Google 2011 Japan Earthquake Crisis Resources

The coming of the cherry blossoms is such a big deal in Japan that there are forecasts on the news and on the web for the sakura zensen or ‘cherry blossom front’.  Basically the blossoms start in the southernmost part of Japan in the early spring and move north throughout the country until reaching the northernmost island of Hokkaido in early May.  The sakura zensen is tracked with the same precision and importance that would be given to the approach of an oncoming typhoon.

There are many great resources on the web for tracking, viewing, and reading about the sakura, hanami, and sakura zensen.  Here are a few good ones to get you started:

Hot off the Press! The 2011 forecast from Japan-guide.com

National Geographic’s Cherry Blossom Photos

Absolute Japan – Photographs of Sakura

Ueno Park -  Hanami!

Japan Meteorological Society – Tracks the Sakura Zensen

Wikipedia’s Hanami Page

About.com – Hanami in Japan

There is a very entertaining travelogue written by Will Ferguson called Hitching Rides With Buddha that tells the story of Ferguson (a Canadian) hitchhiking the entire length of Japan from southern tip to northern tip following the cherry blossom front.  It is an absolutely great read!  Check it out here:

The most obvious challenge to Japanese translation is that their system of writing is completely different than the 26 letter Latin alphabet. Japanese use characters that each designate a syllable (Hiragana and Katakana) or an entire word (Kanji). The ability to read and write a significant number of Japanese characters is something that takes time. Even a relatively simple task of coming up with a Japanese translation of your name would require the use of at least 5-7 Katakana characters. There are many very good English/Japanese dictionaries available and having one is essential to your learning.

There is a system of writing that is commonly accepted will get you halfway to your Japanese translation without knowing any Japanese characters:  Romaji. This is “Romanized” Japanese which uses the Latin alphabet to spell out Japanese words by the way they sound. It is not ‘true’ Japanese, but almost anyone in Japan would be able to read and understand it as Romaji is taught in schools, and it is the primary system of inputting Japanese on computers and electronic devices that do not support Japanese characters. Most Japanese language programs and texts rely heavily on Romaji because without it, the new language learner would be lost.

One other challenge to Japanese translation is that there are many words in the Japanese language that have no English equivalent. There are many times that Japanese words with English translation just do not exist which can complicate your learning.  This is primarily a result of the Japanese culture being so different from Western culture. The Japanese have ideas and concepts that just do not exist in the west and therefore cannot be translated into English.

One other aspect of the language that makes Japanese translation difficult is that there are many words and phrases that could be different based on the situation. Gender, seniority, and social class can determine whether one word (or word form) is used over another. Fortunately there are fairly straightforward guidelines for those distinctions, but as in any language, exceptions exist.

So is Japanese translation impossible? Absolutely not! It is a challenging journey but one that can be accomplished with the right attitude, time, and the right tools. A great place to start is a computer based learning program like Rocket Japanese and a good Japanese/English dictionary.

Click here for the ultimate Japanese language program

The first and easiest way is to use Romaji, which is using the Roman alphabet, to spell out Japanese words.  Next, we can write it using Hiragana which is a way to write out the individual syllables, and finally, we can write it using the Japanese Kanji symbols.  So here is what  ‘Japanese’ looks like:

The word Japanese in Romaji is:

Nihongo

Using Hiragana it would be written as:

にほんご

Finally, written in Kanji, Japanese looks like this:

There you have it!  Now you know how to write ‘Japanese’ in Japanese.

Want to learn more? Click here for the quickest, most effective Japanese language course available

Studying and learning a new language can be an exciting and challenging venture. For the Westerner, Japanese is quite heavy on the challenge. However, with the right Japanese language lesson choices, it can be very fun too.

Japan’s long history as an isolated country has led to a distinct culture and a language that is radically different from English. The writing system, grammar, and pronunciation are all unique, which create special challenges. This is not meant to discourage you. In fact, the good news is that there are many great resources of study and review materials available today.

