Original Sources to Supplement Your Learning

[markystar]

It goes without saying original sources are a great way to supplement your education.

Since they are intended for native speakers, original sources often tend to be difficult until a relatively high level of mastery is achieved. But not everything is out of reach and often trying to understand your favorite movie or manga in the original can be an exciting, fun and gratifying challenge.


Unfortunately, you can only choose one, so vote for the one you use the most, then make a quick post to tell us about the other original sources you use.

[markystar]

after i made this poll, i decided to take it. and wow.
it's really hard to choose just one.

next time i'll ask a better question.

anyways, for me, it goes in waves.

recently, i've been listening religiously to perfume and capsule.
i feel it's good for listening. also, at karaoke it's good for improving reading speed and pronunciation. and it's fun cuz it's cool music.

there are a lot of books about japanese history that come out every month. sometimes in a long series. these are great as you can keep getting fresh material. i use computers a lot, so it's good to get out there and read knowing that when you come to an unknown kanji or word, you can't just turn on rikai-chan.

my neighborhood watering hole has a blog that documents the exploits of the previous night. it's written with an incredible amount of slang and is quite a challenge to get through, but it's fun to see the comments everyone makes.

occasionally, i watch japanese movies. but usually only samurai movies, i don't know if this is going to help my daily use japanese, but when a crazy white guy busts out some archaisms at a party, it usually goes over pretty well.

i don't read manga, i don't watch anime and hardly ever watch tv. i don't read magazines much, except the occasional nerdy history magazine.

[Taurus]

I find if I watch Japanese movies I just end up reading the subtitles, but my girlfriend watches a lot of Japanese TV (recorded and sent over to us by her friends). I find much of it is beyond my Japanese comprehension, but she mostly watches Japanese comedy, which is fairly visual, so I still enjoy watching it, and I'm sure it must be doing me some good.

[Javizy]

I've been reading manga for quite a while. I've been finding Death Note really good because the anime is practically word for word on the manga, so I've been reading, making vocabulary lists, and then seeing what I can pick up from listening. I tried this about a year ago, but it was way too difficult. Even now, I've learned loads of grammar from the first four volumes alone.

I watch movies occasionally, but although I can pick up lots of sentences through listening, I rely on subtitles to follow the plot. I'd like to learn to read books as soon as possible, since this has got to be one of the best ways of reviewing, and seeing in context, massive amounts of language and kanji.

[Psy]

The problem with this poll is you can only choose one...

In order:
Japanese novels, books, magazines
A Japanese kid's novel, some tourist pamphlets, a Japanese->Japanese dictionary, and the asahi/yomiuri shimbun.

Japanese TV
I watch a hokkaido news broadcast and occasionally the TBS online news. In addition (if you count it), I subscribe to the Ninja Warrior Podcasts and block the subtitles with my fingers when I watch. By doing this I've gotten to where I usually understand most of what I hear.

Anime
Just because I'm not a fanatic doesn't mean I don't enjoy it every so often. To get around the subtitle problem, it's simple-- just turn them off, or (assuming they're hard subs), cover part the screen with a piece of paper. To properly understand in Japanese you've really got to stop thinking in English, otherwise things will move too fast for you.

Japanese blogs
Very occasionally I read the blogs of a couple of Japanese folks I've met in person.

[QuackingShoe]

Dude, you didn't put games on there.
Other than games, though, manga.

[oomae]

Oh yes. I think playing computer games is one good way. My brother plays many Japanese on-line games and he communicates with Japanese players too. Too bad I've not much interest in those games... I only watch Japanese drama and listen to pop songs sometimes.

[markystar]

Dude, you didn't put games on there.

lol
how did i overlook that?
that's the only reason i even own a DS

[Psy]

Dude, you didn't put games on there.

lol
how did i overlook that?
that's the only reason i even own a DS

I don't have a DS... but it's the only reason I want a DS...

[elau1986]

Ive been watching many Japanese Dramas, and thats where I learn most of my vocabulary and reinforce what I've learned.

[untmdsprt]

I've been watching Code Blue, and Bloody Monday. I've also found a place where I can download the RAW versions of Japanese movies (no subtitles), and try to figure out what they're saying. I haven't been to the theater yet to see a Japanese movie, mainly because I haven't seen any worth viewing.

While on the trains, I'll try to read the advertisements before my next stop.

I own a DS and buying the Japanese versions of my favorite games. At least I'm getting better with katakana.

My boyfriend has stopped going with me to the bookstore. Every time we went, I'd head straight for the children section to find some good vocabulary books. Other customers were wondering if were going to be having babies since I bought a bunch of books for that age group. No babies, but my vocabulary is improving!

[geekgyrl]

I've been watching Chi's Sweet Home. It's slow enough that I can follow along after a couple of views, but it's equally challenging because the dialog uses more plain form than polite Japanese.

[Yamanchu]

I bought Gulliver, Treasure Island and Robinson Crusoe a while ago. They're probably about the level of a grade 3 or 4 school student. While having some unusual vocabulary because of the topic they are an interesting change to the usual study.