Studying methods

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  freakymrq June 16, 2014 at 12:25pm

  I really don't have a concrete reason of studying Japanese besides the fact that I'd like to go through manga and anime through its original format and that I'd like to visit/live in Japan one day.
  
  Favorite studying:
  1. Japanese music (Cd's, japanese radio, youtube, etc.)
  2. Typing in Japanese (whether on line, lang-8, skype, forums etc.)
  3. I have a japanese light novel that I've been trying to decipher ;)
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  Sloppyninja June 16, 2014 at 12:26pm

  I want to be an english teacher in japan some day, and I just love japanese culture.
  
  I like to study by:
  3. things like this website, anki, flash cards, phone apps with quick questions
  
  2. Just sitting back and listening to japanese drama/anime
  
  1. speaking with my friends in japanese (unfortunately I have no friends who are at my level of japanese because they take it as a class, whereas I just study for the fun of it, so we know completely different sets of things.)
• 
  DomoTenno June 16, 2014 at 1:04pm

  I an a Senior in High school studying japanese and i want to also become a translator (訳者になりたい) ＆would very much like to vist japan one day because their culture and language are amazing.
  
  I like to study by:
  3. listening to japanese conversations on this website called http://www.japanesepod101.com/. It has a variety of level starting with absolute beginner to newbie and so on
  
  2. I use this website for vocab and reading and i also have some japanese novels as well to practice.
  
  1. whatching anime with subtitles off and then going back and watching it with subtitles on to see if i had translated it correctly which is kind of hard because most of the time they are speaking casually and slurring the sounds.
• 
  TheHardSix June 16, 2014 at 1:45pm

  I love how varied the replies so far are ^^. Makes you realize how all the people that pass by here have their own story. Thanks for sharing guys. I hope to find more replies when I wake up!
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  Koukyoshi June 16, 2014 at 3:19pm

  I am not a grammar Nazi, but the word you're looking for is converse, not conversate, TheHardSix. In other words, you like conversing with Japanese people.
  
  My reason for studying Japanese has changed throughout the years, but I feel it boils down to one thing: I really love the language. I like the way it sounds, the way the words roll off my tongue, the way I sound when speaking the language, etc.
  
  I don't really study Japanese any more, but these are some of the things I do to hone my skills:
  
  1. read Shonen Jump every week
  2. watch anime and Japanese TV shows (London Hearts, VS嵐, 嵐にしやがれ)
  3. read at least one article from the NHK website daily
  4. hang out with my Japanese friends as much as possible
  5. put everything I can into Japanese (Facebook, Windows 8, my phone, etc).
  6. play Japanese games on my PS3, 3DS, or PSP. Currently playing 逆転裁判5 on my 3DS.
• 
  Kimbo June 16, 2014 at 8:42pm

  I wish one day I could read a novel! I would consider that a huge achievement!
  
  1. I study by reading/watching/listening to raw Japanese content and lessons.
  2. I study with Anki and flashcards on the vocab side.
  3. And the most important, but often overlooked when not in Japan, actually talking to Japanese people, in Japanese on a regular basis.
  
  Got so much further to go for news articles and novels though. T^T Hang is there, everyone! Also, everyone should watch Youは何しに日本へ!
• 
  TheHardSix June 16, 2014 at 9:14pm

  Thanks for sharing, and thanks for the correction.
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  mog86uk June 17, 2014 at 12:27am

  I love the Japanese language, how it is written, the logical grammar rules, Japanese culture, Japanese animation and music... I'm interested in the history of the language, and I like learning about the history of kanji (hanzi) and its radicals.
  
  Eventually, I hope to be able to hear and read Japanese completely fluently. I would like to be able to enjoy Japanese anime, music and games without needing to have English subtitles. I own a Bible written in Japanese--2000 pages of vertical Japanese text! I enjoy attempting to read this and I find it very interesting to see how it is worded in a drastically different language to English.
  
  I don't think I ever plan to live in Japan, I've never travelled abroad, and I don't know if I'll ever even visit Japan!...
  
  My study methods:
  1- I read hundreds of Japanese learning websites and a few books, especially grammar ones. Also sites explaining Classical Japanese and books on the history of Chinese writing.
  2- I use learning games such as Slime Forest Adventure (http://lrnj.com).
  3- I listen to Japanese music and radio, watch Japanese anime always in Japanese, and read my Japanese Bible.
• 
  TheHardSix June 17, 2014 at 3:41am

  Thanks so much for sharing. I hope visitors get to read this thread and get some ideas :)
• 
  TheHardSix June 17, 2014 at 4:34am

  @mog86uk I've attended Christian sermons in Japan. They often include an English interpreter on stage. If you're Christian and you ever find yourself in Japan, I can recommend going. I found it enjoyable (even as a non-religious person), and you can learn about biblical terms and Japanese iterations of common prayers.
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  mog86uk June 17, 2014 at 6:26am

  I am actually pretty interested in attending a 教会 in Japan, maybe more so than visiting anything else in Japan! Kinda weird, eh? I think listening to sermons in Japanese would really be an interesting experience for me. I hope I'd be able to keep up with what is being said pretty well, as I should know more or less what is being said anyway. This is the same with my Japanese Bible -- I've read my English Bible and I know most parts of it fairly well, so I know roughly what I'm supposed to be reading in my Japanese Bible (and I could always check the English one to see if I'm reading it correctly).
  
  I'm pretty interested in how Japan's churches differ to the types of churches I've attended in England. Should also be a decent place to get into some friendly and welcoming conversations with Japanese people. ^^