The most effective method would be to study at a language school in Japan or at a school with native speaking instructors. This is obviously not realistic for most people. College classes or private tutors are generally impractical as well, due to scheduling and cost.

That still leaves aspiring students with a massive amount of Japanese language lesson options available to them. CDs, books, videos…unfortunately it can be overwhelming trying to choose the right method. In addition, it is very easy to keep buying more books and more discs, and pretty soon the money outlay becomes quite large.

Some people are very visual learners and like to read material, while others learn best by listening. Regardless of your preferred learning style, it has been proven that a combination of many different media types is the most effective way to learn. By working your brain from multiple angles, retention is greatly improved and interest in the material remains high. The importance of staying interested and engaged in your studies can not be underestimated.

While the use of traditional media still has its place, the solution for the most effective tool to study Japanese is clear: the computer. There are many great computer programs available today for people that want to learn Japanese (or any other language for that matter). Advantages include:

• Cost – much less than classes or a whole pile of books and CDs
• Convenience – study when and where you want for as long (or short) as you want
• Engaging – with games and quizzes
• Fun – by using multimedia, studying is not boring
• Ongoing – most programs have additional modules or upgrades

Not all programs are well-rounded, though. Look for one that utilizes speech, text, and video as well as games and quizzes to keep you fully involved.

There is one more very important point: prices and program styles vary quite a bit and what works well for one person may not work for somebody else. Many programs offer a free trial period; this is an important feature to look for. It’s a major plus to be able to try before you buy.

Try before you buy! Click here for a free Japanese language lesson course!

Web Japan Information about Japan covering many different subjects including culture, sightseeing, society, history and nature. Web Japan is sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan Website that covers Japanese foreign policy, economic affairs, and other governmental relations between Japan and the rest of the world.

Japan Society The website of Japan Society, a New York based non profit institution that hosts a wide variety of events and offers countless opportunities to experience Japanese culture in the US

Japanese Language Wikipedia Page

Japan Today Great website offering a very comprehensive selection of Japanese news and discussion.

MEXT Website of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology

National Museum of Japanese History

The University of Tokyo The official website of the prestigious University of Tokyo.

Japan National Tourism Organization Don’t leave home without it!

Japanese Castle Explorer One of the most comprehensive sites on the web covering the rich history of Japan’s castles, a must if you are going to Japan and want to visit any of Japan’s wonderful castles.

1. Kotoba (free) – The best and most in-depth Japanese dictionary app available and it’s FREE!
2. Kanji (by LimaSky, $0.99) – Covers 2040 Kanji characters for only a buck.
3. iTranslate (free for lite version) – Not specific to Japanese, actually covers over 50 languages.
4. iKana Touch ($4.99) – Best app for learning the kana.  Uses flashcards, tests, and a chalkboard to teach stroke order.
5. Sushipedia (free) – The name pretty much says it all, unbelievable database for the sushi lover.
6. Kanji Pop ($1.99) – A very fun way to test yourself on your Kanji progress with 127 testing levels.
7. RadioJapan ($1.99) – Over 100 Japanese radio stations available 24/7 on your phone -how cool is that?
8. Japanese (Rakudoor, $2.99) – A comprehensive vocabulary program, with over 8000 words.
9. JLPT Study (free or $3.99 for full) – 8500 words and 2000 Kanji that you’ll need to know for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test.
10. iZen Garden (free for lite version) – A fun little virtual Zen garden with rocks, rakes, and more.

Of course this is by no means a totally comprehensive list and there are new apps coming to market daily, but this should give you some great resources to help expand and complement your Japanese studies.

“Obamu – v. To triumph over obstacles by acting with unfounded optimism.  Taking Barack Obama’s “Yes we can!” mantra as inspiration, this Japanese neologism has become a popular term of encouragement in tweets and blogs, often for friends suffering kobamu (rejection).”

Anybody that is interested in learning Japanese should seriously consider Rocket Japanese.  We have found it to be the best of the Japanese language products available and also the most comprehensive.  Read the Rocket Japanese review below to find out why the product has gotten thousands of people all over the world learning Japanese in the comfort of their own home and at their own pace.

