The writing skill is certainly one of the most (if not the most) difficult competence to improve. Especially in Japanese, where kanjis are to be taken into account. Let's try to find some methods to practice writing. No one to correct you? No matter! The first discouraging argument is: "if what I write is full..
つじあやの～かぜになる
This is the song 風になる from the singer つじあやの. It's the song from the Ghibli film The cat returns. https://youtu.be/-BRKURfRHso The lyrics: 忘れていた目を閉じて 取り戻せ 恋のうた 青空に隠れている 手を伸ばしてもう一度 取り戻す・とりもどす to take back, to regain, to get back, to recover 青空・あおそら blue sky 隠れる・かくれる to be hidden 伸ばす・のばす to reach out, to straighten 忘れないで すぐそばに僕がいる いつの日も 星空を眺めている 一人きりの夜明けも 星空・ほしぞら starry sky 眺める・ながめる to view, to gaze at 夜明け・よあけ dawn, daybreak..
どちらかが彼女を殺した～第３章～３
The third part of the third chapter, a very challenging part with a lot of vocabulary! 懲りる・こりる to learn by experience 暗証番号・あんしょうばんごう password number 精算・せいさん means fare adjustment. It's strange here with the 済ませる・すませる It certainly means that the subscription has been stopped. かすか faint, dim 名残・なごり remains, traces 突き止める・つきとめる to determine (a culprit, a cause) 忍び込む・しのびこむ to creep in, to steal in..
How to define one’s goals
I already posted about the importance of having several goals and write them down. But what is a goal? and how should we define them? This is my personal advice based on my experience, I hope it will work for you, too! Goals vs to-dos I hate to-do lists. I mean, I love creating to-do..
岡本敦郎 ～白い花の咲く頃
This song appears briefly in the film From up on poppy hills. The students sing it when holding their meeting. I think that it is a very beautiful song with a simple but moving text. It reminds me of the classical Chinese poems I used to read years ago. Feelings are described through landscape and..
Stay motivated: Define your goalS
Let your big goal make babies "When I am able to read literature in Japanese, I will start by Nobel Prizes". Thinking that I will read Kawabata and Oe in Japanese helps me stay motivated BUT if this were my only goal, I would feel discouraged and would eventually give up. Because it will be..
すーちゃん～６
My reading notes for the 6th story of すーちゃん, p.39 to 45. Reading Notes Suchan's mother asks "彼氏はおらんの？" I guess that she is asking her daughter whether she has a boyfriend or not but I don't understand the structure. Same for Suchan's answer, she says that whether she has a boyfriend or not, it has..
どちらかが彼女を殺した～第３章～２
The second part of chapter 3 goes from p.105 to 119 Reading Notes 遠縁・とおえん distant relative ノイローゼ neurosis 性に合う・せいにあう to be congenial, to agree with one 所轄・しょかつ jurisdiction こだわる to fuss over, to be particular about (it already appeared in the precedent part but I didn't remember it 😫) 気のせい・きのせい in one's imagination 封印・ふういん to stamp, to affix a seal 蘇る・よみがえる to..
Bungo Stray Dogs: a gate to Japanese literature
The manga Bungo Stray Dogs (文豪ストレイドッグス) is a manga written by Asagiri Kafka (朝霧カフカ) and illustrated by Harukawa Sango (春川３５). One particularity of the manga is that the characters of the series are named after great literature authors. For example, the main character, a 18 year-old boy who can turn into a white tiger, is..
坂本九～上を向いて歩こう～Sukiyaki
I have decided to also work on songs. I usually listen to instrumental music and I am not familiar with J-pop or contemporary Japanese music but it's never too late to start! The very first song of this blog is 上を向いて歩こう・うえをむいてあるこう from Sakamoto Kyu. It is a song from the early 60's which had made its..
Stay motivated: look back!
Take your measuring tape To stay motivated, measuring one's progress is essential. Even small progress is worth celebrate. No matter where you are now, one thing is certain, you are further than when you started, you have a knowledge you didn't have before you started Japanese. Measuring those progress and celebrate should punctuate your learning..
すーちゃん～５
The 5th story of すーちゃん goes from p. 32 to 38. Looks like we will finally be introduced to manager Nakata! (see p.17) Reading Notes 発注・はっちゅう placing an order Suchan is thinking that two colleagues are "saboting" their work because they are discussing and laughing together. I like this word "サボる", it means "to be..