Rosetta Stone Sweepstakes with $2,500 Grand Prize!

Hey, gang! Rosetta Stone is having an Autumn Escape Sweepstakes that ends October 31, 2012, and they're giving away $2,500, so get entering! Try a free demo of their program (sorry, no Japanese!) and give them your email, and, supposedly, you're entered to win. Here's the link to their website: http://www.rosettastone.com/lp/sweeps1/

Now, I'll be honest, I'm not sure if it actually went through, so I went to their Facebook page and entered there. You do have to "like" their page and accept the terms of the Rosetta Stone Facebook "app", so whether you want to do so is up to you. https://www.facebook.com/RosettaStone/app_366415146768224

Ganbatte!!

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Just in case you're wondering why I said "Ganbatte!" ("Do your best!") instead of "Gokouun o oinorishimasu!" ("Best of luck!"), check out Hungry for Words: Mostly Japanese's blog post about "Ganbatte! vs. Good Luck!"

Online Resources for Japanese Cooking and Recipes

Hey guys! So there are tons of resources out there that cover Japanese cooking techniques and Asian recipes. Today I'm going to start with some of my favorite places online, and in the future I plan to talk about my favorite books.

Cooking With Dog YouTube Channel: I'm not a big fan of learning by video, so this is the only link you'll see that takes you to a video site; however, Cooking With Dog is as informative as it is hilarious. A dog teaches you how to cook Japanese food. And he's smart! And has a cute accent!

Just Bento: I'll give you one guess what this site is about! Hai, Bento! I link to the recipes specifically, but the site is actually in blog style and covers all things Bento-y!

Bento Monsters: A mom talks about the Bento lunches she makes for her monst-- ah...children. Cute site with lots of loooooovely photos! A few minutes on this website and you'll wish she's your mom. Well, maybe not, but you may wish she were your lunch-maker. Did I mention how kawaii the blog is? Again, I linked to the recipes, but I highly suggest checking out the rest of the website!

Lunch in a Box: Yes, another Bento site, but with more unique recipes, as well as traditional ones! Although this once was a blog, it is no longer updated. But the archives are worth digging through.

About.com's Japanese Food Site: I just love About.com. Their Japanese food site is also currently at a stand-still; however, About.com is always actively looking for great new writers for their team, so I'm sure they'll start updating again once they find a well-qualified candidate. At any rate, there are tons of recipes to try! I'd like to see you get through them all before they start updating again. And make sure to have me over for dinner.

Just One Cookbook: Although Nami's site isn't strictly Japanese cuisine, it is mostly Japanese. :) (Her other recipes are utterly delectable, so calorie counters, beware! ;) ) Her site is very well laid out and eye-catching, and the photographs are phenomenal. It's also regularly updated! Hurrah!

Just Hungry: I'm still fairly new to this site, but it appears sound. And they have a lot of recipes! The blog is updated irregularly, and it's not always about Japanese stuff, so you may or may not just want to stick to the recipe list.

Japan-Guide's Food Section: This website is just awesome in general. Their food section overviews popular Japanese dishes; however, they do have some recipes, which is why I included it (although that's mostly an excuse to link up to a cool website).

Kids Web Japan Cookbook: I've linked to this website before, so I thought I'd mention it again, because they have an adorable cooking section!

Bonus! :) Okay, okay, one more video. All Recipes has very good videos, and although they only have one Japanese recipe, it's very well done. How to Make Sushi Rolls! Very important! :)

Now, what do you say before you eat? "Itadakimasu!" Although there's no real English translation for the word, it pretty much means, "I'm thankful for what I'm about to eat!", or "I'm going to eat now!" This is part of Japanese etiquette, so don't forget! :) When you're done eating, you say, "Gochisou sama deshita!" This means, of course, "Thank you for the food!" It's always important to say thank you!!

How I Learned Hiragana in One Night

Not to sound corny, but I learned hiragana in one night, and you can, too! ;)

Here's what I did. We have the Japanese Hiragana Handwriting app for our tablet (Android only). It's basically a finger-tracing flashcard app. I went through all of the hiragana several times, tracing the characters, pressing the button to hear the name of the character, and then saying the character out loud. Once I had a good feel for each character (even though I hadn't memorized any of them yet), I got rid of the arrows that show which direction your finger goes to draw the character. Using my hand, I then covered up the name of each character as I flipped through them, and tried to guess which character it was. Note that I first did this in alphabetical order! Once I started remembering the pattern, it got too easy, so I pressed the dice button to make each character pop up randomly, and then I would jog my memory to see if I knew which character I was looking at. I began to realize that...I had them memorized!! I immediately got online and started browsing my favorite Japanese websites to try to read the characters "in context". All of this was just to reinforce what I had learned so I wouldn't forget it all right away. I also made sure to go over the characters again the next day and the next day.

I also highly suggest looking at each character and trying to think of and picture something that will help you remember what character it is. For example, if you turn the character "ho" (ほ) sideways, it looks like an underlined h-o! And the character "ra" (ら) looks like a number 5, so I imagine cheerleaders saying, "Ra! Ra! Number 5! Ra! Ra!" Even if it seems silly, just use whatever first pops into your head to remember the character (don't worry, you don't have to blog about it if you don't want to ;) ). This little trick really helped me out. You won't need to use it once you have all the characters well-practiced and well-memorized.

