Learn and Teach Japanese

amusing videos from Yamaha Motors:

The company apparently collaborated with a local culinary institute and ryokan in Shizuoka to introduce bento showcasing Yamaha vehicles. The one for Japanese New Years' Day would be useful in introducing osechi ryori.
http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/global/vehicle-bento/

Mr. Nagakawa (永川優樹) and his incredible work... great shots of what it is like to walk through different parts of Tokyo.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL17E318160C710C64

Browse for more of his work at
http://www.youtube.com/user/egawauemon/videos?view=1

2013-04-03

learning to type in Japanese

Google Japan demonstrated their "patapata"; input method.
Google 日本語入力パタパタバージョン http://youtu.be/HzUDAaYMNsA

2013-03-26

video - Fukushima disaster +24 months

Two years on: this 5 minute youtube video includes many comments by local people (with subtitles).

Cross linking from full article, http://japanfocus.org/events/view/177

LINK, http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vhm_mpXTQKE

Context: Dr David McNeill is the Japan correspondent for The Chronicle of Higher Education and writes for The Independent and Irish Times newspapers. He covered the nuclear disaster for all three publications, has been to Fukushima ten times since 11 March 2011, and has written the book Strong in the Rain (with Lucy Birmingham) about the disasters. He is an Asia-Pacific Journal coordinator.

2013-02-13

art exchange 2013 - elementary & middle schools

In a few weeks my town hosts an annual art exhibit: the USA children's artwork from fall 2012 is paired with summer 2012 artwork from our sister city in Shiga-ken. Then we sent art to Japan for display in their town library in summer 2013. Among Michigan's sister city interchange of student art, this is the biggest. A small sample of the artwork from elementary grades 1-6 and a few pieces from middle school are online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=HE4TABaj2Fg
Other years are recounted at http://mishigan.blogspot.com

2013-02-10

clearance: Japanese Teachers' NET

http://www.japaneseteachers.net/ will end service on February 28 with collected resources

to migrate over to a colleague's site, http://www.japteach.com

This process may take many weeks, so the quickest way to browse and save materials from J.T.net is to visit before the Feb. 28 closure date.

2013-02-05

fun online media links (updates)

thanks to Sachiko R. for this:

The media links page on the Fun Japanese website is divided into the following categories: TV, newspapers, radio, magazines, videos, web-based sites, facebook and twitter, and blogs. http://www.members.shaw.ca/renovich/funjapanese/

<> The NHK for School site has clips (1-2 minutes) with clearly pronounced Japanese that might be useful for a starting point of a discussion.
<> Fuji TV has an especially large section on games in the Fujiterebi*Puranettsu section. Older cultural games are still available on the website at
http://www.fujitv.co.jp/game/land/index.html (Click on Seasons)
<> The children's newspapers have furigana to help with the kanji. Yomiuri Kodomono News Weekly seems to have a short manga with each article that could be used as a visual aid.
<> NHK Radio News lets you choose between different speeds to build your listening skills. The NHK News Web has the written version so that you can listen and read at the same time. (Though the intonation on the NHK News Web stories seem a little bit off, or is that just my perception?)
<> Brad Kremer's "Hayaku: A Time Lapse Journey through Japan" is highly recommended.
<> The Japan Forum's Click Nippon website has been renewed with the current focus on fashion in Japan.

2013-02-02

U.S.A. high school students to Japan - J.E.T.

...application for the 2013 JET Memorial Invitation Program for U.S. High School Students, please make sure to have your candidate registered by then.

There are three important dates for this program:

1. February 8th, 2013 (5pm Eastern Time): Applicants, through their Japanese language teacher, must sign up for the 2013 National Japanese Exam (NJE) organized by AATJ. If you are not a member of AATJ, you will need to become a member first and there is a $40 membership fee. The 2013 test is required for applying to JET-MIP.

2. March 1st through April 10th, 2013: Teacher must administer the online exam to the candidate and then print out their scores.

3. April 17th, 2013: JET-MIP applications, including NJE scores and transcript, must be mailed by the applicant's Japanese language teacher to JFLA by this date (NO FAXES or EMAILS).

