Comments on J-List side blog: New election and the hullabuloo over the Japanese ...

Well, religeon isn't as important to Japanese in...

2005-08-24T10:13:00.000+09:00

Well, religeon isn't *as* important to Japanese in their daily lives as say, Americans living in the South (just kidding). They don't think about it every day, and things like Obon (when you pray for dead relatives) are more cultural than religious -- you just go to the family grave to burn incense because you've always done it, not becuase you're burning with belief in God or Buddha. But surprisingly there are Mormons and (pause for effect) even Jehovah's Witnesses here.

Peter-san,
I have a simple question about cultu...

2005-08-17T08:11:00.000+09:00

Peter-san,
I have a simple question about culture: how important is religion/etc. in Japan? I've read that while most people would call themselves Buddhist if asked, only about 1% of the country claims any real religious belief. Is this true?

Just wondering.

(Also, in a manga I read, a samurai master had attained satori, but in that context it meant that he had gained the ability to read minds. You can imagine my surprise when I first saw the title of this post, since I hadn't heard it used any other way. ^^;;)

I did read it a while ago. I find your Blog great ...

2005-08-15T16:55:00.000+09:00

I did read it a while ago. I find your Blog great reading for bits and pieces of japanese culture. I actually discovered your Blog trying to find the Newton pages of old ;)
I believe you have "best-seller" material in all your posts. Thanks for the Blog.
Anyway, I'm still trying to figure out what will my "motivation" be for learning japanese. I find it very interesting, but haven't dived myself in manga, jpop or anything else to keep me in contact with the language.
For now I think I'll take the basic kanjis as you suggest. I have 2 books that cover hiragana and katakana.
Two more q's, what happened to the dragon strap for the cell described here. And, if an order has some products from japan and others from San Diego, will they arive in one package or 2?

SJW, thanks for the post and thanks for the kind w...

2005-08-14T15:17:00.000+09:00

SJW, thanks for the post and thanks for the kind words. Wow, Liverpool (hums Bangles song). I've never been there although I am have British, but then, I was only in the U.K. when I was a baby. Tokyo is a great place and learning about Japan through martial arts is a great idea. Beforehand I'd recommend trying to get some "shoukai" (introduction), if you can find a school to study with and do homestay, and maybe some teaching on the side, you could have a great time. Tokyo is of course just one city in Japan, and you might find a more "genuine" experience in a smaller city, especially if you have any friends who could help you get connections.

Juan, I recommend you go slowly and don't get overwhelmed, since your head can swim pretty fast. The lowest level for beginners of the JLAT is level 4, so find something that will help you wih that -- 1st grade (level 1) is for college ^_^ I'd start with some hiragana cards and maybe the kanji card set (search for "kanjicard2"), which are both good. Did you see the article I posted on learning Japanese on this site?

Peter. I'm fairly interested in learning japanese....

2005-08-12T17:05:00.000+09:00

Peter. I'm fairly interested in learning japanese. I took one course. Right now I know hiragana and katakana, and about 10 kanji. I was hoping for some guidance on what books to buy from jlist.
I want to learn kanji, skip any romaji where possible ,because of recommendation and from what I have seen everyone has there own way of translating. Grammar wise I'm on a very basic level, but I can't find books on that subject in your site.
I have on my cart
90 Days of Japanese Language
Basic Kanji Drill - 1st grade
Kanji Practice Flash Cards - Lv 3,4
Level 3 - Drill for JLPT
Reading Training Basic (for EJU)
I'm planning on leaving out the last two for now, I'm not near that level and I'm not planning on taking those exams.
So, how many kanjis does the Basic Kanji Drill have for each level. What are the advantages of the 90 Days of Jap over this "childish" book.
Any tips on other books?
If you would prefer to move this discussion of the blog, please let me know. My email is juanestebansolano at gmail

Peter, love your website and weblog. I have been ...

2005-08-11T20:24:00.000+09:00

Peter, love your website and weblog. I have been a memeber of your mailing list for some time now and I always look forward to receiving the latest email from my friend in Japan! I find your posts very helpful, I have just started to study kanji and the Japanese language.

My name is Steven and I live in Liverpool, England - I am hoping to move to Tokyo in a few months (after saving some rent money) to study karate. Anyway - glad to have found your weblog and made your acquaintance!