresh, from the ground up. With my own mnemonics and stories. Maybe I’ll use it alongside The Kodansha Kanji Learner’s Course which is another great way to learn the Kanji and is offering example sentences as well (which really is a must). More about all that in the summer when I’ll start again from scratch but I know for sure that WaniKani is just not perfect for me.
I want a simple approach where I’m making all the cards myself Just checking the deck each morning and then be finished with it. No silly vocab but real-world immersion afterward. With a manga here and there, Japanese magazines, <a href="https://www.japanesetease.net/my-favorite-podcasts-to-listen-to-for-learning-japanese/">Japanese podcasts</a>, and Twitter accounts.
What’s your approach to learning Kanji? I know not everybody is using WaniKani and I’d love to get some tips. Maybe there are even some great pre-made Anki decks which you can then customize to your liking. 
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Is Wanikani worth the effort for learning Kanji? A re-evaluation

Learning Japanese is a time-intensive task and you often have to re-evaluate where you want to focus on. D...

Posts from March 2019

to ii といい means literally "if [something then] good." It's used to say something would be good if it happened, or if it were....

Posts from February 2019

<div>kakkou 格好 means the "appearance" of something, but in the sense of "how it looks" to you or to other people. In anime, it's often used to talk about how someone is dressed, specially if it's a weird outfit. 
 
The word kakkou can also mean the "state," "situation" something is in when qualified by an adjective, and it can mean "suitable" when turned into an adjective. Sometimes, it's abbreviated to <a></a> 
 

Manga: Gabriel DropOut, Gavuriiru Doroppuauto ガヴリールドロップアウト (Chapter 20)
 

In Japanese,格好 means the "appearance" of something, but in the sense of "how it looks" to you or to other people. In anime, it's often used to talk about how someone is dressed, specially if it's a weird outfit.The wordcan also mean the "state," "situation" something is in when qualified by an adjective, and it can mean "suitable" when turned into an adjective. Sometimes, it's abbreviated to <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2016/11/kakko-meaning.html">kakko カッコ</a> </div>

Posts from February 2019

kakkou 格好 means the "appearance" of something, but in the sense of "how it looks" to you or to other people. In anime, ...

Posts from January 2019

<div>warui 悪い would be literally "bad." It's an <a></a>warui and its inflections have other meanings and usage, like to say "sorry," to say somebody is at "fault," to ask what's "wrong" about something, and so on. 
 
Since it can be pretty hard to tell which meaning exactly you're facing in any given phrase, I recommend you to read the whole article to familiarize yourself with all the ways warui can be used, rather than just reading a few sections. 
 

In Japanese, meaning of悪い would be literally "bad." It's an <a href="https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/10/i-adjectives.html">i-adjective</a> . Note, however, that a lot of timesand its inflections have other meanings and usage, like to say "sorry," to say somebody is at "fault," to ask what's "wrong" about something, and so on.Since it can be pretty hard to tell which meaning exactly you're facing in any given phrase, I recommend you to read the whole article to familiarize yourself with all the wayscan be used, rather than just reading a few sections.</div>

Posts from January 2019

warui 悪い would be literally "bad." It's an warui and its inflections have other meanings and usage, like to say "sorry,...

Posts from December 2018

naide ないで is a phrase created from the auxiliary adjective de で. It has a number of different functions, the most common one being to ask ...

Posts from November 2018

na -adjectives are words that are usually turned into attributive adjectives by adding a na な after them. Some na -adjectives are always cl...

