Search results
125 results, page 1 of 3
Sentence Diagramming
I just sent out the newsletter for April. This month I focused on diagramming Japanese sentences. This is something I’ve been trying to do recently to get a…
お湯割り
In the newsletter this month I wrote about 角ハイ (kakuhai). This is a combination of 角瓶 (kakubin), Suntory’s flagship whiskey, and ハイボール (highball), a mixed drink made from…
まとめる
Bringing things together - How to Japanese - February 2024
How to Japanese Podcast – Episode 48 – The 1,000-yen Haircut and まとめる
On the podcast this month, I continued the conversation about value in Japan, specifically looking at the 1,000-yen men’s haircut, which I think is one of the worst…
Thrifting, Retaining Value, and the New Translation of Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World – Podcast Episode 47
I come from a family of thrifters and hoarders. It’s not fatal—we throw out our trash regularly and occasionally sort through the pantry—but we do accumulate stuff. And…
いろいろ December 2023
I ran out of space over at the newsletter this month, so I thought I’d share the いろいろ section on the blog instead. Podcast link at the bottom!…
How to Japanese Podcast – Episode 45 – コロケーション
I finally managed to see John Wick: Chapter 4. It only came out in Japan in September, six months after it’s initial release. In the newsletter this month,…
スミマセン
Visual communication - How to Japanese - October 2023
How to Japanese Podcast – Episode 44 – スミマセン
In the newsletter this month, I took a look at 非外来語のカタカナ表記 (non-gairaigo katakana notation), which is a complicated way of saying “katakana used to write words that are…
Prophecy
Year 1: Boobs, The Wind, Baseball, Lederhosen, Eels, Monkeys, and Doves Year 2: Hotel Lobby Oysters, Condoms, Spinning Around and Around, 街・町, The Town and Its Uncertain Wall, A Short Piece on the Elephant that Crushes Heineken Cans Year…
それが
An interesting conjunction - How to Japanese - September 2023
How to Japanese Podcast – Episode 43 – それが
Ahoy! Here’s the podcast, kanjilubbers! This month I’m talking about the message behind the message, inspired in part by my high school calculus teacher, Dr. Collins. Check out…
Editing Norwegian Wood
Year 1: Boobs, The Wind, Baseball, Lederhosen, Eels, Monkeys, and Doves Year 2: Hotel Lobby Oysters, Condoms, Spinning Around and Around, 街・町, The Town and Its Uncertain Wall, A Short Piece on the Elephant that Crushes Heineken Cans Year…
Old Shoes
Year 1: Boobs, The Wind, Baseball, Lederhosen, Eels, Monkeys, and Doves Year 2: Hotel Lobby Oysters, Condoms, Spinning Around and Around, 街・町, The Town and Its Uncertain Wall, A Short Piece on the Elephant that Crushes Heineken Cans Year…
Booze Bus
Year 1: Boobs, The Wind, Baseball, Lederhosen, Eels, Monkeys, and Doves Year 2: Hotel Lobby Oysters, Condoms, Spinning Around and Around, 街・町, The Town and Its Uncertain Wall, A Short Piece on the Elephant that Crushes Heineken Cans Year…
The Closet Massacre
Welcome to Year 16 of Murakami Fest! This year, as hinted in last month’s newsletter and podcast, I’ll be continuing my look at 遠い太鼓 (Distant Drums), Murakami’s travel…
のだ
A subtle but important tip for written Japanese - How to Japanese - August 2023
How to Japanese Podcast – Episode 42 – のだ
I remember vividly learning how to use んだ in Japanese. My third year teacher did a section on storytelling/explaining, and she had us tell different stories over and…
漢字
Kanji strategies for rookies and veterans - How to Japanese - July 2023
How to Japanese Podcast – Episode 41 – Kanji
I have such good memories of the Fourth of July 2021. It was a perfect day in Chicago. Clear and warm but not hot, and when the sun…
How to Japanese Podcast – S03E10 – Review of The City and Its Uncertain Walls
It took me two months, but I finally got through my review of The City and Its Uncertain Walls. Here are my thoughts. The review itself is online…
The Stakes in “Tears of the Kingdom”
This year has been a bit of a wash so far in terms of my own productivity. I caught COVID in early January, fell into a Murakami hole…
村上
Immediate Reactions to Murakami's New Novel - How to Japanese - April 2023
How to Japanese Podcast – S03E09 – Immediate Reactions to Murakami’s New Novel
Good God, that’s Murakami Haruki’s music! 街とその不確かな壁 (The City and Its Uncertain Walls/The Town and Its Uncertain Wall) launched today in Japan, and holy moly, it’s a wild…
How to Japanese Podcast – S03E08 – Predictions for Murakami’s New Novel
It’s the final podcast before publication of the new Murakami novel! I go over some Murakami vocabulary, predictions I have for the novel, and some comments about potential…
How to Japanese Podcast – S03E07 – Murakami Bibliography – 2006-2023
This week is the third part of my look at Murakami’s complete bibliography. See my Google Sheet version of all this information and follow along with the podcast…
How to Japanese Podcast – S03E06 – Murakami Bibliography – 1988-2005
This week is the second part of my look at Murakami’s complete bibliography. See my Google Sheet version of all this information and follow along with the podcast…
How to Japanese Podcast – S03E05 – Murakami Bibliography – 1979-1987
This week on the podcast I’m taking a close look at Murakami’s complete bibliography for the first eight years of his career. See my Google Sheet version of…
How to Japanese Podcast – S03E04 – Murakami Novel Power Rankings
It’s finally time – here are my Murakami Novel Power Rankings! I spent the last two months re-reading Murakami’s novels, and I feel prepared to put them in…
How to Japanese Podcast – S03E03 – Murakami’s Origin Story
This week, I take a look at Murakami’s famous origin story with the help of writer and translator Matt Schley. We looked at ten different accounts of the…
How to Japanese Podcast – S03E02 – The Murakami Season
Well, I’ve had a week to mull over the title announcement for the new Murakami novel, and I’m still just as stunned as I was last week. Here’s…
街
The Town, and Murakami's New Novel - How to Japanese - March 2023
How to Japanese Podcast – S03E01 – Emergency Murakami Podcast
We have the title for the new Murakami novel due out on April 13! It’s the same title as a 1980 novella that Murakami disavowed as a “failed…
SWET Event – Blogging, Podcasts, and Translation
Last minute notice, but I’ll be participating in an event for SWET (Society of Writers, Editors, and Translators) this Saturday Japan time (Friday evening U.S. time). Really excited…
美術館
A very short message this month about museums - How to Japanese - February 2023
甘えたい
A bit late, but 新年おめでとうございます！ The newsletter went out a couple weeks back, and I wrote a little about 甘える (amaeru), a word that is extremely difficult to…
甘える
Brute forcing difficult words - How to Japanese - January 2023
書き言葉
Tone in Written Japanese - How to Japanese - December 2022
More on だけ
Quick follow-up on my newsletter from last month about the particle だけ (dake). I mostly discussed the non-“only” meaning of the word, which can be replaced with くらい…
Movies in Japan
I wish I kept better track of all the movies I’ve seen in theaters in Japan. The first was some sort of French film at a small theater…
Monthly Manga
For the newsletter this month, I wrote about reading monthly manga magazines. It’s been a revelation. Like suddenly being subscribed to 20 random Netflix shows you didn’t know…
購読
Searching for what comes easily and naturally - How to Japanese - October 2022