In going from Honolulu to Tokyo, one of my bigger travel worries, other than the language barrier, was the transit barrier. Regarding mass transit, I spent a number of years both living and commuting to San Francisco on weekdays. It’s definitely a learned skill and one that most people in […]
Foreign Language Learning
US Smartphone Coverage in Japan If you’re currently on either T-mobile or Sprint’s phone plan, you’re in luck. For most plans, both companies offer free text and 2g basic data roaming in Japan. Sprint also offers a 3g unlimited data + text + phone plan for $5 more a month. […]
I give myself a low B- Earlier, I had written about why I thought world language in high school was a questionable endeavor. To prove my point, I spent an entire year actively studying Japanese to see how far it would take me. The “final exam” was a one-week trip […]
Niu Valley Middle School has a world language core requirement, either Mandarin Chinese or Japanese. Once that language is selected, if your child goes on to Kaiser, they must continue in that language unless that language is spoken regularly outside of school. It’s all part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) […]
The more I work at trying to learn Japanese, the more I think that schools shouldn’t make world language mandatory. It’s not that I’m not progressing; I am. In fact, more so than when enrolled in formal classes. It really boils down to the learning curve and the amount of […]
Yesterday my husband lamented the lack of choice in Niu Valley Middle School’s world language curriculum. “It’s too bad they only teach Japanese and Chinese,” he said. Underlying his sentiment, was the added burden of learning a whole new written language. I had mixed feelings myself. That is, I really […]
I’m in heaven. Today I stopped by at Don Quixote on Kaheka Street and discovered that Book Off used bookstore has opened inside the supermarket. I bought a set of Karuta from them. Karuta is a child’s game for learning the Japanese alphabet. Players race to find the right card […]
In order to type Japanese characters on an English keyboard, you’ll need to install language packs. The link below will guide you through the steps for either a Macintosh (Apple Computer) or Windows PC. Japanese Typing Practice for Beginners (Windows and Mac installation instructions included) for those who use Linux, you […]
Impressively, Kaiser High School set aside resources to give students their own Genki I workbook. It’s the one that looks like this. The book also comes with a CD and MP3 files. The Genki book is well received and used in many university settings. At Sacramento State, Professor Masuyama […]
I could very possibly be the worst advocate of an educational foreign language requirement. That would apply to any level of education, be it junior high, high school or college. For me, the issue is context and need. As the internet has proven to us, you can learn anything, anywhere, […]