How to stay motivated to learn Japanese

<div> 
 The biggest obstacle when trying to learn Japanese or trying to learn anything is motivation. I know it sounds obvious that you need the proper motivation to achieve something. But in reality, we always find a good reason to stop. To stop learning, to stop going for a three-weekly run, going to the gym or meditating daily (what I’m trying to do with the <a href="https://www.headspace.com/">headspace</a> app but more on that later). No matter what it is, if you want to be successful in doing it you need to be consistent and have the willpower and devotion to pull through. To make it short, you always have the time, you just need the right motivation to use it properly.
I’m an iOS user (which you probably noticed as a long time reader) and have been using an app called <a href="https://inthemoment.io/">Moment</a> for almost a year now. Unfortunately, they don’t have an Android version available as of now (but there may be some alternatives I’m not aware of, please share them if you know something). What this app does is basically giving you an overview of the time spent on your device. I’m using it on my phone and my tablet. I’m using the latter one a lot for my studies as well so 1k hours a year with my iPad isn’t as scary as it sounds. You can set up push notifications which remind you every 15,30,45 minutes (and so on) that you’re using your phone. You can even set a total time limit for each day.
What Moment does is giving you an overview of the whole time you’re practically wasting on your phone. Time spent browsing pictures on Instagram, writing endless chats with friends and reading Japanese Tease. So all in all time not well spent. I always notice this during my holidays when I’m away and practically don’t use my phone at all. I’m not missing anything. If there is something to talk about I just make a short call. All the social media nonsense is practically always wasted time and a quick look into the news is day is more than sufficient to get the gist of what’s going on in the world.
<h4>What to make with all the newfound time?</h4>
Every week I get a push notification from Moment with my statistic and time spent on my phone. It’s usually something around 10 hours. That’s nearly 90 minutes a day. Not counting my iPad time, mind you.
And now I’m the one telling myself that I don’t have 15 minutes a day to spend on my Japanese studies. I know it’s ridiculous. The time is obviously there but I choose to spend it otherwise. And it’s just because I clearly lack the motivation that keeps my studying each day no matter what.
Wanting to read manga in Japanese or watching Anime is just not enough to keep you studying regularly. You need something bigger to keep you motivated and on top of your Japanese studies. After all not finding the time is clearly not the reason why we stopped studying. The time is there only the motivation is lacking.
<h4>Dig deep and think about the reasons that made you start studying in the first place</h4>
Always remind yourself about your key motivation. The one that finally pushed you to buy Genki and make a subscription to WaniKani. What was the one thing you wanted to accomplish with learning that new language. Get this reason straight for yourself.
I know it sounds like all these new-age learning techniques but having a clear goal present is the best motivational tool one can have.  At first, learning Japanese will be a breeze and you can’t imagine a slowdown. But after a couple of weeks, you’ll notice things slowing down significantly. With life getting in the way and all your other responsibilities pushing down on you.
This is the time when you need that reason, that reminder why you started out in the first place.
<h4>The problem with high difficulty spikes</h4>
You don’t want to read <a href="https://www.japanesetease.net/japanese-graded-readers/">Japanese Graded Readers</a> forever no matter how charming and rewarding these can be in the beginning. The goal would be to enjoy things in Japanese that you can’t find anywhere else. I was pretty bad in my English classes but when I started to watch films in English (with English subtitles) things picked up rapidly for me.
Because I had a reason to stay invested in the language. Watching films where I just couldn’t find a German release for (and this was long before getting into the Criterion Collection) helped me to surround myself with English and ultimately helped me a lot to learn and enjoy the language.
The problem with Japanese is that this is kind of immersion is not really possible in the early stages. And the early stages are not just a few when trying to learn Japanese. What I can recommend though is following a few Japanese accounts on Twitter or Instagram. The texts are short and manageable and it’s nice to read some real-world stuff you actually care about and is not too overwhelming.
If you don’t understand something, just scroll down. If you really want to get into it and conquer that sentence that just didn’t make any sense, you can do it. The length of the texts is manageable and with that, you can also decipher it (if necessary) in a short period of time. Just a little Japanese quickie in between your normal life.

What are you doing to stay immersed in Japanese and what are your tips to stay motivated? 
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How to stay motivated to learn Japanese

The biggest obstacle when trying to learn Japanese or trying to learn anything is motivation. I know it so...

Japanese with Anime: October 2018

gogogogo ゴゴゴゴ, and then asked yourself: what does it mean??? If you have read JoJo, or if you spent too much time on the internet bro...