For more information, please visit the 2013 JET-MIP page and if you have any further questions, please contact the program coordinator below.
http://www.jflalc.org/jle-jet-mip.html

Thomas Lin
2013 JET-MIP Coordinator
5700 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 100
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323-761-7510x109/105

2013-01-29

JP gov videos, diverse subjects

thanks to Sachiko R:

...promotional videos about Japan. [examples]
http://nettv.gov-online.go.jp/eng/index.html

Japan. Tomorrow Starts Here is a 3-minute video about highlighting Japan's direction for the future.
http://nettv.gov-online.go.jp/eng/prg/prg2913.html

The Emperor and Empress' visits to various countries including his first visit to Canada and the US in 1953.
http://nettv.gov-online.go.jp/eng/prg/prg2654.html

Souvenirs of Japan Contest, http://nettv.gov-online.go.jp/eng/prg/prg1784.html
Iwako Erasers, http://www.iwako.com/
Irodori Edo Kiriko, http://www.edokiriko.com/irodori1.htm
Kenji Kumakura Channel, http://www.youtube.com/user/kikukagome?feature=watch

2013-01-27

healthy school lunches in Japan

thanks to Dan C. for these two links,

On Japan's school lunch menu: A healthy meal made from scratch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9chwTD-fOJg AND
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cefa8S6aRBY

2013-01-22

website, 400 years of British - Japanese relations

cross-posted from H-Japan at www.h-net.org

2013 marks the 400th anniversary of Japan-British relations. King James l sent Tokugawa Ieyasu and Hidetada presents and a letter, which were
received in September, 1613. The letter survives in Tokyo University.
Ieyasu received a telescope - the first ever sent to Asia - and Hidetada a precious cup and cover. The Shogun reciprocated with two suits of armour
(which are extant), and Ieyasu gave five pairs of gold screens (lost) and a shuuinjo, which survives in Oxford University. A vast number of events is planned for 2013, including a major show at the British Museum which will open 400 to the day after the date of the shuuinjo. We aim for '400 connections for 400 years',

http://www.japan400.com

2013-01-19

2 ways for browser to do kanji look-up

Thanks to S.C. for the first mention:

Google Chrome is an alternative browser (others are Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari, and so on) known for it's speed and security as well as "extensibility" - it supports apps, extensions (in browser functions), themes, and a webstore for finding these tools.
Furigana Injector from Akira Kurogane is an extension to Chrome that (on a click) looks up the readings for kanji words and inserts them inline as furigana.
It also provides quick dictionary lookup (mousable), supports kanji levels (based on "most common kanji" count.
You can find Google Chrome at http://google.com/chrome
Once you install Chrome, you can add the extension by visiting the Google Chrome Web Store
- search for "furigana";
- look under the extensions tab
- install Furigana Injector from (Akira Kurogane)
- the Injector waits for a Japanese Language page before "volunteering" to help

And thanks to S.T. at Asia Pacific World for reply with even better alternative:

There is another plugin with similar functionality called rikaichan. I have used it for several years, and rather prefer it to Furigana Injector. Rikaichan was created for Firefox, but now there is a version for Chrome called Rikaikun.

After using Furigana Injector for just a few minutes, it is easy to see that rikaichan is substantially smoother and less glitchy. And even within the first few words of Furigana Injector's "welcome page", you can see an advantage of rikaichan / rikaikun. In the sample Japanese text there, Furigana Injector separates 医学生 into 医学 and 生, providing a separate pop-up translation for each part, whereas rikaichan / rikaikun recognizes the whole thing as one word, and translates it as a whole.

2013-01-11

links page, "fun in Japanese"

Thanks to S. Renovich:

...a page of links called "Language Learning" on the Fun Japanese website.

http://www.members.shaw.ca/renovich/funjapanese
see also http://members.shaw.ca/funwithwordsinjapanese/

Nihongo E-na made by The Japan Foundation Language Institute in Kansai has a wealth of information about various websites and new sites are added on a regular basis. I also like the fact that the feature website and e!Kore Q & A changes each time you click to go to the website. The introductions to the websites are very useful in getting an overview to the sites, especially if you are visiting for the first time.

AJALT's website has an interactive section called "Life in Japan Mitokotto" which was quite entertaining. You can explore so many places in the town and watch real-life situations such as asking for directions, listening to train announcements, and ordering food.

For Japanese textbooks that have study material on-line, you will find their links.

On the Teachers page, I have also added a link to Tachibana-sensei's "Nihongo Ganbatte."

