Blog Roundup - November 22, 2009

• Ben Ross' Blog - Ben examines the reasons why proficiency in Mandarin does not necessarily lead to better career opportunities.
  
• Fili's World - Fili talks about the fishing town of Tai O (大澳), Hong Kong.
  
• Fukuoka Dreaming - Learn how to cook sukiyaki (すきやき).
• How to Japonese - Daniel highlights the differences between American and Japanese resumés (履歴書).
• Hungry for Words - Maki talks about himono onna (干物女).
  
• Japan Blog - Maki explains why President Obama's bow to the Japanese Emperor has sparked such controversy.
• Korean As It Is - James explains why he believes listening skills are vital for developing one's proficiency in the Korean language.
  
• Pinyin News - The author reviews Google Translate's new pinyin function.
• Rainbowhill Language Lab - Some helpful tips for JLPT examinees.
• Shizuoka Gourmet - The author talks about tempura (天ぷら) and the various ways it can be served.
  
• Sinosplice - John explains the concept of aspect in Chinese grammar.
• The China Beat - Maura reflects on President Obama's recent visit to the PRC.
• Tsukublog - Avi talks about the origins and traditions associated with Japan's Shichi-Go-San (七五三) festival.
• Wandering Taiwan - Micki and Kristen take a stroll through Tamsui (淡水).
  
• Wichmann Stories - Tina and Mark visit the northeastern city of Harbin (哈尔滨).
• Xinjiang : Far West China - Josh's thoughts on the spread of H1N1 in Xinjiang Province (新疆).

That's all for this week. The next blog roundup will be on November 29, 2009.

Blog Roundup - November 22, 2009

Shinya Shokudo - 深夜食堂

Fans of Japanese drama and comedy might be interested to know that Abe Yaro's (安倍夜郎) manga series Shinya Shokudo (深夜食堂) has been adapted for TV and is currently airing on various Japanese networks.

The series is set in a small restaurant in Tokyo, one which is open from midnight to the early hours of the morning and whose owner will prepare anything that his customers desire. The chef and owner, known only as Master, is played by Kobayashi Kaoru (小林薫) and plays a small, but central, role. The main stars of the show are his customers, which include a stripper, a group of office ladies (or OLs), a yakuza, and a male porn star. As they dine on Master's food, they share their stories of love and loss with their fellow diners and give us little insights into their lives.

The series is only 4 or 5 episodes old but I've throroughly enjoyed every minute so far. The language used is fairly straightforward and is perfect for anyone who's looking for a fun way to improve their Japanese listening comprehension skills. A word of caution : there are some scenes which are unsuitable for a young audience. The series has a late night slot on Japanese television so this series is strictly for adults, though I have to say it's still quite tame in comparison to some of the other shows on TV right now..

For those of you who don't have access to Japanese television, you can watch some of the episodes here.**

** You will need to register in order to access these videos. Registration is free and will grant you access to a wide selection of Japanese, Taiwanese and Korean TV series.

Shinya Shokudo - 深夜食堂

Using Twitter in Your Language Learning (Japanese)

A few months ago, I wrote a series of blog posts on my language learning blog, Aspiring Polyglot, on how Twitter can be used for language learning and practice. The posts can be found here, here, here and here.

I've been searching for Twitter accounts which may be useful for those of you who are learning Japanese. People who don't have a Twitter account can still access all of the links listed below, so there is no need to rush off and create an account if you don't want to. Here are some of the accounts I've found so far :

• http://twitter.com/learnkanji
• http://twitter.com/japanesebot
• http://twitter.com/societyJapanese
• http://twitter.com/japanlanguage
• http://twitter.com/ADV_JPN_GRMMR
• http://twitter.com/japanesepod101
• http://twitter.com/JapaneseVocab
• http://twitter.com/kotoba_app
• http://twitter.com/japanese_words
• http://twitter.com/JVocab
• http://twitter.com/1day1kanji
• http://twitter.com/kanjireadable
• http://twitter.com/kanji_oneisan

Some of these accounts are not updated regularly but they are still worth a look. ADV_JPN_GRMMR hasn't been updated since July but the archives contain some useful information about Japanese grammar. Students aiming for JLPT Levels 1 and 2 should consider adding kanjireadable, kanji_oneisan and kotoba_app to their bookmarks.

If you know of any other accounts which may be useful for anyone who is learning Japanese, feel free to leave a comment.

Using Twitter in Your Language Learning (Japanese)

Bilingual : Keye's Point

I stumbled upon a fantastic bilingual resource for those of you who are learning Japanese : Bilingual : Keye's Point. This column of the The Japan Times Online website is written by a foreigner living in Japan, Michael Hoffman.

While there are only 8 articles available on the website, they are jam-packed with vocabulary and expressions which learners won't normally come across in dictionaries and textbooks. Learners can learn such useful vocabulary as 不倫の恋 (furin no koi : extramartial affair) and 清貧の誓い (seihin no chikai : vow of poverty).

Bilingual : Keye's Point

Japanese Home Cooking

I came across this video on Japanese home cooking on the Japan National Tourism Organisation's website. If you want to learn how to cook agedashi tofu, tempura or teriyaki salmon, or simply learn how to prepare your own rice or dashi stock, check out the video below.

Japanese Home Cooking

Dadadadan Tenko Netherlands Tour 2010

Japanophiles living in the Netherlands may be interested to know that the Osaka-based Japanese drum group Dadadan Tenko (打打打団天鼓) will be touring the country between February 25 and March 27, 2010.

Venues include Den Haag (March 3), Alkmaar (March 5), Groningen (March 7) Rotterdam (March 15) and my "hometown" Almere (March 19). Full details of the tour dates and venues can be found at the Tenko.NL website.

Dadadadan Tenko Netherlands Tour 2010

Hiragana Megane

Hiragana Megane is an excellent online tool for those of you who enjoy reading Japanese news articles and blogs but struggle to remember the readings of every kanji you come across. All you have to do is :

1) Enter the URL of the website or blog you want to add furigana to. Click on the Go button.


2) And, hey presto! The website/blog will now show furigana above all of the kanji in the text.

Of course there are other alternatives, such as the Mozilla plug-in Rikaichan, and the slow-and-tedious method of copy/pasting unknown kanji into an online dictionary but I personally find Hiragana Megane quite useful. Feel free to add it to your bookmarks!

Hiragana Megane