Japanese special edition games guide book

<div> 
 My gaming days are currently celebrating a little renaissance with me playing as many video games as I haven’t in years. I’m just in the middle of finishing the last episode of Life is strange and really like what they did with the story. The whole Twin Peaks vibe is a neat touch (love that show) and it’s nice to see a big audience opening up to a slower, story-driven game. Steins; Gate was a blast on the Vita and I just recently played the darker sequel Steins; Gate Zero as well. Don’t let the slow, uneventful first couple of hours fool you. Nearly quit the game because I didn’t not that much more was coming. Just received God of War and am waiting for the PlayStation Pro/Spider-Man bundle I ordered yesterday. 
Treated myself to a 4k TV a few months back and with me selling my XBOX One S (which is a great console but was nearly never used) and original PS4, it’s now the perfect time to dive deep into the 4k territory. I’m rarely playing these major game releases but sometimes you have that itch for popcorn cinema and sometimes for blockbuster games.
Stumbled upon that little book with rare Japanese special editions and editions that could only be attained as a prize through Club Nintendo, certain events or winning a competition. Discovered it through a recommendation of the <a href="https://twitter.com/beep_shop?lang=de">Bleep-Shop</a> on twitter (an account that video-game and PC connaisseurs should follow). It’s a joy to browse through the pages with consoles and handhelds ranging from the very beginnings up to the PS3 era. I’m always listening to the neat German podcast of <a href="https://www.patreon.com/RumblePack">Rumble Pack</a> and Max Nachtsheim, one of the guys hosting that podcast, is the proud owner of a spectacular man-cave. Btw. you should follow his <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diemancave/">Instagram account</a> specifically set up for his passion of collecting. Just looking at all these pictures makes me want to start one of my own.
Do you have any neat game recommendations for the PS4? A hidden game that I really should? Please share your tips in the comments, would love to hear from you.
<ul>
<li>Buy 非売品ゲームソフト ガイドブック on <a href="http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/aff/click.cgi/PytJTGW7Lok/4756/A148868/product%2FNEOBK-2189034?s_ssid=e4307a5b9f7595f493">CDjapan</a> 
(If you buy the book through my link, I’ll get a small referral fee which will be used to buy even more awesome books for review.)</li>
</ul>
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Japanese special edition games guide book

My gaming days are currently celebrating a little renaissance with me playing as many video games as I hav...

いいね！日本語

Japanese with Anime: September 2018

Onomatopoeia are words that imply the sound they sound like. That is, words like *bang*, the sound of a pistol firing. Or *meow* the s...

Fun Ad prototypes by design agency Goes

<div> 
 Based in Toko the design agency <a href="http://www.goes.co.jp/">Goes</a> is having a blast publishing fancy Ad prototypes on their Tumblr. Quirky ideas that are mostly not viable to produce and will remain the ideas that they are. You can really feel the fun the Goes designers must have had drawing and sketching these ideas out.
A bookshelf with the infamous Line App as inspiration. The App itself is much more than a mere communication tool in Japan. It’s better desicribed as a mix of whatsapp and facebooks nowadays. Companies are presenting themselves over Line, you can follow them and even buy special stickers to use inside your messages. Apple just took over that sticker & App idea for their own iMessage App (which truthfully is my favorite because of its clean look).
<img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/955feee9510e65c0d4f669f1fde7aa05/tumblr_oh7982wfC51s4ob88o1_1280.jpg" title="">
Goes design agency constructed a bookshelf with the Line communication bubbles and is sorting the books into two “read” and “unread” or rather “future reads” sections. I really like the idea behind it. It’s always nice to have a sort of special presentation for your new book possessions and makes things a lot tidier and easy to choose.
Just take that “simple to open can” which looks so clean and which such a pragmatic approach that you really wish someone would jump the wagon and bring this to market. Red Bull would actually be a great fit and they definitely have the money for a project like this. But with the complex deposit system on cans in the EU, they would need to be deposit-free and probably drag a nightmare of bureaucracy behind them. Regardless, it’s just an assembly of ideas here.
<img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/9feded24f1cb62c2903e4bdd2340b998/tumblr_ommy13psv51s4ob88o1_1280.jpg" title="">
I especially like this little Ramen spoon which I would actually buy in a heartbeat. If you discover something like this, please drop me a link in the comments. They call it the “one bite ramen spoon” and the name says it all.
<img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/f409732ae652054876a20091ea678c39/tumblr_og42235cEH1s4ob88o1_1280.jpg" title="">
<img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="https://78.media.tumblr.com/b167d32eddbadf31a93e0e0a4981ed09/tumblr_og42235cEH1s4ob88o2_1280.jpg" title="">
These are just a few of my favorites so make sure to check out the <a href="http://goes54667752.tumblr.com/">Goes Tumblr</a> as well. Lots of fun ideas there and if you’re a Tumblr user, make sure to subscribe.
All images © <a href="http://www.goes.co.jp/">Goes</a>
 