2012-12-20

mythology website

part of the cultural literacy in learning Japanese:

official site of mythology made by Shimane prefecture, http://www.japanesemythology.jp/
<2012 is 1300th anniversary of Kojiki>

2012-12-05

practice listening to Japanese

[keep up with live, spoken Japanese] nice short podcasts of interviews on business and other topics: http://www.nhk.or.jp/r-asa/

2012-12-01

paper craft (PowerPoint) slides for guidance

[thanks for JFLALC's Watanabe-san]

Free download site for paper crafts using PPT. Lots of stuff for New Year events, Setsubun, and so on.
http://www.pulsedesign.jp/test/ms/pipc/html/officelife/template/kodomo_1.html
All files are set for A4 size as default. Make sure to change Slides Size to Letter Size at Design -> Page Setup, before printing them out.

2012-11-29

nengajo New Years Cards online

[Thanks to S. Renovich]

The Post Office website also allows you to make a slide show of your year called Watashi Nenkan,

a hanko stamp based on words or pictures, and brush calligraphy.
You can easily download the images to use in other projects as well.

Yubin Nenga, http://yubin-nenga.jp/index.html
Yahoo Nenga, https://yahoo-nenga.jp/
Canon, http://cp.c-ij.com/ja/event/nenga/index.html
Nengajou.com, http://www.nengajou.com/links6.html
Rakuten Greetings, http://greeting.rakuten.co.jp/event/nenga/

2012-11-21

reading materials in Japanese (AP classes)

http://nihongo-e-na.com/
---reading articles appropriate for level 3 and AP and IB courses.

2012-11-19

apps & learning Japanese

recommendations from W. Branchflower.

iPhone: at little or no cost for Japanese learners.

Apart from the quizlet app, highly recommended for teacher created lists, I would also recommend the 'Imiwa' app as a fantastic free dictionary, one of the best I've seen and certainly the best free dictionary app for Japanese learners.

---cf. Android devices: "Kabuto" instead of Imawa

Cooking mama Lite is also a great recipe app for budding gourmands with good Japanese skills

Hiragana Test and Katakana test are both good for script building skills

iKana touch is one of the best paid apps for learning Kana, lots of good features ($6?)

Momo teaches Japanese makes good use of the draw-on-screen capabilities of the iphone

Shin Kanji is good for more advanced learners

2012-11-16

fun activities online

--thanks to S. Renovich:

Here is a page of links called "For Fun" on the Fun Japanese website, http://www.members.shaw.ca/renovich/funjapanese

Many are sites for creating and editing images with Japanese fonts like
Image Chef,
Banner Koubou,
Portrait Illustration Maker and
Muryou Shoujou (Certificate maker)
Voki allows students to record their voice or to type in texts for computer-generated sound.

Doubutsu Uranai (horoscope) is fairly accurate and I've used it as reading and dictionary-skills practice with senior students.
http://www.doubutsu-uranai.com/free_experience.php

The Usoko Maker links and Nounai Maker take katakana names, as well, and are purely for fun.

2012-11-10

using infographics for language learning

http://infographic.jp/ has several examples for "scavenger hunting" of facts and details by students.

2012-10-08

games for hiragana; katakana

games, activity ideas for teaching hiragana, katakana

Sun Oct 7, 2012 1:11 pm (PDT) . Posted by: "J M"

Each student has a different color dry erase marker. In each group, student one must have the same color. Each student 2 the same color and so on.

You give 2-3 hiragana and each student makes just one stroke before passing the board.

It's a race. You can also do this on paper with colored pencils. It's even more fun with kanji.

The next person cannot fix the stroke of the previous student, but they may erase the stroke and hand the board back for that student to try again.

2012-08-11

scenes from west Japan & far west China

Students of Japanese may be curious to see how far their knowledge of kanji goes when it comes to Simplified Chinese in the slideshows gathered together about Chinese language (below). And they may like to see the photo sets from Japan, too:

a) Posted signboards all around the International Youth Hostel near KIX

b) Other examples of Japanese "in the wild" that I viewed around Sakai-city and also Fukui-ken

Here are the photos overall, http://bit.ly/echizen2012

Photos by theme/topic are grouped at http://www.slideshare.net/anthroview/presentations

The China photos (mostly around Urumqi, but also some from the silk road town of Turpan; also from up north: Altay prefecture)

are online at http://bit.ly/altay2012xuar

And the photos by theme/topic are also at http://www.slideshare.net/anthroview/slideshelf

2012-07-29

Five short summer videos - Fukui-ken

Five short video segments of the land, language and look of things middle July in Fukui-ken.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/anthroview/7661305558/in/photostreamJuly 2012 at Kono-mura on the Fukui-ken coast of the Japan sea. This was Wednesday, but the summer weekends are flooded with people on beaches, roads and water. The two women searching the rocks (speaking something other than Japanese) appear to be poaching 'sazae' -not good for the ecosystem.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/anthroview/7658524106/in/photostreamValleypanorama of Japan's main island west coast, Fukui-ken (July 15). Note the land use patterns: neat rice paddy irrigation system, electrical power cables, Hino River levy, homes concentrated to maximize productive spaces.

