♂ Learn Japanese and dress street chique with Street Jack!

ll you fashionistas and metrosexuals out there, it’s SUMMER (It was summer when I wrote this and it has been sitting on my desktop till now. Lame excuse, I know, but let’s pretend it’s still summer )!

What better way to kick back and relax with a glass of ice tea with fresh mint and a good fashion magazine… (err… was that too much?). Sure, Cosmo is great and GQ has lots of style tips, but we’re not interested in that! WE WAN’T JAPANESE MAGAZINE’S! In our four-part『チョコチョコのおしゃれな EXTENDED SUMMER』special, we’ll review four popular Japanese fashion magazines. Starting with this issue’s men’s fashion mag review,『Street Jack』.

Japanese Magazine → awesome!
Admit it, a Japanese magazine is cooler than anything else. Why? BECAUSE IT’S JAPANESE!! Maybe it’s the overly-busy-in-your-face approach or the fun layouts or the fact that they’re always crammed with lots of stuff. Japanese magazines are visual, very visual. Who needs to read a lot when a picture says more than a thousand words! (wanna read? grab a couple brochures at your local pharmacy) WE WANT PICTURES, LOTS! I’m pretty sure the chief editor’s thinking is: “cram as much stuff into the mag as is humanly possible!”.

Jack lives on the streets
Young Japanese men aren’t afraid of experimenting with clothing and will wear anything they like (Cosplay anyone?). If your style is streetwear, you might wanna check out『Street Jack』. Street Jack is a monthly magazine (comes out 24th of every month) and focuses on street style for men.

Vintage-ey, grungy, stylish geek and sneakers are the key words. Lots of photos of people on the street (love that) let's you get a sense what today’s street style in Japan is. Apart from main featured items like T-shirts, polos and sneakers, accessory items such as bags, hats, belts etc. are also covered letting you create your own nerdy-chique street look. Prices and shops are also included.

Kurt Kobain and even more T-shirts
Every magazine has its share of interviews and Street Jack isn't missing out. From your local Japanese rockband to the (quote)『伝説のおしゃれ人ランキング：１位、伝説のロック•アイコン、カート•コバーン』, though it's all about what they're wearing (or used to wear). No street style is complete without accessoiries and Street Jack pays detailed covering of smart and stylish accessoiries.

Apart from being a ‘T-shirt bible’, Street Jack is also good to learn street fashion words, terms and slang such as『柄ポロ（polo shirts with patterns）』and『カモフラカーゴショーツ（cargo shorts with camouflage print）』. This way, you can extend your vocabulary to the Japan of today (instead of learning how to greet Mr. Tanaka for the gazillionth time).

Street Jack is one of the more popular street wear magazines for men in Japan.

Street Jack is as real as street wear can get since most of the stuff you’ll find are inspirations taken from actual people. Street Jack is not merely a ‘T-shirt bible’ but a complete outfit magazine from『トップス』to『ボトムス』. 『AJATT』to go with your Japanese study? Why not give yourself a Japanese street-style makeover too with Street Jack!

Book Info
• title: ストリートジャック – Street Jack

• pages: approx. 178

• dimensions: 29.7 x 21 cm

• extra: n/a

• language: Japanese

• publisher: KKベストセラーズ (www.kk-bestsellers.com)

• order: www.amazon.co.jp

• ISBN: n/a

• special Chokochoko rating: 90%

Learning Korean and travelling to Korea soon? Try these illustrated guides!

verybody getting theirselves into learning something like a new language often start out with a good ‘ol phrase book. Before getting yourself into learning complex grammar, drilling vocab and conjugating verbs, set phrases are a fun way to learn basic, but essential, things. You probably learned stuff like “ありがとう” and “おはようございます” way before you knew how to read hiragana. I mean, what use is it if you only know how to conjugate for example the verb “walking” into the past tense yet don’t know how to order a coke in a restaurant. Set phrases are simply essential. The『イラスト会話ブック(Illustrated Conversation Book)』is a charming phrase book series for travel. Books include popular countries like China, France, USA as well lesser known countries such as The Netherlands!

