The Right Study Conditions
While I was at the beach this morning I wrote a post on my personal blog about the importance of getting away from your computer and office to get work done. I figured I would write a bit here on Japanese Words about how important it is to do the same thing when you are [...]
Making Japanese Mochi
I came across this video today of the traditional “pounding” of mochi, rice which is basically pounded into a soft sticky substance. The speed at which these guys do this is pretty impressive. I wonder how many times the guy has had his hand smashed. I bet they really hate when someone quites. Brings a [...]
Adventures in Miyakojima: The Pumpkin Cave
Well, we are now in the middle of June and the weather here in Miyakojima has really started to warm up. Which means it’s time for BBQs, snorkeling, diving, and all kinds of other outdoor activities. Since a lot of my friends and family don’t know what it’s like over here, I have decided to [...]
Japanese Flash Card Contest Judges
We are starting to get our first essays in for the Japanese flash card contest, so I figured now would be a good time to put on a little information about the three judges. As I mentioned before, there are three judges who will be reviewing the essays and all have experience with Japanese and [...]
Win Free Japanese Kanji or Kana Flash Cards
I mentioned in the last post I wrote reviewing White Rabbit’s Japanese Flash cards, Japanese Kana cards, and the Kanji Poster that I would be holding a contest to give away some of the cards that White Rabbit Press was kind enough to donate. Shortly afterwords I had to leave to Tokyo for a friends [...]
White Rabbit Press Kanji Poster and Kanji Flash Cards
A couple of weeks ago I received an e-mail from White Rabbit Press, the maker of the Kanji Poster, Kanji Flash Cards, and other Japanese learning products, asking if I would be interested in in promoting their products on Japanese Words. They offered to send a poster and some cards for review and also sent [...]
Learn Japanese Through Anime and Manga
If you are learning Japanese there is a good chance that you are into anime or manga. At least this seemed to be the case when I studied in Japan, and also when I worked as an admissions counselor at a Japanese University. The great thing is that Japanese anime and manga can be used [...]
Kanjilish- Learn Japanese and Kanji While Reading English
In the last few years there have been quite a few tools coming out to help students learn Japanese. One of my favorites is Rikaichan. Rikaichan is an add-on for Firefox that will give you the readings and definitions for Japanese characters when you mouse over them. It is a great tool for anyone learning [...]
Japanese Words with Sound
One of the main focus of Japanese Words has always been about learning new Japanese words. In the beginning you need to know a certain number of words to communicate in Japanese and as you get to a more advanced level you will need to more words to express more complex ideas and feelings. Today [...]
Getting Back on Track with Japanese (and Japanese Words)
Over the last month I have been pretty busy with a number of things including the holiday season, working as a volunteer diver to remove おにひとで (devil starfish) to protect the coral, and just work in general that have kept me away from my Japanese study. It has also caused me to write less on [...]