Before we go any further we would like to point out one of the things that makes this product miles better than anything else that is on the market:  Before you have to spend even one cent you can sign up for the FREE Rocket Japanese Sample Course.

Each day (for six days) you will receive in your inbox a lesson so you can begin learning Japanese with no risk. You can see what Rocket Japanese is all about, then decide if you would like to purchase the full program.  What is most often the case with this program is that people sign up for the sample course and within a few days are hooked and wish to purchase the full Rocket Japanese Premium course (it’s that good!).

Rocket Japanese review

Included in the Rocket Japanese Premium package is

• 31 interactive Audio Course lessons
• 31 language and cultural lessons
• Mega Vocab software learning game
• Mega Audio software learning game
• Mega Hiragana software learning game
• Rocket Japanese quizzes, self-tests and certificate tests.
• Full access to the Rocket Japanese Community Forum and teachers

The thing that we love about Rocket Japanese and what makes it better than all of the other Japanese language programs that are currently on the market is its interactive element.  Granted, the Rocket Japanese audio lessons are much like any other Japanese language program.  However, the point of difference is with the software learning games that are included in the language package.  It’s great to be able to learn a new language and have fun at the same time.

Another reason why this Rocket Japanese review states that the program is a cut above the rest is the Japanese Learner’s Forum where you can converse with the Rocket Japanese team and other people that are learning Japanese. When you are starting out learning a new language it is more than likely that you will have many questions.  Forums such as these are really good because you will find many people have the same questions and others will be more than happy to help you out and point you in the right direction.

One thing that needs to be mentioned in this Rocket Japanese Review is the low price point of this product compared to the others available online. Currently Rocket Languages has a special on Rocket Japanese Premium – instead of paying $299.95 for the package you can buy a lifetime access to the downloadable version for $99.95. This is fantastic and seems like they are almost giving the product away. It would cost you more money to enlist the help of a private Japanese tutor for a couple of hours than it would to purchase this interactive language-learning package.

We hope this Rocket Japanese Review has been helpful. If you’d like to learn more about Rocket Japanese or sign up for their free six-day course, simply click on the link below.

Click here for full details about Rocket Japanese

Many people are scared by the fact that Japanese is written with characters (Kana and Kanji) that have no resemblance to our alphabet. If you are going to learn Japanese then you will need to learn a whole new set of written characters (which can be as much or more fun than learning the spoken words). The good news for beginners Japanese however, is that there is another system of writing Japanese called Romaji.

Romaji is the “Romanized” Japanese, spelled out with the standard 26 letter Latin alphabet. Nearly all native Japanese speakers know Romaji as it is taught in schools in Japan. The use of Romaji is a great help for beginners Japanese because one can concentrate on the words and word sounds without having to simultaneously be learning a whole new system of writing.

The key for beginners Japanese is to learn the vowel sounds (since they do differ from English) as well as a few other sounds that are unique to Japanese. The best way to do this is to listen to the sounds and repeat. A good computer-based learning program is invaluable in this part of the learning process. Having the ability to play, listen, and repeat the sounds will speed the learning process greatly.

Here is a quick introduction to Japanese vowel sounds to get you started:

Games and quizzes are another great learning tool for beginners Japanese. It is one thing to go through some material and think “I’ve got it” but having some form of testing after that will reinforce what you know and point out areas where you need to improve. Rocket Japanese is an excellent program for the new language learner, as it incorporates tests, hours and hours of audio, the ability to repeat sections as you need, and more.

At some point you will outgrow or go beyond beginners Japanese and it is important to choose a learning system that will grow with you. Rocket Japanese has the flexibility to grow with you and your language learning. The program offers forums and support as well as upgrades to the program to ensure that you won’t outgrow it. No one system will teach you everything, but for beginners Japanese, Rocket Japanese is an excellent choice for a fun, comprehensive program that will have you speaking Japanese in no time!

Click here for the ultimate Japanese language program