Molly Des Jardin is a language and computer nerd who came to study Japanese, and later book and media history of modern Japan. She quickly got sucked into both for the long term and enjoyed the ‘B-kyu’ adventures she got … Continue reading →
Aug 22, 2021 • Subscribe
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How to Japanese Podcast – S02E13 – Mercedez Clewis – Intensive Japanese Study, JET Program, Writing/Localizing
Mercedez Clewis is a Japanese to English localization editor and proofreader as well as a pop culture writer and critic with websites like, Anime Feminist, But Why Tho,…
How to Japanese Podcast – S02E07 – Jason Coskrey – Immersion, Sports Writing in Japan
Jason Coskrey is a sports writer for The Japan Times. He previously worked at the Birmingham Post Herald and the Marietta Daily Journal before moving to Japan in…
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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…
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…
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…
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 – 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,…
A (Humourous) Guide to the Japanese Language
So the other day I was taking a nice, nightly stroll around Kawaramachi after watching Godzilla: King of the Monsters (which was actually a good movie) and caught…
How to Japanese Podcast – 号外 – Pre-JET Japanese Triage
Extra extra, read- er, hear all about it! Special edition of the How to Japanese Podcast! This is an audio version of a presentation I gave to departing…
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号外 - How to Japanese Podcast Season 2
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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 – 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…
Sendai Unearths Old Meiji-Era Transportation History
Tsunami recovery efforts in Sendai have unearthed a canal relay station and a point of local transit history.
How to Japanese Podcast – S02E20 – Instinctual Nattō and Introversion
On the final episode this season, I talk about the importance of celebrating your little victories as you study a language. And in Japanese, I think about how…
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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…
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Adjectives in Japanese are not always what they appear to be! I think part of this is because they function as what I call “performative adjectives.” One of…
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You don’t have to go very far to be a tourist, and looking at the world with that mindset can also be helpful for language study. In this…
How to Japanese Podcast – S02E16 – Pools and 趣味
What’s something that surprised you about Japan that was completely ordinary? For me it was the access to swimming pools. Living in Japan changed my relationship with swimming…
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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…
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On the final episode this season, I talk about the importance of celebrating your little victories as you study a language. And in Japanese, I think about how…
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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 – S03E07 – Murakami Bibliography – 2006-2023
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How to Japanese Podcast – Episode 43 – それが
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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…
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How to Speak Japanese Naturally
Learn Japanese with Yuta: https://bit.ly/3OY3G5c Support me on Patreon: https://goo.gl/aiWNd5 Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatYuta Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatyuta/ Facebook: https://bit.ly/381qpHS Blog: http://www.yutaaoki.com/blog/
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