Korean Guide
Because I’m learning Korean (at least I try to and at a slower-than-sluggish pace), ofcourse I bought the Korean edition. It didn’t take me long to put this little guide in the shopping basket, I mean, IT’S FULL OF PICTURES AND COLOR! OFCOURSE I had to buy it! Just like everywhere nowadays, everything Korean is also very popular in Japan. If you’re planning a trip to Korea (or just want to know more about Korea), you probably want to get past Kimchi and Winter Sonata.

『イラスト会話ブック- 韓国』shows you how to say everything from Bulgogi to your favorite K-Drama idol to a traditional Hanbok to how to say low blood pressure. Famous places and landmarks are also introduced as well as a whole variety of (non-Kimchi) Korean dishes. Interesting trivia are also sprinkled throughout the book providing you with fun extra info.

Express Yourself
The book is full of handy expressions and shows you how to say certain phrases in certain situations. Sentences are presented in a way so that you can choose your own words suitable to specific situations. Words including visuals let’s you mix and match whatever you want to say. All words and phrases have Japanese, Korean as well as how to pronounce the words (in katakana). The handdrawn images about popular Korean culture are instantly recognisable and if you don’t like to express yourself verbally, showing and pointing works equally well.

Typical topics covered are sightseeing, eating, shopping etc. There even is a small chapter at the end of the book about Japan, letting you introduce all things Japanese to your Korean friends! A small chapter about the Korean language is also included.

『イラスト会話ブック- 韓国』, while fun, isn’t meant to be a serious read (nor tries to be). It touches many subjects popular in the Korean culture and then some. The handdrawn images is part what makes this little guide charming. Every page is filled with cute colorful drawings, photos and pictures and even though it isn’t meant for hardcore studying, there’s quite some stuff crammed into this little book. It makes a perfect toilet book! Now you don’t have to be in love with all things Korean to enjoy this book, there’s quite some Japanese reading in it too. And if Korea is not your dream destination, try one about your own country! A funny thing about this book is that the cover sleeve has a hiragana chart with picture words and a couple of Japanese expressions. I guess a lot of non-Japanese people also enjoy these highly fun travel phrase books too!

Book Info
• title: イラスト会話ブック: 韓国 – Illustrated Conversation Book

• pages: 143

• dimensions: 18.3 x 13 cm

• extra: n/a

• language: Japanese – Korean

• publisher: JTB Publishing (www.rurubu.com)

• order: www.amazon.co.jp

• ISBN: 978-4-553-06302-2

• special Chokochoko rating: 85%

Learn how to use Japanese expression the correct way

n today’s issue we’ll review the well-known『どんな時どう使う日本語表現文型500』aka『500 Essential Japanese Expressions – A Guide to Correct Usage of Key Sentence Patterns』. This book is actually part of a 4-book『どんな時どう使う日本語文型 series』helping you understand and use Japanese Expressions (read grammar). Because I’m planning to take the JLPT N2 at the end of the year, I bought『どんな時どう使う日本語表現文型500』which is aimed at 1•2級 test takers. Now I have to tell you, there is a free copy (in PDF form) floating around somewhere on the internet which I did download (you pirate!) but, unless you have absolutely nothing to spare and happen to like crappy scans, just get the book. Nothing beats a good book when it’s definitely worth it (unlike a lot of other books). I always say, you can’t put a price tag on a language! So what makes『どんな時どう使う日本語表現文型500』great? Let’s find out…!

Expressions and Grammar
Even though the title reads “Japanese Expressions”, it’s rather more grammar-ish stuff about learning how to use sentence patterns. It’s one thing to learn and remember grammar out of your textbook, another thing to actually be able to use it. For example, if your native language is English, translating an English sentence to Japanese word-for-word, doesn’t work. Just because Japanese is NOT English (shut up!). You might get away with just words, but putting everything together and expressing yourself correctly takes a bit more work. Though『どんな時どう使う日本語表現文型500』doesn’t teach you how to form a sentence, it does teach you how to express (hence “Japanese Expression”) yourself using, well, grammar.