 
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Fun Ad prototypes by design agency Goes

Based in Toko the design agency Goes is having a blast publishing fancy Ad prototypes on their Tumblr. Qu...

Amazing rebranding of 7-Eleven Japan by Kashiwa Sato

<div> 
 <a href="http://kashiwasato.com/">Kashiwa Sato</a> has been a notorious figure when it comes to completely re-imagining a company. To completely transform the look and image of a brand. And he has been very successful in doing so. Just have a look at his client list which ranges from <a href="https://www.japanesetease.net/nerd-dose/these-t-shirts-are-a-must-for-every-manga-fan/">Uniqlo</a> to Issey Miyake to NTT Docomo. Sato took up the project to completely revamp 7-Eleven back in 2010. Starting from re-structuring the stores and re-naming the different food categories to overhauling the packaging of nearly 1700 products.
Alongside this pretty daunting task, he also renamed the 7-Eleven coffee section to Seven Café and worked on the whole range of coffee related products including the coffee-maker itself. With success – Seven Café became the number one selling coffee brand in Japan. And just under one year after being introduced to the market.
The essence of Kashiwa Sato’s approach to design is thinking about one core message he wants to convey. And starting from this trying to implement it into the whole design approach. The result is a very clear packaging design where every unnecessary information was left out and the product becomes the main
7-Eleven <a href="https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/bvd-7-eleven-coffee-rebrand">in Sweden</a> got a rebranding as well but with a completely different approach. The Scandinavian design agency BVD was hired for that job and opted for a bold 60s color palette revival.
<img alt="" src="https://assets.kashiwasato.com/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/13135422/sevencafe_0021.jpg" title="">
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<img alt="" src="https://assets.kashiwasato.com/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/13135345/7i_0041.jpg" title="">
All images © <a href="http://kashiwasato.com/">Kashiwa Sato</a>
</div>

Amazing rebranding of 7-Eleven Japan by Kashiwa Sato

Kashiwa Sato has been a notorious figure when it comes to completely re-imagining a company. To completel...

Erina Kamiya knows what to do when a comet is incoming

<div> 
 Erina Kamiya is a member of the Japanese girl group Kamen Joshi and in the meantime, she is also running a pretty successful <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsjYrprh7HRgmE5k3IcQCnQ">youtube channel</a>. About what? Well, mostly about her boobs. But I have to admit that in her case, they deserve a channel of their own.
Back in November Erina Kamiya jokingly told in one of her youtube videos that her monthly income was around 20 million yen. Which estimates to 180k$ today. Some people took all that a little too serious. To make things right again she uploaded another video with her talking about her real salary including showing one of her more recent paychecks. Which stated roughly 4k$. Not bad for a young idol and youtube celebrity. But nothing to write home about either. She is talking at length about the whole unveiling of her salary and that her intent was to show parents of kids that becoming a youtube celebrity actually can pay off. Be that as it may – Erina Kamiya definitely is entertaining (and here is a nice <a href="https://grapee.jp/en/99412">interview</a> with her as well).

