Besides listening to jPod and blogging, my other online pastime is Magic: the Gathering Online. Magic is a collectible card game, and was the first. I realise that not everyone will realise what this means, so I'll give you a quick rundown: you buy packs of trading cards, which instead of having sportsmen on them, have pictures of fantastic monsters and wizards blowing each other up. Below this picture is a small box of text. You make up your own deck of these trading cards, find a friend, and play game of Magic with him/her. If you're still not sure what Magic is, this article on the official Magic site entitled "WHAT IS MAGIC?" might make it clearer. Magic is quite popular in Japan actually, so much so that tournament reports (yes,... Show more

Daniel here. Reporting for JapanesePod101.com. Japan, and especially Tokyo, is full of commuters; people going from the outside parts of Tokyo and the surrounding prefectures to work in the city, and students moving in all directions. Just this month, many of these commuters have had their commute habits simplified with the event of Pasmo, an IC (Integrated Circuit) card which can be used on most trains and busses in Japan. Japan’s transportation system is one of the most convenient in the world. Trains, subways, monorails, busses, ferry boats, and taxis can get you to your destination wherever that might be in this archipelago nation. Most people can get along fine without owning a car. While I do own a car, I mostly use it to go... Show more

I was just 5 minutes ago talking to someone on MSN about one of my vocab memorization techniques. The conversation started, as one usually does on MSN, as 'what are you doing'. It took me a while to explain, but my friend thought it was a good idea. He's learning English, but the principle is the same. I do it whenever I'm trying to memorize a lot of words. Maybe it'll work for you! Step 1: Open a search engine. For Chinese, I use 百度, for Japanese, one might try google.co.jp. Step 2: Click on the 'images' tab (remember it probably won't be in English though!) and write in the word. Let's take something from today's lesson; おめでとう meaning 'congratulations'. Step 3: Feast your eyes on all the lovely pictures. Each one has something... Show more

Recently, 爱香1 enrolled at a 上海大学校2　learning 中国語3. On Friday night, the whole department threw a party to welcome in the new school semester, and all their new students. But to tell you the truth, I guess 大学生 will take any excuse to party! As we went in, we were asked to write our names on a sticker, and stick it on ourselves. Probably so people who forgot our names wouldn't go all night calling us 'dude'. We were also asked to reach into a plastic bag and pull out a number. This was written on another sticker and stuck under our name. This didn't serve any purpose that I could see. I did see a guy whose number was '69' enthusiastically showing off his luck to his friends though. 爱香 introduced me to her classmates. I guess everyone... Show more

Daniel here. Reporting for JapanesePod101.com. Renewing a driver’s license can be a hassle in any country. Although this time, I was happy that I was able to renew my California’s driver’s license online (from Japan, no less!) with my credit card. Renewing my driver’s license here in Tokyo proved not to be as easy. My understanding is that if you have a clean record, you can renew your license at one of several locations around Tokyo. However, if you had an accident or a ticket, you have to go to the main testing center in the city of Fuchū (府中 in the West part of Metropolitan Tokyo). I had been involved in an accident. Had this accident happened in California it would have been 100% the other driver’s fault. However, the police in... Show more

I was in a local coffee shop when having breakfast when I heard something that always gets my attention. "わたしは。。。um...　日本。。。すみます。" This broken conversation was coming from the table next to me, and another table beyond that. I had of course noticed some 日本語 being spoken earlier, but had gone back to reading my newspaper. I couldn't think of any excuse to introduce myself and do some 話し練習1, but still was listening in. Someone had heard someone else at the table next to them speaking Japanese, and had introduced themselves. One group of four was visiting 上海, the other table of two lived here, and were imparting their knowledge. Here was the problem. Maybe some other jPod listeners can relate. I felt like jumping in and introducing... Show more

Daniel here. Reporting for JapanesePod101.com. Tokyo has no shortage of date spots. But, perhaps the most popular with the younger crowd (with the exception of Disneyland), is Odaiba (お台場). Odaiba is an manmade island in Tokyo Bay. It was originally built toward the end of the Edo Period (mid 19th Century) to protect Tokyo from attack by sea. After a failed attempt to make it into a high-rent district toward the end of the “bubble economy”, it was nearly abandoned. However, in the last ten years, it was rezoned as a commercial and entertainment district and has boomed in that capacity. The most common way for young people to reach Odaiba is by taking the Yurikamome (ゆりかもめ線) Line from Shinbashi (新橋), which is just a few stops from Tokyo... Show more

My girlfriend was writing a simple SMS for business. She often shows me the message before she sends it to make sure if the English is ok. It was something like: "Ok, thanks. See you on the 15th. " This was the last message of the SMS 'conversation'. I guess for this reason, she felt like it was missing a little something. "How do I write 「よろしくおねがいします」 in English?" she asked. 'Whoa,' I thought. How do I explain that the small island nation that she comes from is unique in the world with its layers of formality, unbroken dynasty, and turbulent history? How could I tell her how unique those 11 short syllables were in the linguistic pantheon of the world? How could I get that across in 5 seconds or less? I told her that we didn't... Show more

Since 中国1 is so close to 日本2 there are some 日本語3 words that almost everyone here knows. わたしは： Everyone knows how to introduce themselves. I guess it's the first (and sometimes, the only) thing that everyone learns how to say in Japanese. かわいい: Japanese people, particularly young girls, have a habit of yelling out this word at the top of their voices, while pointing at a small dog, foreign child, or tiny cellphone, where appropriate. Usually from the squeals of delight and giggling, the meaning can be ascertained. Also, it sounds very similar to the Chinese 可爱4, meaning 'cute' or 'lovely'. 何5： アニメ is shown daily here, with Chinese subtitles. A friend of mine told me that he often watches them, and somehow remembered this word. He... Show more

Daniel here. Reporting for JapanesePod101.com. In Tokyo there are many wonderful places to eat. Of course, there are many places to eat sushi, tempura, gyūdon (beef bowl), and other Japanese dishes. But sometimes, you want the taste of home. There are many diners (known here as family restaurants) like Denny’s which have pasta and other western type dishes on the menu (one side note: many Japanese people are surprised to learn that Denny’s did not begin in Japan). However, I find that most attempts at American food, or western food to be adjusted to the Japanese palate. Among the few places that come closest to tasting like home are McDonald’s and Mos Burger. But, if you want a really tasty burger in Tokyo, without having to fork out... Show more