The Method
The core of this book is learning and understanding expressions through sentences. Since there is no English translation and everything is all Japanese ばかり (apart from the title and two pages on “how to use the book”), everything is understood from usage in context. Expressions are explained using easy-to-understand terms followed by a couple of example sentences. This enables you to grasp the meaning naturally by reading and comparing different sentences.

Because translation and meaning of the sentences are not given (not even in Japanese), you’ll put more effort in trying to understand its meaning and often you’ll find yourself reading a difficult sentence over and over until that *click (ahh-I-get-it!) moment. This way, you’ll just put in a lot more effort rather than going straight to the translation to understand the meaning. The book uses functional sentences that can be used as good reference material and words used are also great for vocabulary building. Similar expressions are grouped together for comparison and pointers are given on how to use certain expressions as well.

Flow
The book consists of 30 lessons, each covering certain expressions such as: Time and Place of an Action, Comparison, Conveying Information etc. Each lessons first starts with two small tests on how well you know the material presented in that lesson. After checking the answers yourself, you’ll be presented with an overview of expressions to learn in that lesson (divided between 2級 and 1級). Then, each expression is explained using easy-to-understand terms followed by the expression in context. After you have learned the expressions you can test yourself using the exercises found at the end of each chapter to check your ability. Answers are provided at the back of the book which also hold an expressions index for easy look up.

The Book
The layout is pretty straighforward. Apart from the 植木鉢 (flower pot) here and there, no pictures and all black and white. A splash of color would’ve been nice, but, it gets the job done. Everything is written in a clear and easy way and kanji have furigana. Flower pots mark what is 2級 and what is 1級 material and several other visual markings are used throughout the book for easy recognition (though the number of different markings rather confuses at first. Apart from the standard arrows and brackets, you’ll find birds, neckties, envelops, pencils, hands etc.).

If you are a 中•上級 Japanese learner and want to understand how to use Japanese expressions and sentence patterns, you might want to check out『どんな時どう使う日本語表現文型500』. Learning and understanding how to use Japanese expressions through sentences and context is a natural way to improve your sentence building ability. Familiarize yourself with the expressions by seeing, reading and copying patterns used in the book. Then, the many exercises will test your knowledge helping your further grasp the material. The supplementary book『どんな時どう使う日本語表現文型500 – 短文完成練習帳』(sold separately) will let you drill the material by putting into practise what you have learned in『どんな時どう使う日本語表現文型500』.

Book Info
• title: どんな時どう使う日本語表現文型 500 – 500 Essential Japanese Expressions

• pages: 233

• dimensions: 25.7 x 18.5 cm

• extra: n/a

• language: Japanese

• publisher: ALC (www.alc.co.jp)

• order: www.amazon.co.jp • www.whiterabbitpress.com

• ISBN: 978-4-87234-589-6

• special Chokochoko rating: 90%

The easiest way to learn Korean? Why through Japanese ofcourse!

he follow up to the book『３日でできる超入門ハングル』which teaches the Korean alphabet,『1週間でできる初級ハングル』guides you through the most basics of the Korean language. Learning Korean through Japanese is a very natural process because of the close similarities between the two. Words and grammar structures are very similar to Japanese, so why learn ‘completely’ new grammar structures again? Laddering languages is using a non-native language to learn another one while strengthening both. If you like to get into Korean, why not use your Japanese knowledge and ladder Korean?

One Week Course
The book teaches you the very basics of Korean over the course of one week, 4 hours a day. If you think this is too intensive, the book also recommends you to spread it over 2 weeks or even 1 hour a day. Starting from where『３日でできる超入門ハングル』left off,『1週間でできる初級ハングル』begins by reviewing the Korean alphabet (Hangul) again. Then, it starts with day one and using familiar structures like『〜です』『これ • それ • あれ』and『は • が • の • を etc.』, you’ll soon begin to get a feel for Korean. By being presented with Japanese sentences and grammar which you already know, the progression to Korean feels very natural. After one week (depending on your speed) you’ll learn things like directions, telling time, basic verbs, expressions and simple grammar structures.