But now to the inevitable question – Can that girl save mankind with her boobs? I just recently updated an old article about <a href="https://www.japanesetease.net/closer-look-dragon-ball-sd-manga/">Dragon Ball SD</a> and did some comparison pictures with the really incredible Dragon Ball complete collection. Funny thing that I just discovered that little video today which is nicely incorporating that whole Toriyama vibe. Like a Sajajin is fighting with his fists Erina Kamiya is using her female power instead.
And because we’re all trying to learn Japanese here: Just discovered another silly video of her. With English and Japanese subtitles. If you want to know what Japanese TV is like just give it a look. And while doing so you can even put your Japanese vocabulary knowledge to the test.

</div>

Erina Kamiya knows what to do when a comet is incoming

Erina Kamiya is a member of the Japanese girl group Kamen Joshi and in the meantime, she is also running a...

Japanese with Anime: August 2018

ke ケ, ヶ, is a bit different from the other ke , but instead as ka か, ga が, or even ko こ. Similar to how the tsu つ. For example, ni-...

いいね！日本語

Easy to read manga Vol. 04 – A mixed bag

<div>When I started to read manga I was always looking for the ones which contain furigana to make picking up new vocab easier. On top of that, I was under the impression that manga with furigana support generally was a little more on the easy side with their content. Don’t ask me why I thought that because when young Japanese boys and girls still may have some problems with their Kanji reading skills, they, of course, are speaking Japanese perfectly. There is no limitation in vocab or grammar and why should there be any. These kids are already going to high school. I was obviously thinking about manga which were aimed at kids, young kids. Nevertheless, there actually are some manga out there which are more easy than other and contain furigana, which really makes picking up new vocab much more comfortable. But now that we cleared that little misbelief we can continue with some great manga recommendations for Japanese learners.If you haven’t read my previous manga recommendations:– <a href="https://www.japanesetease.net/easy-to-read-manga-for-japanese-beginners-vol-01/">Easy to read manga for Japanese beginners Vol.01</a>, <a href="https://www.japanesetease.net/easy-to-read-manga-for-japanese-beginners-vol-02/">Vol.02</a>, <a href="https://www.japanesetease.net/easy-to-read-manga-for-japanese-beginners-vol-03-without-furigana/">Vol.03</a>And if you’re not sure how ordering manga from Japan works check my guide about <a href="https://www.japanesetease.net/guide-where-to-buy-japanese-manga-and-books/">how to order books from Japan</a>.<h3>This time content only, no furigana restrictions</h3>I probably made my point clear why you shouldn’t give two cents about if a manga has furigana or not to judge about its difficulty. Especially if you already started with <a href="https://www.japanesetease.net/getting-back-learning-japanese-wanikani/">WaniKani</a>. Read something without furigana and be amazed that you probably don’t recognize some Kanji you always seemed to ace at your daily WaniKani practice. That’s why I’ll just have some recommendations in here which are not too challenging and all have one thing in common: They are good fun and worth your time (and money).<h3>1.) Yawara</h3>I’m a sucker for everything by Naoki Urasawa. he’s just the most brilliant contemporary mangaka. Pluto is a futuristic, philosophical masterpiece and his epic stories are yet to find a true challenge. The Yawara 完全版 (complete edition) was released at the beginning of 2014 end gets two new volumes every month. Only bought the <a href="https://www.japanesetease.net/new-japanese-manga-arrived/">first two</a> for now but will probably buy some more with my next honto order. Yawara is a manga about Judo and a young girl who is forced by her strict grandfather to keep on practicing. Just because she is so good at it. I’m still at the very beginning but the manga has all the ingredients I like about Urasawa’s works in general. It’s mainly a comedy manga but always manages to be serious enough to introduce more mature themes without being off.When I bought the first edition there was a DVD with some episodes of the anime attached. Unfortunately, this wasn’t for free and did cost 1000¥ on top.Buy the manga: <a href="http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/aff/click.cgi/PytJTGW7Lok/4756/A148868/product%2FNEOBK-1585106" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Yawara 完全版</a><img alt="leran to read japanese-16" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4339" height="800" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-16" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4339" height="800" src="https://www.japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/leran-to-read-japanese-16.jpg" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-17" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4340" height="767" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-17" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4340" height="767" src="https://www.japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/leran-to-read-japanese-17.jpg" width="1200"><img alt="yawara complete edition" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4343" height="800" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=" width="1200"><img alt="yawara complete edition" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4343" height="800" src="https://www.japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/leran-to-read-japanese-20.jpg" width="1200"><h3>2.) Hikaru no go</h3>If it wasn’t for Great Teacher Onizuka this would probably be my favorite Jump manga. Forget about Bakuman and its ridiculous love story, this is definitely