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Attempting to master a foreign language is a big
undertaking, and if you want to become fluent someday you need
to jump in with both feet. Nearly all Japanese I've met who have
learned English really well were able to do so because they
embraced not just the language itself, but the culture behind
it, from music to movies to sports and more. When I was studying
Japanese at SDSU, I went out of my way to use the language as
much as I could, finding activities that helped make my studies
more fun. I read a lot of manga, which are much easier to read
than normal books and which provide lots of input of spoken
Japanese, since comic books contain lots of dialogue between
characters. I also learned about Japan through its popular
music, listening to tapes my Japanese friends made for me and
learning to sing Japanese songs at karaoke bars in San Diego. I
probably overdid it a little -- when I was dating my wife in the
early 90s, she was amazed that there could be an American who
hadn't heard of singer Michael Bolton (who was at the top of his
career at the time). I had listened to so much Japanese music I
had missed him entirely.
Although Japanese kitchens are well stocked
with spoons, forks and knives, most meals in Japan are eaten
with chopsticks. Children usually learn to use chopsticks around
the age of 4, when they start attending preschool, and this is
quite possibly the first of many adjustments to the larger
Japanese group that children have in their school lives. Every
foreigner living in Japan knows the anguish of being told by a
Japanese person "hashi ga jozu" ("you use
chopsticks very well"). While one popular response is to
compliment the speaker on their use of a knife and fork, I've
found you can have more fun telling them "okagesama
de" (oh-KA-gay sah-mah deh). This is a complex phrase which
literally means "Yes, thanks to you," almost as if you
had leaned how to use chopsticks from the person, even though
you've never met them before. The phrase is a useful way of
showing Japanese-style humility whenever someone compliments you
on something, and since few would expect a gaijin to know it,
it's fun to see their surprised expressions.
J-List offers many cool magazines from Japan
via our revolving reserve subscription service, making it easy
to get the newest anime, manga, JPOP, toy, and mature magazines
sent to you every month. Some of the most popular monthlies are
fashion magazines that let you keep your finger on contemporary
Tokyo style, like FRUiTs (Harajuku street fashion), Kera (urban
+ gothic), Egg ("kogal" fashions for free-spirited
Tokyo girls), and Super Cawaii (the newest fashion trends, worn
by Japan's top models). Men in Tokyo can be quite fashionable
too, and for guys who want to be in sync with Japan's trends we
recommend the newly-posted Men's Egg, which reports on what's
hot and what's cool in Japan. All magazines we offer via our
direct subscription service are loaded with beautiful color
photographs, so you can enjoy them even if you don't read
Japanese.
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