Buddhist temple bell ringing, http://youtu.be/MVS4JFWXtzUThe 7 a.m. bell at Daihou-ji, a Jodo (Pure Land) Buddhist temple, in Echizen-city, Fukui-ken in July 2012. In Japanese: includes lesson on how to achieve maximum sound when striking the bronze bell. Since nearly all such metals were melted for the Pacific War effort, this present bell dates to post-1945. Note the deep reverberation that follows the ringing.

1 minute 38 seconds

Buddhist temple interior, Jodo sect, http://youtu.be/Vi3d60gMuUYTour of hondo (main hall, 1858) of Daihou-ji in Echizen-city, Fukui-ken in July 2012. Mostly in Japanese.

6 minutes 09 seconds

Train line to Kyoto from 25 km north, http://youtu.be/hagj3YgCfREShort train window video segments on the JR West line into Kyoto from the north, along the west shore of Lake Biwa in Shiga prefecture in middle July 2012.

2 minutes 38 seconds

2012-07-28

video segments - July in Fukui prefecture

Five short video segments of the land, language and look of things middle July in Fukui-ken.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/anthroview/7661305558/in/photostream

July 2012 at Kono-mura on the Fukui-ken coast of the Japan sea. This was Wednesday, but the summer weekends are flooded with people on beaches, roads and water. The two women searching the rocks (speaking something other than Japanese) appear to be poaching 'sazae' -not good for the ecosystem.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/anthroview/7658524106/in/photostream

Valley panorama of Japan's main island west coast, Fukui-ken (July 15). Note the land use patterns: neat rice paddy irrigation system, electrical power cables, Hino River levy, homes concentrated to maximize productive spaces.

Buddhist temple bell ringing, http://youtu.be/MVS4JFWXtzU

The 7 a.m. bell at Daihou-ji, a Jodo (Pure Land) Buddhist temple, in Echizen-city, Fukui-ken in July 2012. In Japanese: includes lesson on how to achieve maximum sound when striking the bronze bell. Since nearly all such metals were melted for the Pacific War effort, this present bell dates to post-1945. Note the deep reverberation that follows the ringing.

1 minutes 38 seconds

Buddhist temple interior, Jodo sect, http://youtu.be/Vi3d60gMuUY

Tour of hondo (main hall, 1858) of Daihou-ji in Echizen-city, Fukui-ken in July 2012. Mostly in Japanese.

6 minutes 09 seconds

train line to Kyoto from 25 km north, http://youtu.be/hagj3YgCfRE

Short train window video segments on the JR West line into Kyoto from the north, along the west shore of Lake Biwa in Shiga prefecture in middle July 2012.

2 minutes 38 seconds

2012-06-08

online WAKA scroll

At Seattle Art Museum. Here is a shortcut to the full URL,
http://tinyurl.com/deerwaka
Most of it won't be readable by beginner or intermediate students, but it does illustrate the idea of illustrated waka and the vast length of the scroll genre.

-Guven Witteveen, sjmi@hotmail dotcom
Fulbright Specialist 2012
Xinjiang Normal University June & July

2012-06-04

resource files from Sensei-Online yahooGroup

Lots of resources, including movie study guides to Japanese greats for language teaching, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/senseionline/files/
You probably need to login to the yahoo group first to get to this page.

2012-05-30

young people in Japan 2012

cross-posting from Japan Foundation newsletter:

LIGHT UP NIPPON: Introducing Young People's Challenge to Energize the

Devastated Areas in Tohoku Region through Fireworks

The Japan Foundation produced a documentary film that featured challenges by the
young Japanese people supporting Tohoku's recovery for the purpose of presenting
a vivid image of today's young generation in Japan.

http://www.jpf.go.jp/e/culture/commonness/lightup-nippon/index.html

2012-05-27

conversion from Chinese characters to several E.Asian readings

http://www.cojak.org/ gives the Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Japanese, both onyomi and kunyumi, for nearly all characters according to today's electronic list for Korean Studies

2012-05-03

Peace Park in Nagasaki (text)

There is a nice description of the statue at the Peace Park in the May edition of Anthropology News, online public access during this month.