The Method
Like its previous book, it uses a lot of exercises with audio material in a smart way that has you repeat and review previous learned material over and over. Exercises using the audio CD let’s you familiarize with the sound as well as writing. The book is basically an exercise book since you’ll find exercises on every page. In between exercises are puzzles and quizzes for variation. The strenght of this book is that it puts Japanese and Korean side by side and teaches using the close similarities from the two languages rather than the differences. Things like Japanese particles and kanji words all have a Korean counterpart and grammar is often exactly the same. By actively listening, reading and intensively writing, you’ll be able to built a solid basic foundation rather than just by ‘reading’ a Korean textbook. The layout is particulary nice and worth mentioning. Big clear fonts, boxed sections and illustrations make it a breeze to read through.

『1週間でできる初級ハングル』is a great way to dip your toes into the Korean language using Japanese. Although you won’t be anywhere near conversational level after finishing this book, it’s the perfect prep for further studies. Think of it as an introductionary course. The many exercises and audio material go hand in hand letting you actively engaging in learning the language. The book is written for Japanese people and anybody who’s comfortable with all Japanese explanations will enjoy this book. Learning Korean through Japanese is the most natural and easiest way and this book follows that fact closely. Why learn something totally new when you can already copy it from Japanese?

Book Info
• title: 1週間でできる初級ハングル

• pages: 136

• dimensions: 25.7 x 18.5 cm

• extra: CD x 1

• language: Japanese – Korean

• publisher: ALC (www.alc.co.jp)

• order: www.amazon.co.jp

• ISBN: 978-4-7574-1441-9

• special Chokochoko rating: 90%

Because everybody should own a paper dictionary!

lectronic dictionaries and iPhones are the norm these days to look up words but I believe anyone should own a good ‘ol paper dictionary. You’d pick up extra words by just leafing through it, and no I don’t like to leaf through an electronic word-tank (not satisfactory). I found this dictionary『小学国語学習辞典（しょうがくこくごがくしゅうじてん）』on Amazon Japan (while browsing for other books actually) and I couldn’t help but be attracted to its charm. It’s a Japanese dictionary aimed at primary school kids, though, don’t let that fool you, it’s completely in Japanese so intermediate learners and above take note.

What kind of Dictionary?
Plain (adult) dictionaries are booooooring! Luckily『小学国語学習辞典』is aimed at school kids and it has…PICTURES! If you know me, anything with pictures and I’m sold! Although I’ve seen dictionaries with more pictures (I’ll review another one again soon), this one doesn’t boast an incredible amount, just one or two sprinkled on every page (but that’s enough to keep me satisfied).

This whopping 1253-page counting dictionary is written in a semi-encyclopedia way, meaning, apart from looking up words, you can also find tons of extra information like kanji learning, kanji strokes, trivia, word comparison, synonyms, etc. (Asian dictionaries often squeeze as much info in as possible, I ♥ that!). Word entries are written in hiragana followed by the kanji version and then the meaning(s). When closed, red kana and marks on the side of the book lets you know where too look in order to find words. Each page is also divided into three parts for easier navigation (how thoughtful).

Is this dictionary useful?
Since it’s a kid’s dictionary, don’t expect to find uber-complicated words, though 25000+ word entries is way more than the average advanced learner knows. Betcha don’t know words like『本塁打（ほんるいだ、home run）』『賺す（すかす、to coax, to cajole）』and『竿秤（さおばかり、beam balance）』? In any case, the real useful feature here is that almost all word entries have at least one sample sentence (some even have 5 or more!). This is extremely useful because you can immediately see words in context to further understand its meaning and usage. All kanji have furigana and the back of the book has a list with frequently mixed up words and a kanji list up to 6th grade (1006 kanji).

Even in this age of electronic dictionaries there is still room for a good ‘ol paper one.『小学国語学習辞典』is a solid dictionary to look up words and because of its encyclopedia-ish style, also a fun way to just leaf through and pick up extra words and info. If you are comfortable with explanations given in Japanese, this dictionary is for you. Clear entries, explanations and example sentences make it a great addition to any intermediate Japanese learner and above.