the best work by Takeshi Obata and a manga classic that you should definitely give a try. The 12-year-old Hikaru discovers an old go table in their attic and when he touches it, the soul of a Go teacher from the Edo period appears. But only he is able to see him. What’s following is the story of how Hikaru wants to become the GOAT Go player. The drawings are fantastic and the story has a unique vibe that just sucks you in. When I received the manga I made a couple of pictures and wrote some more about the series. Give it a look, because the <a href="https://www.japanesetease.net/hikaru-go-%E5%AE%8C%E5%85%A8%E7%89%88-looks-just-amazing/">Hikaru no go 完全版</a> really does look stunning.The manga contains furigana and is relatively easy to understand. If you’re comfortable with Yotsuba you should give Hikaru a try. I found it the most approachable Jump Manga so far and story-wise it’s above everything I have read from Jump. Except GTO, of course.Buy the manga: <a href="http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/aff/click.cgi/PytJTGW7Lok/4756/A148868/product%2FNEOBK-534075" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Hikaru no Go 完全版</a><img alt="leran to read japanese-2" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4325" height="800" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-2" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4325" height="800" src="https://www.japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/leran-to-read-japanese-2.jpg" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-3" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4326" height="648" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-3" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4326" height="648" src="https://www.japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/leran-to-read-japanese-3.jpg" width="1200"><h3>3.) 聖☆おにいさん (Saint Oniisan)</h3>Jesus and Buddha are roommates in modern Tokyo while taking some time off on earth. Each chapter shows the two living their daily lives as tourists with frequent puns on each other’s religion. Awesome idea and for this worth buying alone. Just got the first two volumes and it’s something of a long time goal for me. One day I can read this comfortably in Japanese. At least I hope so. I understand bits and pieces but when the two boys are talking about philosophical stuff, my <a href="https://www.japanesetease.net/how-i-learn-japanese-my-essentials/">Kanji reading ability</a> is not on my side. Still, worth a look, even if it’s something you’ll tackle later on.I just had to include this title here, because it’s the most awesome idea for a manga I’ve come across in a long time. There is also an Anime out there but I haven’t watched it yet. If it’s any good, please let me know.Buy the manga: <a href="http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/aff/click.cgi/PytJTGW7Lok/4756/A148868/product%2FNEOBK-50510" rel="noopener" target="_blank">聖☆おにいさん (Saint Oniisan)</a><img alt="leran to read japanese-21" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4344" height="800" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-21" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4344" height="800" src="https://www.japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/leran-to-read-japanese-21.jpg" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-22" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4345" height="800" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-22" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4345" height="800" src="https://www.japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/leran-to-read-japanese-22.jpg" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-24" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4347" height="800" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-24" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4347" height="800" src="https://www.japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/leran-to-read-japanese-24.jpg" width="1200"><h3>4.) 東京旅さんぽ (Tokyo Tabi Sanpo)</h3>Two girls are taking a trip to Tokyo because they can’t afford to go abroad. Each chapter takes place in a different area in Tokyo, with lots of realistic drawings and everyday story charm. If you’d like to discover Tokyo through manga, this is the one for you. There are only two books and I highly recommend buying both at once. After finishing the first one you’d be angry if you couldn’t continue reading immediately. Not because these two girls were especially funny or interesting. It’s all about the city – and Tokyo is awesome. Nuff’ said.There are no furigana but with basic skills, it’s really doable. Everday stuff, nothing too fancy and actually quite good practice for your Japanese.Buy the manga: <a href="http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/aff/click.cgi/PytJTGW7Lok/4756/A148868/product%2FNEOBK-1261801" rel="noopener" target="_blank">東京旅さんぽ (Tokyo Tabi Sanpo)</a><img alt="leran to read japanese-33" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4356" height="800" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-33" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4356" height="800" src="https://www.japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/leran-to-read-japanese-33.jpg" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-34" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4357" height="800" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-34" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4357" height="800" src="https://www.japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/leran-to-read-japanese-34.jpg" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-36" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4359" height="800" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-36" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4359" height="800" src="https://www.japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/leran-to-read-japanese-36.jpg" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-37" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4360" height="800" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-37" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4360" height="800" src="https://www.japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/leran-to-read-japanese-37.jpg" width="1200"><h3>5.) Nisekoi</h3>I