NAGASAKI PEACE PARK mentioned in the article URL for the whole article with photo and the following long caption:
http://www.anthropology-news.org/index.php/2012/04/26/on-happiness/

Japanese youth visiting the Nagasaki Peace Park a short distance from ground zero. The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and its horrible consequences are part of the Japanese national education curriculum, including field trips to those cities' peace parks. In the background is Seibo Kitamura's ten-meter bronze "The Peace Statue," which was erected in August of 1955 by the citizens of Nagasaki "as an appeal for lasting world peace and a prayer that such tragedy would never be repeated." According to the interpretive plaque, "The elevated right hand points to the threat of nuclear weapons, while the outstretched left hand symbolizes tranquility and world peace. Divine omnipotence and love are embodied in the sturdy physique and gentle countenance of the statue, and a prayer for the repose of all the souls of all war victims is expressed in the closed eyes. Furthermore, the folded right leg symbolizes quiet meditation while the left leg is poised for action in assisting humanity." Photo courtesy Barbara Rose Johnston
photo alone, http://www.anthropology-news.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/anw-Johnston-apr121.jpg

2012-04-27

fastfood images, prices, words

http://www.burgerkingjapan.co.jp/campaign/index.html

Each of the links on that page accesses a bold, high-resolution flier from
one of their recent "campaigns." The fliers include big, easy-to-read
text, prices, katakana, and other potentially valuable materials.

2012-04-03

exhibit 2012 on Sakura theme, Washington, D.C.

Sakura: Cherry Blossoms as Living Symbols of Friendship

March 20–September 15, 2012

In a century-old act of friendship that forever enriched the nation's capital withsakura (cherry blossoms), the city of Tokyo gave 3,000 cherry trees to Washington, D.C., in 1912. Springtime viewing of the blooming trees that ring the Tidal Basin quickly became a cherished tradition and a signature cultural event in the United States capital. Today, the National Cherry Blossom Festival draws more than one million visitors annually from the United States and abroad... [excerpt from http://myloc.gov/Exhibitions/cherry-blossoms/Pages/default.aspx]

Photo (screenshot) source, http://myloc.gov/Exhibitions/cherry-blossoms/Pages/SlObjectList.aspx

2012-03-01

documentary, "Sushi - The Global Catch"

cross-posting from the e-list for East Asia Anthropology, EASIANTH

In this meticulously researched documentary, filmmaker Mark Hall traces the origins of sushi in Japan to its status today as a cuisine that has spawned a lucrative worldwide industry. This explosion in demand for sushi over the past 30 years has brought with it problems of its own, as fish stocks have steadily depleted, threatening the balance of the ocean's ecosystems.

Through extensive interviews with prominent industry representatives and environmental activists, Hall carefully presents the various solutions being proposed to the vexing issue of overfishing. Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 2011 Seattle International Film Festival, Sushi: The
Global Catch raises some pressing questions that all sushi lovers should seek to address.

See the trailer at http://vimeo.com/23332161 or learn more at http://kinolorberedu.com/film.php?id=1244

cf. investigative journalism TV at 60 Minutes (12 minute segment) on the Japanese blue fin tuna market & sushi ("The King of Sushi in Trouble"):

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4423723n&tag=contentBody;storyMediaBox

2012-02-12

latest textbooks, Beginning & Intermediate Japanese

The full announcement by Tuttle Publishing links to related media (workbook and so forth). Here you have the two textbooks.

The tables of Goals include chapter by chapter targets for kanji, culture, grammar and so on.

Tuttle is pleased to announce the availability of Intermediate Japanese: Your Pathway to Dynamic Language Acquisition. In this second book of a 3-volume series, authors Michael Kluemper and Lisa Berkson continue to teach Japanese through an engaging storyline that emphasizes real-life situations in contemporary Japanese culture and authentic written, visual and oral materials. By the end of this second book, students will have mastered a cumulative total of 300 kanji, well on the way to AP- and IB-level proficiency.