Book Info
• title: 小学国語学習辞典

• pages: 1253

• dimensions: 22 x 16.5 cm

• extra: n/a

• language: Japanese

• publisher: 偕成社 (www.kaiseisha.co.jp)

• order: www.amazon.co.jp • www.whiterabbitpress.com

• ISBN: 978-4-03-920150-8

• special Chokochoko rating: 80%

Start writing in Japanese using sentence patterns and expressions!

‘d say you’d agree with me when I say, writing is a good way to practise your Japanese. After all, being able to communicate is what it’s all about. You could have memorized your whole grammar book inside and out, bringing it all together and creating a perfectly correct sentence can be a bit of a problem sometimes.

Copying and using sentence patterns from either your textbook, reading material or a chat session with a Japanese friend, is a good way to understand how to use and construct a sentence. I often like to write, but I also often struggle how to form a (correct) sentence and expressing myself. I really outta use Lang-8 more often since it’s, imo, really one of the most useful sites out there. You simply just learn a lot by writing.

Write a little every day
Because I like to write and wanted to learn how to write CORRECT Japanese, I searched for a book doing just that, rather than learning (only) from trial-by-error on sites like Lang-8. I recommend『にほんご日記ノート』, which teaches you how to improve your writing skills by using sentence patterns and expressions.

The book is divided into 30 short lessons each covering a sentence pattern (grammar). Each lesson begins with a to learn sentence pattern with 3 main examples followed by a short overview on how to construct the pattern. The next page has an in-depth explanation, explaining usage, what to pay attention to, grammar etc. Then follows a whole page of sample patterns using different expressions (a lot of examples = very handy). The book encourages you to write yourself too and the last page of each lesson let’s you do so. It first gives you (again) a sample dairy entry along with footnotes that need attention. Finally, you then can write your own entry in the book using patterns learned in that lesson at the end of each chapter. I think this is pretty effective because you need to actually implement what you’ve learned previously and therefore reinforcing it.

Expressions galore
I love that the book uses a whole variety of practical and frequently used expression and is often very generous in doing so. There are hundreds of expressions for you to learn (copy) from and there’s even a wordlist with popular and handy words in the front of the book. This is particulary useful since Japanese often uses different wordsets when expressing certain things. By using these expressions in your diary, your Japanese writing skills will go up!

Starting to write in Japanese can be tricky if you don’t know where to start. You’ve learned the grammar, memorized the words, but putting it together in a natural way can be difficult, especially for beginners. 『にほんご日記ノート』is a great way to get into Japanese writing using easy to learn sentence patterns. Then, spice up your writing using the many expressions and useful words presented. The book is set up very easy and comfortable to read. I personally like the layout and design of the book, and even though it’s all in a darkbrown mono-color, it just looks good. All explanation is given in English, Chinese and Korean (love that!), and actually, every book SHOULD include multiple languages. Sometimes an explanation just makes more sense in another language.

I have to admit that I haven’t used the book yet (ohh, shocking! if you could only see my bookshelf!) but I’m really eager to get started (*taking a pledge: I will write more!). I do have to mention that the book doesn’t teaches very complex stuff, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We often try to create too complex sentences when in fact there’s an easier and more effective way of expressing it. And that’s what『にほんご日記ノート』teaches you. Recommended for upper beginners 〜 intermediates.

Book Info
• title: にほんご日記ノート

• pages: 143

• dimensions: 25.7 x 18.5 cm

• extra: n/a

• language: Japanese – English – Chinese – Korean

• publisher: ALC (www.alc.co.jp)

• order: www.whiterabbitpress.com

• ISBN: 978-4-7574-1555-3

• special Chokochoko rating: 85%

Fancy handicraft? Think an origami crane isn’t challenging enough? Try this!

ou know, with all that Japanese studying, sometimes you just need a break, right? So today, let’s get creative and make a Japanese lantern. So I was just chatting with a Japanese friend and I asked him what he was planning to do over the weekend and he told me he was going on a fishing trip with his family in lovely『雑賀崎 (さいかざき、Saikazaki)』. I told him that it sounded fun, and asked him what kind of fish you could catch there. He said he was hoping to catch some『あじ (mackerel)』, then I asked him if he would eat the fish he caught, on which he replied that ofcourse he was going to eat it. Then I jokingly asked if he could also catch『ふぐ (puffer fish)』there. To my surprise he said it was possible! えっ？！

He then told me that they use ふぐ to make lanterns.
…?
Yes, lanterns. The ones you put a candle inside.

