Oh my god.
You guys.
I have to go to Japan.
It is driving me crazy.
I'm going through a lot of personal stuff because I've been an actor since I was 8, and have been steadily working toward my goal of being a voice actor for years. I've never had something compete for my time like this. And I didn't move across the company for nothing. But now that I live in LA, it's actually a pretty great deal: I can be around all the acting, and have those opportunities, but then there's also this great Japanese community here that I'm becoming a part of. All of me can exist here.
But then, I'm at a point where I know that this is real, that this isn't just some hobby I'm going to suddenly drop, and I'm getting frustrated at my pace. I don't feel like I'm moving as quickly as I want. And I also am dying of the travel bug. What I'd really like to do is move there for a while. Maybe a year or two. I just saw video of the changing colors of the leaves, and there was a taiko group, and oh my god, I want to go.
I just got a new credit card and, with bonuses, I've just about paid for my flight to Japan. So now, I just need to save up. I just got a new job with more pay, so I can make this happen. This can really happen for me. I tell you, the 20's are a wild decade!
You MUST Speak English!!! 英語を話さなければなりませんよ！
I'm pretty interested in living in Japan, so you can imagine I seek out other information on other Westerners living there so I can live vicariously through them. And I've noticed, from the way a lot of them speak, that they think every Japanese person needs to be able to speak English. These people will talk about how their (Japan's) learning methods aren't fulfilling their potential, or "Oh, Japanese is so low on the ranking of countries with lots of people using English as a second language." Don't get me wrong; English is totally a useful language, blah blah world economy, etc. But aren't they a thriving country as it is? One of the things I love about Japan is that it forces us, as Westerners, to be out of our element for once (which, let's face it, does not happen terribly often). So maybe I'm just being selfish in trying to preserve that. I just wonder why we care. Thoughts?
Kanji!
Hello, loyal readers.
I haven't checked in lately because I've been バタバタしている！Anyway, I've been putting a serious effort into studying kanji over the last month, maybe, and it's been so helpful. I'd really avoided kanji for some reason. Maybe it was overwhelming, maybe I just didn't know how to study. Anki has been unbelievably helpful. I really rely on it as a tool to remind me when I'm starting to forget characters. I bought a kanji notebook with squares to write the characters in, and the paper and pen I use are nice, so I enjoy it. You, however, can print out sheets at home on your own paper.
At this, point, I'd estimate I can recognize probably 3 or 400 characters, which is an immense improvement over a month or two ago. Writing-wise, I'd say I can write maybe 200. It's hard to tell because I use Tuttle's Kanji and Kana: a Complete Guide to the Japanese Writing System, which lists the characters from a kanji-learning point-of-view, whereas the deck I'm learning from is Minna no Nihongo, which teaches from a vocabulary/speaking perspective.
Actually, I just looked at how many characters I've learned from the deck, and I'm at 272. Wow! I also know some from outside the deck, but I'd say I'm still under 300.
Let me tell you that it was right around 200 or 250, maybe that the kanji really started to gel. I see the same radicals over and over, and it's so helpful. I'd done Western calligraphy before, so I was fairly familiar with strokes and such, but the Japanese stroke order has really started to gel. I spend probably 25% of the time (or less) that I used to learning the characters. Many of the new characters I encounter I already understand how to write, but I check my book to be sure.
I've really enjoyed learning kanji so far, and it has really informed and enhanced my learning. What's been your journey with kanji?
I haven't checked in lately because I've been バタバタしている！Anyway, I've been putting a serious effort into studying kanji over the last month, maybe, and it's been so helpful. I'd really avoided kanji for some reason. Maybe it was overwhelming, maybe I just didn't know how to study. Anki has been unbelievably helpful. I really rely on it as a tool to remind me when I'm starting to forget characters. I bought a kanji notebook with squares to write the characters in, and the paper and pen I use are nice, so I enjoy it. You, however, can print out sheets at home on your own paper.
At this, point, I'd estimate I can recognize probably 3 or 400 characters, which is an immense improvement over a month or two ago. Writing-wise, I'd say I can write maybe 200. It's hard to tell because I use Tuttle's Kanji and Kana: a Complete Guide to the Japanese Writing System, which lists the characters from a kanji-learning point-of-view, whereas the deck I'm learning from is Minna no Nihongo, which teaches from a vocabulary/speaking perspective.
Actually, I just looked at how many characters I've learned from the deck, and I'm at 272. Wow! I also know some from outside the deck, but I'd say I'm still under 300.
Let me tell you that it was right around 200 or 250, maybe that the kanji really started to gel. I see the same radicals over and over, and it's so helpful. I'd done Western calligraphy before, so I was fairly familiar with strokes and such, but the Japanese stroke order has really started to gel. I spend probably 25% of the time (or less) that I used to learning the characters. Many of the new characters I encounter I already understand how to write, but I check my book to be sure.
I've really enjoyed learning kanji so far, and it has really informed and enhanced my learning. What's been your journey with kanji?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)