...To download the introduction to either textbook immediately, just click here for Beginning Japanese or here for Intermediate Japanese.

database of lesson plans, culture notes, etc

University of Pittsburgh announces a Teacher Portal. Search the Teaching Materials Database to download the lesson plans and culture notes, read the study tour blogs, and view and/or download photos in the Photo Gallery.

http://noborders.ucis.pitt.edu/nctalib/

2012-02-09

USA HighSchool Students - JET Memorial Invitation Program

Opportunity for US students in grade 11 or 12 who now study Japanese.
[forwarded from EASC at Indiana University]

JET Memorial Invitation Program (JET MIP) for High School Students

The JET MIP program provides 32 high school students with the opportunity to go to Japan for two weeks as a group to meet Japanese students, experience Japanese culture, and study the language. It was created in 2011 in memory of the two beloved American teachers of English who lost their lives in the earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011: Taylor Anderson(Ishinomaki, Miyagi) and Montgomery Dickson (Rikuzen-Takata, Iwate). The program is open to 11^th and 12^th graders who are currently learning Japanese, and it seeks to honor the principles which Taylor and Monty valued during their lives. For more information, please visit http://www.jflalc.org/jle-12-jet-mip.html.

2011-12-08

haiku traffic signs (New York City)

http://www.npr.org/2011/12/03/143053082/haiku-traffic-signs-bring-poetry-to-nyc-streets?ft=3&f=111787346&sc=nl&cc=es-20111204

2011-11-08

sample news stories (English) from Asahi News - including the Fukushima disaster(s)

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/asia/china/AJ2011110716782

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ2011103116205

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ2011102415638

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201108055290

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ2011102515713

2011-10-17

"Memories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Messages from _Hibakusha_"

Cross-posting from H-Japan at the www.h-net.org service.

This looks worth reading by students of selected entries (depending on age level): English for those unable to read the original, phrases and short segments for intermediate students, original text for those able to read the Japanese (with the assistance from the translations provided).

> Please let me call your attention to the Asahi Shimbun's new on-line
> English-language source for _hibakusha_ testimonies:
> http://www.asahi.com/hibakusha/english/ Here is a snippet of the official
> press release from Asahi, in both English and Japanese.
>
> Hiraku Shimoda, History Department, Vassar College
>
> The _Asahi Shimbun_ has launched the English version of its website
> "Memories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Messages from _Hibakusha_." This
> website currently contains first-hand accounts and messages from 200 A-bomb
> survivors as collected by the _Asahi Shimbun_. It will eventually contain a
> total of 370 testimonies. Over 350 volunteers worldwide have helped
> translate the testimonies into English.
>
> We launched the Japanese version of this website in November 2010 in order
> to let the world know the reality of A-bomb radiation exposure and the
> survivors' earnest hope for peace. The Japanese-language website contains
> accounts and messages from 1,651 A-bomb survivors. The contents are drawn
> from a survey of _hibakusha_ conducted by the _Asahi Shimbun_ in 2005 in
> cooperation with the Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers
> Organizations and Hiroshima and Nagasaki Universities.
>
> 被爆証言サイト「広島・長崎の記憶」英語サイト開設　朝日新聞社
>
> 朝日新聞社は９月２１日正午、被爆者のメッセージ（手記）を集めたウェブサイト
> 「広島・長崎の記憶〜被爆者からのメッセージ」の英語ページを開設した。同社が集
> めた２００人の手記などを英語で収録している。今後追加していき、３７０人分の収
> 録を目指す。英訳には多くのボランティアが協力した。同時に日本語ページも、被爆
> 者の動画を収録するなどリニューアルしている。
>
> 　サイトは昨年１１月に日本語で開設した。朝日新聞社の総合情報サイト「アサヒ・
> コム」の中にある。日本語の手記はこれまで１６５１人分を掲載。朝日新聞社が日本
> 原水爆被害者団体協議会や広島・長崎両大学の協力で２００５年に実施した「被爆６
> ０年アンケート」で、メッセージ欄に書かれたものが主で、サイト掲載への同意を求
> める中で、新しいメッセージも多数寄せられ、それらも収録した。
>
> 　朝日新聞社は被爆体験を世界に発信するため、当初から英語ページの開設を目指し
> ていた。サイト開設後、被爆者改めて英語での掲載への同意を求める一方、広く英訳
> 作業への協力を募った。世界中で３５０人以上が参加し、英訳や英文チェックに携
> わった。
>
> 　構成は日本語ページに準じている。広島、長崎ごとに、直接の被爆か後に爆心地近
> くに入った入市被爆かなど被爆状況で分け、わかる場合は当時の年齢や爆心地からの
> 距離も示した。朝日新聞社は「被爆の実相や被爆者の平和への思いを伝えることで、
> 核兵器廃絶の国際世論の喚起に資することができれば」としている。
>
> ********************************************************

2011-10-10

migrating print magazine NIPPON online

http://nippon.com/ has articles, images, and videos by journalists and experts in various fields.
The website is available in different languages, and would be of interest to a wide range of viewers.
I like the fact that the articles are from the perspectives of people on the scene, rather than polished governmental accounts of events.
I think the Japanese title, 「知らざれる日本の姿を世界へ」, is quite fitting

2011-09-23

resources September 2011

via U.Colorado-Boulder newsletter:

Blogger in Japan. National Geographic's Digital Nomad touched down in Japan. Andrew Evans, the National Geographic Traveler's Contributing Editor and blogger who covers every corner of the world, landed in Japan for his three-week travel through the country. To follow his travel blogs, tweets, and videos, visit http://japantravelinfo.com/andrew/index.html.