I was obviously baffled by the idea. I asked him how on earth do you make a lantern out of a ふぐ? And he sends me a link explaining step-by-step how to create your own『ふぐ提灯（ふぐちょうちん、fugu lantern)』. I’ve gone ahead and translated it for you lot (as close to the original as possible), so create some space on your desks and let’s make a ふぐ提灯! (*Attention: graphic images, do not watch while eating, animal lovers please don’t watch at all!)

The Instructions
(*note: all the original instructions had an exclamation mark behind it)

1. ふぐを絞める！Kill the fugu! (lit. strangle the fugu!)

2. 尾っぽにむかって切 れ目を入れる！Make a cut towards the tail!
3. 切りすぎないように、なるべく小さく開ける！Be sure not to cut too much, open cut a little bit!
4. 皮を破らないように、慎重に胸びれの内側から外し始めます！Without tearing the skin, starting from the inside of the pectoral fin, carefully begin to remove outwards!
5. 背中の方から、少しずつ包丁を入れて身を外していきます！Use your knife and cut along the back little by little as you take the meat out!

6. 背びれと尻びれの内側部分を交互に外していきます！尾びれまで外せたら！Remove the inside part of both the dorsal fin and the rear fin! Remove till you get to the tail!

7. 身を切り落とします！Cut off meat!

8. 内臓を取り出します！Take out intestines!
9. 頭を外していきます！Begin to remove the head outwards!

10. 目の辺りまで外せたら！Remove all the way till you get to the area around the eyes!

11. 次に目を外していきます！目は、皮に付けたまま外します！Next, flip the eyes inside out while they’re still attached to the skin!
12. 両目が外れたら！Face both eyes outwards!

13. 口のつけねまで皮を外します！Remove the skin till you get to the base of the mouth!

14. 次に口を切り落とします！Then, cut off mouth! (the meat ofcourse)
15. 口も皮に付けたまま切り離します！（14の拡大写真）Cut the mouth loose while it’s still attached to the skin! (enlargement of picture 14)

16. これで、すべて取り外した状態！（身・内臓・頭の順に取り除く！）（身・頭は店で使います！）Here you see all the removed parts! (Removed in the order, (body)meat, intestines, head!) (You can use the meat and the head in the store!)

17. ここから、おがくずを詰めてふぐを膨らましていきます！（軍手をして作業します！）Now we begin to stuff the fugu with sawdust to “puff” (oh the irony!) it up! (Use gloves!)

18. まず尾っぽの方からおがくずを詰めて行きます！（菜箸などを使って、しっかりおがくずを押し込んでいきます！）First start by stuffing the tail part with sawdust! (Use tools like cooking chopsticks to firmly push in the sawdust!)
19. 次は、顔の方を詰めていきます！Then, stuff towards the face!
20. 強く押す事によって、皮がのびます！（口の下の方を膨らましていきます！）The skin will stretch depending on how much force you use! (The mouth part should bulge downwards!)
21. おなかを膨らましていきます！（膨らましていくのは、結構大変！）
Stuff and expand the stomac area! (stuffing is really not an easy job!)

22. 仕上げに、形を整えます！（丸く仕上げるのがコツ！）The shape is coming along fine, we’re almost there! (The trick is to get a round shape!)

23. 形が整ったら、厚紙をホッチキスでとめていきます！（ちなみに、この厚紙は、ラップの空き箱！）After stuffing it in the correct shape, use cardbord and staples to hold it in place! (btw, the cardboard used here was from an empty cling film box!)

24. 皮に付いているおがくずを洗い流します！次に、全てのひれに、ダンボール紙をホッチキスでとめます！Wash off any sawdust clinging to the skin! Then, staple cardbord pieces onto all the fins to keep it in position!