discovered this one over at <a href="http://chringle.wordpress.com">chringle</a> and just thought I would give it a try. A boy from a gangster family is supposed to date a girl from a Yakuza family so that there will remain peace between the two families. Reads as ridiculous as it sounds. I read the first volume some time ago and even started with the Anime which recently began airing but suddenly lost interest while waiting for the next episode to arrive. Should really pick this one up again. It was actually the Yakuza element which got me interested in the title in the first place, unfortunately, it’s only a minor element, at least in the first chapters.It’s a Jump manga, so it contains furigana but (like I wrote above) this is one of the more difficult ones and the partway yakuza setting doesn’t make it any more simple. But if you have a knack for these very Japanese love stories where the two lovers overthink everything and make a huge deal out of it, this is right up your alley.Buy the manga: <a href="http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/aff/click.cgi/PytJTGW7Lok/4756/A148868/product%2FNEOBK-1225887" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Nisekoi</a><img alt="leran to read japanese-25" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4348" height="800" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-25" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4348" height="800" src="https://www.japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/leran-to-read-japanese-25.jpg" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-26" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4349" height="800" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-26" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4349" height="800" src="https://www.japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/leran-to-read-japanese-26.jpg" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-28" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4351" height="800" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-28" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4351" height="800" src="https://www.japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/leran-to-read-japanese-28.jpg" width="1200"><h3>6.) ハンツー x トラッシュ</h3>This is one for the boys, who are into water ball. The story is about a first-year high school student who has to decide on a school-club to join and because of his interests, he picks the water-ball club. Guess what his interests are. ハンツー x トラッシュ is actually much more decent then one would expect from the cover. The story is well written (with the essential dose of love story) and it’s highly entertaining (if you are into water ball – and girls).It doesn’t contain furigana but is one the easy side. This one would actually one to recommend if you want to get rid of furigana and try yourself with an all Kanji manga for the first time. I’m currently reading the third volume. It’s the perfect stuff when you don’t want anything too difficult or complex in story. Just a very straightforward manga with the right amount of ecchi.Buy the manga: <a href="http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/aff/click.cgi/PytJTGW7Lok/4756/A148868/product%2FNEOBK-1392638" rel="noopener" target="_blank">ハンツー x トラッシュ</a><img alt="leran to read japanese-29" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4352" height="800" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-29" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4352" height="800" src="https://www.japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/leran-to-read-japanese-29.jpg" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-30" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4353" height="800" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-30" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4353" height="800" src="https://www.japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/leran-to-read-japanese-30.jpg" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-32" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4355" height="800" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=" width="1200"><img alt="leran to read japanese-32" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-4355" height="800" src="https://www.japanesetease.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/leran-to-read-japanese-32.jpg" width="1200">I’m probably done now with my easy to read manga recommendations. From now on I’ll have articles about Japanese manga again but probably not in the same manner.More like, some recommendations with good stuff for you to read. The last one here was compiled with this in mind so there is some (hopefully) good stuff for everybody in it. At least I hope so.We all knew it but I just had to do another entry in the series. <a href="https://www.japanesetease.net/easy-to-read-manga-for-japanese-beginners-vol-05/">Continue reading Vol.05</a>.</div>

Easy to read manga Vol. 04 – A mixed bag

When I started to read manga I was always looking for the ones which contain furigana to make picking up new vocab easier. On top of that, I...

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いいね！日本語

Easy to read manga Vol. 04 – A mixed bag

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