"Japan" – includes a Google Earth tour

tourism - critical views

teenage students of Japanese language offer their views on the video pitch at http://www.jnto.go.jp/

Students did a Think-Pair-Share and had a short class discussion on the positive and negative aspects of the video because
Here are some of their comments.

Pros
-introduced different places in Japan and was overall set a happy tone
-people will see what Japan is like
-famous (good-looking) people showed the places (pop culture)
-the video gets attention
-a theme (maneki neko) ran through the whole ad
-good for tourism; people will want to visit Japan
-the places shown targeted older people by showing historical tourist places while the actual navigators appeal to a younger audience (wide age range in audience)
-it showed that Japan wasn't all affected by the earthquake
-it showed that the country is doing okay after the disaster
-it was funny
-it showed cultural things such as celebrations, traditions, and food

Cons
-targeted demographic too narrow in using pop idols (appeal only to young girls)
-high cost of money to make and showcase video
-glossed over situation and didn't touch on the nuclear problem, which is what tourists would be worried about
-it was cute but did not seem like a tourism video
-there were too many cats
-it was weird
-unnatural at times as the famous people were paid to look like they were having fun
-seemed a bit too desperate to get the tourists

Suggestions
The classes also discussed ways in improving the video. They talked about having other famous people like professional athletes and female idol groups, but had difficulty in coming up with Japanese people who would be recognizable and liked by everyone. They also felt that as it is a promotion for foreigners, it was strange for a Japanese group to be going on domestic travel. Rather, it made more sense for famous Japanese people to be showing around a world-famous person such as a Hollywood actor whose works had been translated into numerous languages.

Also, students criticized the manner of delivery, in that it was a video being shown only at central locations such as London Station and New York Times Square. The target audience would then be limited to people who accessed areas of high traffic in central cities. Also, the actual website viewers are referred to had no mention of the CM video itself. I checked again today and alas it is there now!! http://visitjapan.jp/eng/top.html
http://www.jnto.go.jp/message_from_japan/
The students thought it would be much more useful if the video was on internet sites such as Youtube that would be spread by word of mouth by social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter where they could track the number of hits. Other suggestions were to buy ad space time on major TV networks (which would then incur additional costs).

2011-09-13

kana practice, learning of Go game, self-study advice

for players of Go, see www.Go-Nation.Org (online Go Tutorials, Go Teaching Aids, and Go Promotional Aids)

for memorizing kana, see the Kana Match card game - www.KanaMatch.com

for self-study of Japanese (of oral/aural, at least):
I once tutored a high school student who started with me already speaking Japanese quite well. When I asked him how he learned Japanese, he told me it was all Pimsleur. If speaking and listening is sufficient, I think Pimsleur is very good.

2011-09-05

streaming radio from NHK

New service to keep up with current events. Teachers and students can improve their listenting practice daily:

streaming radio on NHK called 'rajiru-rajiru,' http://www3.nhk.or.jp/netradio/

* due to the international copyright law the streams appear not to be available outside Japan

** workaround: picture is small - like a keyhole, but if you want to listen to Japanese radio live this is a great service. It is free and has several stations on it. http://www.v2p.jp/video/english/

2011-09-02

3 dvd set from Mizusawa (Tohoku region)

Menus and titles (screenshots) of the Chapters on all 3 of the DVD disks

Earlier this summer I previewed the 3-dvd set of videos centering on the town of Mizusawa in N.E. Japan. It is the research location for the long career of ethnographer Dr. Keith Brown. The DVDs tell all sides of this long engagement with local people for many decades. The project introduces his research subjects, but also reveals important points about how outsiders relate to the townspeople and develop friendships. One DVD focuses on the personal story that unfolds across the decades. Another DVD has the several topics separated into short 12-15 minute stories. The third DVD will interest students and teachers of Japanese because it takes several episodes of unscripted, “live” dialog between native and non-native (Dr. Brown) speakers of Japanese.