25. 胸びれの開いている所を釘・押しピンでとめます！（乾くと奇麗に仕上がります！とめてもとめなくてもどちらでもOK!）Around the pectoral fins, use pins or nails to close any openings and keeping it in position! (When it’s dry, it’ll have a beautiful finish! Whether you choose to keep it in place or not, either is OK!)
26. 背中を閉じてしまいたい場合は、裁縫用の針と糸でおがくずを入れたままで縫い合わせます！If you want to close the back up, use a thread and needle and sew the back up with the sawdust still inside!

27. 写真のように輪ゴムを尾っぽと厚紙に、引っ掛けて尾っぽを反らします！As shown in the picture, stretch a rubber band around the tail and cardboard to curve the tail up!

28. 形がくずれない状態！ひれが乾燥したらダンボール紙を外します！ It’s staying in shape! When the fins are dry, remove cardboard!
29. 例：厚紙に布を付けて、帽子に！ Example: cover and attach the cardboard with a piece of cloth and…it’s a hat! (looks like a fez to me)
30. 例：厚紙を2/3切り、はちまきを付けて板前風に！ Example: cut 2/3 off the cardboard, add a はちまき (headband) and…chefcook style!
31. ニスを塗って完全に乾燥させてから、おがくずを取り出します！Finish with varnish and let dry, then take out sawdust!

完成ふぐちょうちん！The finished fugu lantern!

And that’s how it’s made folks!

Do you read manga? I didn’t, but now I do!

nlike some of my fellow Japanese learners, I’m a bit lacking in the otaku/anime department. I wish I was more of an otaku sometimes (I do), to a healthy degree I mean (笑). To all ya otakus doing virtual anime dating, that’s NOT healthy! So to make up for my lack of otaku-ism, I decided on an original manga to read casually, like when doing kakaー♪ (oh get over it! Everybody does that)

I wasn’t really looking for something specific while browsing for some new manga. But I am a sucker for anything fantasy, science fiction or horror. So any manga in these genres would do. Eventually I picked this neat title『World Embryo』which is a manga with a science fiction/fantasy plot. Honestly, I didn’t really care about plot or story, I mean, I want pwetty pictures with some text on the side, not some complicated storyline that has you wondering about difficult theories or evolutions (I’d read a book then). So my decision was based entirely on looking at the pictures. (howcome I didn’t think of Crayon Shin-chan or Doraemon?)

World Embryo
An ongoing series (currently 6 volumes), the story follows a guy (protagonist) called『天海陸 (Anami Riku)』who receives a message along with a photo of his dead sister,『Amane』, to go look for her. He decides to visit the hospital he recognizes from the photo. There he encounters a group of thugs (trying to rape a missy, see picture below) in the now abandoned hospital building. Angry for letting the girl escape, Riku is being held by the thugs until he gets saved by two warriors, an unknown girl called『Rena』and『Youhei』, Riku’s former classmate.

The situation gets real ugly when the thugs transform into monsters called『Kanshu』, which travel and reproduce through cellphone signals. While Rena and Youhei are off battling the Kanshus using special weapons transformed from their bodies, Riku discovers an egg. The egg hatches and a little girl resembling Riku’s dead sister Amane is born. Eventually Riku get’s drawn into an organization that fights the Kanshu and even bigger drama is ahead.

No, I’m not a pervert, I just like to read manga while shitting. The manga style is very mainstream and commercially. Typical manga, I like that. The story isn’t the most revolutionary (secret organizations fighting monsters a la Bleach is the trend these days) but nevertheless interesting. Comics don’t need to be too complicated right? The novel-ish book is, except for a couple pages, black and white. Would’ve been nice though if it was all full color like those Image/Top Cow comics. The writing style is, as you would expect from a typical manga, full of slang. Not good for learning (Naruto mimickers, puliez), but nevertheless a cultural aspect of Japanese. I like this manga (ohh pwetty pictures) because it’s over the top, whack and funny, and I’m definitely looking forward reading the other volumes in this series.