Now, if you don't have a phone or tablet that has Android, there's a couple other things you can do.

Option A: You can check out this website that has online hiragana flashcards (you need Java, which is not a big deal). If you click "label", you'll see the name of each character as you click through. Click "don't label" to turn off the names. If you click "forget", it removes the character from your "deck" of cards and drills you on the ones you're still learning. "Reset", of course, puts all the cards back in the deck. Unfortunately, the cards are not in alphabetical order, but they do link to a chart that has all the hiragana in alphabetical order, if you want to practice there first.

Option B: Another option is to print out some hiragana worksheets and practice drawing the characters over and over. You could then either test yourself by using the above resource, or you could simply use your worksheets as flashcards.

After you have the hiragana memorized, the diacritics, or those little lines and circles that show up over hiragana, are fairly easy to learn. Just remember that the diacritics are like a "softened" version of their hiragana cousins. So all the "k" sounds turn into "g" sounds ("ka" becomes the more nasally sounding "ga"), "s" sounds turn into "z" sounds, and "t" sounds turn into "d" sounds. "H" sounds turn into "b" or "p" sounds.

The digraphs are fairly simple as well. A digraph takes two hiragana characters -- any sound plus a "y" sound -- and puts them together, with the "y" sound on the right and a little smaller. So if you put "ki" (き) and "ya" (や) together, the "ya" being smaller and on the right side of the "ki", you get "kya" (きゃ). Now "s" characters are a little different, because they become s-h instead of s-y (like "sha" しゃ). "T" characters are also funky, because they don't become t-h or t-y; they become c-h (like "cha" ちゃ). "Z" characters also undergo an interesting metamorphosis, becoming "j" sounds, such as "ja" (じゃ).

I know it all sounds a bit confusing (okay, REALLY confusing!), but once you get your feet wet, it's way easier than it looks! And you know what? It's extremely satisfying to have one of the Japanese alphabets memorized. A whole new world seems to open up when you realize that you're actually reading in Japanese! If this works for you, you can definitely tackle katakana in the same way. But hiragana is the most important to learn, because katakana is usually used for western or foreign words, and even if you see kanji a lot, you'll often see the hiragana "translation" right over it! Because, believe it or not, a lot of Japanese people don't know their kanji! ;) I still recommend learning it, of course, since you won't always see the hiragana with it; however, hiragana is most important!

Questions4U:
Which Japanese alphabet do you like the best?
Which alphabet is/was easiest for you to learn?
Did this method work for you, or do you think it will work?
Did you learn anything from this blog post?

What is Harajuku?

If you're a Target shopper like me, and if you love Japan (which is why you're here, right? :) ), then you've probably seen the brand Harajuku Mini, by Gwen Stefani. The brand instantly caught my eye, because I love all things Nippon, but I'd never heard of Harajuku.

Harajuku is, to put it simply, a fashion district in Japan. The name refers to the area around Harajuku Station in Shibuya, Tokyo, where young people gather every Sunday in the wildest street clothing you'll see on the planet, sporting styles from loli to goth to cosplay. In fact, it's common to see one person showing off many different styles in one outfit. The roots of Harajuku can be traced all the way back to World War II, and nowadays, designers all over the world are influenced by what they see there.

WikiHow offers a simple guide on how to dress in the Harajuku style.

Japanese Manga Artist Removes Copyrights: Good or Bad Idea?

Shuho Sato, a Japanese manga artist who won the Japan Media Arts Festival Manga Award for "Say Hello to Black Jack", is releasing the copyright on his work after selling over 10 million copies. So you can make a movie about it, plaster your fan art all over the Internet, make T-shirts, and pretty much do whatever you want involving "Say Hello to Black Jack", including make money off of it! You could even make your own manga using the exact same characters. (After September 15, which is soon.)

So I want to know what you think: Is this a good idea? Bad? Awful? Amazing?

Could you imagine if the author of, say, Bleach, released his copyright? The market for Bleach would explode. However, it could also make things a bit...confusing. After all, fans love to follow the original storyline. I mean, who likes filler in anime? Really? If it doesn't follow the manga, it's just no good. So what happens when people are allowed to create their own stories, whether written or illustrated, about Ichigo and all the other Bleach characters? Would Tite Kubo's manga still be the authority, or would we start to love another artist's interpretation better? And would that be such a bad thing?

On the other hand, take the Happy Birthday song. Did you know there's still a copyright on that song? So when you hear someone singing it on TV, you know that they paid for it. Yeah, that's right. Isn't that like paying to sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star? It seems rather...miserly...doesn't it? I know a lot of people would agree that some people and companies take the whole copyright thing a little too far. Unfortunately, though, a lot of those complaining people would have no qualms about selling product that contains a copyrighted image on it --which is, by the way, illegal. So, when is a copyright considered a good and just thing, and when do people take it just a little too far? Ahhh, ethics. Laws. Why can't we all get along?