In August the teacher guides to each DVD were released at the website, http://cantgonative.com/

http://cantgonative.com/Can't_Go_Native_Teachers_Guide.zip
http://cantgonative.com/More_About_Mizusawa_TeachersGuide.doc
http://cantgonative.com/Conversations_in_Mizusawa_TeachersGuide.doc

As for the title, “Can’t Go Native?,” perhaps it has three meanings:
a) Foreigners should not let go of their home country roots and “go native,” and/or
b) Foreigners should not fool themselves into believing they can be fully Japanese
c) Foreigners can indeed become part of the local ecosystem of the society.

There are several audiences for the language-centered DVD, "Conversations in Mizusawa":

--exchange students (both those to Japan and those from Japan) from high school to college:
predeparture - while in country - upon return, should see the main movie and other segments.

--high beginner and Intermediate students would enjoy the live conversations, as well.

--all those Japanese teens and college students who are studying English might enjoy the DVDs, either to consume in pleasure, to work on for language learning, or to scrutinize within a critical and historicized frame to see how the gaze and organic relationships of scholar and local community affect each other and have contributed to the published materials.

2011-08-06

picture books with narration online

New e-hon animated written by Poet Shuntaro Tanikawa, illustrated by Yasushi Tsukamoto, and some more youtube videos to introduce the children of the world
who need attention: http://bit.ly/n9okuC

2011-07-16

visual context - glimpses on the ground

Try the old standbys of our Internet age, the map browsing at http://flickr.com and the satellite views of maps.yahoo.com or maps.yahoo.co.jp or the google variety.

The flickr map in particular is handy when going to a new place: all images that have been tagged to a location will show up on the map. Not many are award-winning photos, but they do give you some visual context of places around Japan rural and urban; or worldwide for that matter. Try your own backyard, as well, for comparison.

2011-06-28

about the 3.11 Tohoku Disaster - Teaching Materials

http://teach311.wordpress.com/ (announced by) Yuki Ishimatsu, C. V. Starr East Asian Library, Univ. of California at Berkeley

2011-06-24

Asahi Shimbun's -- new English website

[English language] ...the March 11 special disaster section of Asahi Japan Watch 's new website. (http://ajw.asahi.com/)

...sophisticated site [includes] interactive maps and graphics.
Every aspect of the Great East Japan Earthquake and its aftermath are covered in depth in six subsections:

---Fukushima nuclear crisis

---Quake and Tsunami

---Life and Death

---Analysis

---Recovery and Opinion

2011-06-13

watching Kanji stroke order

...six sample video clips on You-tube (http://www.youtube.com) by searching "kanji bushu," or "visualnihongo"
The bushu flashcard PDF will be uploaded within a few days. --- N. Williams, American University 6.2011

2011-06-06

obtaining or viewing NHK documentaries

http://www.nhk.or.jp/archives/kawaguchi

2011-05-27

dancer + projected image in sychrony

This TV show is called Showtime, http://www.ntv.co.jp/showtime/
The performers show their talents and the audience decides on the amount of money they will be paid based on their performance.The 3rd and latest version aired in April of 2011.

Here is a dancer who moves in synchrony against the projected images to create some amazing effects.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24qzCHZyt8g

This version has the intro to the duo, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ec0sAcM7D4
See also this funny series of commercials for the drink called Fanta, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W_t92q5eoc
or with subtitles, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncrbByjJe-w&feature=related

2011-05-22

linguistic family - Japanese & Korean

Galloping along with the Horseriders: Looking for the Founders of JapanAuthor(s): Gari LedyardSource: Journal of Japanese Studies, Vol. 1, No. 2 (Spring, 1975), pp.217-254.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/132125
---This is an early statement of the inter-relationships.

A 2011 piece appeared in the NYTimes. Learning a little about problem solving like this by linguists could be a helpful part of students experience of Japanese.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/04/world/asia/04language.html?_r=4

The theory about agricultural societies prevailing over hunter/gatherers is described in detail for the passage of rice growing society reaching the Japanese islands by way of the Korean peninsula about 2400 years ago, according to this May 4, 2011 article in the NYTimes.
Key dates: 30,000 years ago (earliest hunter-gather evidence in Japan); 10,000 years ago (Jomon era begins); wet-rice cultivation suitable to cooler climates of Korea (and Japan) about 2400 years ago.

2013-07-22

2013-06-21

2013-05-22

2013-04-06