Book Info
• title: World Embryo

• pages: volume 1: 226

• dimensions: 18 x 13 cm

• extra: n/a

• language: Japanese

• publisher: 少年画報社 (www.shonengahosha.jp)

• order: www.amazon.co.jp

• ISBN: volume 1: 978-4-7859-2629-8

• special Chokochoko rating: 80%

What books do I use and how do I study? Why let me show you!

eeing my fellow Japanese learning blogger giving insight to his ‘sentence picking’, (yes I’m talking about you Nihongo Noobie), I though it might be fun to give you an insight into my study books and studying. As you might know, in the sidebar I have a chart marking my study progress using these books. So without further due, show me the money…err pictures!
* I confess I didn’t even bother to take nice pictures
** Pictures open in a separate window (just deal with it!)

So there you have it. How about you? How do you study? Show us a glimpse of your books and your study method below in the comment section. (link/picture all fine)

Studying for JLPT this year? Then you would want to use these〜!

re you studying Japanese and planning to take the JLPT this upcoming summer or year’s end? Whether it’s for a job, your own satisfaction or just showing off, passing that JLPT is what everyone’s hoping for. And working towards that goal isn’t something that happens overnight and requires a lot of dedication to your study not to mention long nightly hours over books accompanied by gallons of extra strong coffee. We’ve all been there (I even did what a lot of Chinese students do, go out during the snow in mid Januari and study at the 暖かい 24/7 McDonalds at 2 am in the morning, your clothes with smell lovely like french fries afterwards). So how do you actually prepare yourself then in order to increase your chances of passing the Japanese proficiency test?

Studying for JLPT
If you’re studying for that JLPT, one of the best ways to prepare yourself is by doing tests of previous years or drill quizzes.『にほんご500問』are a set of three books for JLPT quiz drilling. The first book is aimed at people planning to take JLPT N5-N4, book 2 is for N3-N2 and the last book aimed at N1 test takers. The book let’s you drill『文字』,『語彙』and『文法』and are set up in a handy and straightforward (no fuss, love that) way.

Book Usage
The book is designed to be used over a course of four weeks. Each day you do a set of 15 questions, 5『文字』, 5『語彙』and 5『文法』questions. Each page is divided into 3 sections and features one『文字』,『語彙』and『文法』question each. The answers can be found on the following page including detailed explanation like kanji meanings, word usage and grammar points for each of the sections. You can also put a right or wrong mark after you’ve checked each question. Till day 6 you will have finished a total of 90 questions, and on day 7 you do a mini test of 12 questions, covering material from day 1-6.

After this you count the number of correct marks and fill in a score card found at the beginning of each week. This let’s you keep track as you can do the questions again, mark the correct answers again, compare and see if you made any progress. If you feel like you’re lacking in the vocabulary or grammar department, you could choose to drill only just that particular section.

Extra Features
Apart from English and Chinese explanations, the book also features a list of Portugese and Korean translation of the questions found at the back of the book. A kanji list with stroke count for all kanji appearing in each book is also included as well as a word list (grouped conveniently by kind such as nouns, adjectives, verbs etc.). Finally, another list featuring grammar and sentence patterns nicely ordened by kana can also be found.

Anybody looking to do some JLPT style drilling will find these books very handy. Not only does the slightly-larger-than-handbook size let’s you read it anywhere (I often grab it when I do no. 2, for real), the layout, the clear explanations and just 15 questions per day doesn’t make it feel like a heavy load in terms of studying. Clearly a lot of thought and detail went into the books and its clever study system makes it a complete package for those wishing to strengthen their『文字』,『語彙』and『文法』skills. Finishing the book over the course of 4 weeks leaves you plenty of time to study other things till the upcoming JLPT. Anybody also thinking of taking this year’s proficiency test, 一緒に頑張りましょうか！

Book Info
• title: にほんご500問 (book 1 初級 • book 2 中級 • book 3 上級)

• pages: book 1: 296 • book 2: 310 • book 3: 293

• dimensions: 20.8 x 15.2 cm

• extra: n/a

• language: Japanese – English – Chinese – Korean – Portugese

• publisher: ASK (www.ask-digital.co.jp)

• order: www.whiterabbitpress.com

• ISBN: book 1: 978-4872176889 • book 2: 978-4-87217-699-5 • book 3: 978-4-87217-708-4

• special Chokochoko rating: 90%