And personally, I believe we need law and order is this crazy world, and I believe copyright is a good thing. Although some people take it way too far, for now, it's in everyone's best interests. But, I certainly want to hear your opinion, too. :)

Well, I think Sato picked an interesting experiment, and I don't care if he's already sold millions of his manga. I say, Good for him! He probably deserves it! Everyone needs to make a living somehow. And now that he's collected his wages, he's chosen to do something really cool. It will be a lot of fun to see how this plays out.

Check out these articles for more information (and opinions!) on the topic:

• Award-Winning Manga Author Opens Up His Work To Be Used By 'Anyone, Anywhere, For Anything,' Royalty-Free
• Shuho Sato on the decision to publish on-line
• Manga Artist Lets Anyone Use His Work, Royalty-Free
• Award Winning Manga to be Freely Used by Anyone for Anything Anytime, Author Will Not Request Royalties

Best Resources for Learning Japanese

I've been compiling a list of the best resources for learning the Japanese language, so I thought I'd share it on my blog. :) And most of them are free!!

Websites

GenkiJapan.net - I have to put this at the top of my list because, frankly, it's awesome. This was one of the first resources our family turned to when learning Japanese, so I may be a little biased. ;) This website has very catchy songs, fun games, and informative videos. The website owner also regularly vlogs (video blogs) about life in Japan, has his own list of his favorite Japanese materials, and regularly updates a Japanese FAQ website. He even provides free hiragana worksheets! And to top it all off, he has his own ebook course to help you learn Japanese (this last part is not free). It's almost a plethora of resources in one site, so check it out!!

Japanese Lapbook from LapbookLessons.com - Although this is a lapbook website, you can print out any of the resources on this page to use as standalone material. This site includes language learning, as well as some teaching about Japanese culture. Included in the lineup are hiragana flashcards, classroom words, kimono coloring, Japanese arts, and links to Japanese crafts, although some of the crafts are Americanized ("Japanese sandals" are what they call an odd mix between geta and zori).

Phrase of the Day at About.com - I love About.com, and even more so since I discovered this phrase of the day site. The best part about it is that they explain the grammar!! Woohoo! You get to hear the phrase, see it in romaji (romanized Japanese), read it in hiragana and/or katakana, discover the vocabulary, and read any extra notes on the phrase. Too cool. Note that you will need to know your basic sounds, so if you're feeling a little lost right away, click "Where Do I Begin" directly underneath the month table.

Japanese in Anime and Manga - Okay, if you love anime and manga, you are gonna love this. This website teaches you Japanese in the way that your favorite anime and manga characters speak it! It includes Character Expressions, Expressions by Scene, Word Quizzes, and Kanji Games. I got a real kick out the Character Expressions. You can decide if you want to read the expressions in full-out Japanese, hiragana and katakana, or romaji. Then, they show you an illustration, they let you hear the phrase, and they explain the phrase. They also show you how the character says it, what's standard, and what's the English translation. More too-coolness.

Tae Kim's Guide to Learning Japanese - This is an extensive grammar guide that teaches you Japanese using the foundations of Japanese grammar. It can seem tough at first, but it's certainly worth looking into. :)

Kids Web Japan - This colorful site was made for children, but personally, I love it! It's bright, it's interactive, and it's informative. You learn about the language and a lot about the culture.

Apps

Japanese Hiragana Handwriting - As far as I know, this is currently only an Android app. TeachersParadise.com crafted this easy-to-use app that helps you practice your hiragana! They also have an app for katakana. Although the diacritics (the extra lines over the basic symbols) are not included in this app, Japanese Hiragana Handwriting still proves quite useful for learning your hiragana on the go. :)

Human Japanese - This a wonderful app that teaches you Japanese in a -- you guessed it -- human way!! It's down-to-earth, it makes sense, and it feels like a real person is explaining Japanese to you. And best of all, the trial version is free! And quite extensive, I might add! If you choose to buy the rest of the software, either as an app or computer download, it's actually ridiculously cheap, so check it out.

Software

Human Japanese - See above!

Rosetta Stone - Ahhh, Rosetta Stone. How I do so have a love-hate relationship with this software. On one hand, it's really cool, and our family (kids love it!) has truly learned from it. On the other hand, it's quite frustrating, because they don't explain anything! But if you're very serious about learning Japanese, I think it's worth the investment (level one alone starts at $179.00).

Extra Media and Physical Items

Handcrafted Language Blocks from RedEnvelope.com - I'll be honest, I've seen a couple different versions of these blocks. However, I do prefer the set from RedEnvelope.com. Again, they do not include the diacritics, but they are super cool nonetheless! Only $39.95. :)

Little Pim DVDs - Oh my, but these are adorable!! Made for young children, Little Pim Japanese DVDs teach you basic words in categories of eating and drinking, playtime, and waking up smiling. :) These are very cute, and the theme song is catchy! Pim is the lovable little panda that teaches your children. The Little Pim website contains companion guides for the videos, with a small explanation of pronunciation and grammar, and the English and hiragana for each of the phrases. However, I recommend turning on the English subtitles as you watch the videos. :)