Mito To-Do List

My friend asked me for this list, so I thought I would share it since it has already been compiled.
I will have another post about the things which are available in Mito itself, but here are things which can be found in the area:

In Mito

http://www.japanvisitor.com/japan-city-guides/mito
http://www.travel-around-japan.com/k35-06-mito.html
-Kairakuen
           samurai house
           http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6201.html
           http://www.koen.pref.ibaraki.jp/foreign_language/en/
- Museums and aquarium
- Senba Lake
- Cherry Blossom River
- River walks (there are three)
- Discount shopping (book off and house off) and Sushi (Kappa Sushi conveyor belt)
- Parks and quiet places

- Mito art tower

- Mito history museum
- Mito Prefectural Office
- Small and Quaint shops or stores

Near Mito

-Fukuroda Falls
           http://www.japan-guide.com/blog/koyo15/151111_fukuroda.html
           http://www.pref.ibaraki.jp/bugai/kokusai/tabunka/en/oneday/20140217-fukurodafalls.html  
- Mito Station Shopping
- Omika (kawarago beach)
- Hitachi station (beach and mountain view)
- Hitachi naka seaside park
- Tskuba Station (shopping)
- Tskuba Mountain (hiking)

Japan in General

- Akihabara Tokyo (electronics)
- Shibuya Tokyo shopping (music and clothes)
- Harajuku Tokyo (the experience
- Onsen
- Different animal locations (cat island, rabbit island, animal cafe, fox village, or petting zoo)
- Karaoke
- Daiso, Seria, Watts or any other dollar store
- Kimono or Yukata (you can rent them if you do not have one)
- Food Varieties (neba, skimono, sashimi, natto, mochi, wagashi, ramen, sake, pan)
- Grocery store shopping

Learning about Japan

So, before moving to Japan I did a bit of trolling about the internet. How do you learn about a world I had no experience in? So here are the best solutions I came across:

Texan in Tokyo
They are a mixed culture couple (American and Japanese) and they address the contrasts between their home cultures. Sadly, they stopped posting new videos about a week ago, but they have over two years of regular vlogs, lots of blogs, and several books which are both informative and delightfully funny.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lfb8hJlMMwA

Rachel and Jun
They are also a  mixed culture couple. I particularly like their earlier videos because their later videos are clearly sponsored. Jun (the husband) often does his vlogs in Japanese while Rachel (the wife) produces in English. Both have bilingual subtitles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4CuEiVtG58
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92wtDKCtOiU

Japanology Plus - Begin Japanology - Tradjapan
These are videos produced by Peter Barakan and the NHK (the BBC or PBS of Japan). If you are looking for a sheer quantity of good and accurate information then this is a phenomenal way to get it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFBEOEVghYs&list=PLafjw5RRdR7K7Nhk5yNHDPbwHYd0fEDpb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL95mM4_Ewg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJHCGPp4G4k

NHK Japanese (culture and language series)
http://www.nhk.or.jp/lesson/english/learn/list/

Gaijin Pot
I have found that they always has accurate inform which is usually posted by expats.

Japan Guide
This is a wonderful website for planning your tourism and sightseeing. This is created by the government and is becoming even more useful as they prepare for the upcoming Olympics.
http://www.japan-guide.com/

Who's line is it, anyways...

           Right now I am both a language learner and a language teacher, an interesting and excellent diametrical opposition. It is interesting because it forces me to examine how my students study the language in order to tailor the class to their needs and develop new techniques to help them. It also means I look at many different aspects of language education as well as the various students in order to solve each problem. Being both a teacher and student it makes me a better student and teacher in ways that one role independently could not. I can teach my students tricks that I use, and the anomalies that I discover in class improve my own studies. I get to discover which difficulties exist because of the language barriers and which ones are personal problems.

        So I thought I would share a few things I have learned... but instead of the specifics of the Japanese language - which has already been categorized and catalogued by so many other wonderful sources - I want to share some tricks to keep in mind when learning any language. 

First, do not assume that the new language is the same as any other (only with different vocabulary). Treating multiple languages the same is like treating masses of people the same; if you  are looking for a shortcut or need to deal with an urgent problem quickly then it might just work. However, in the grand scheme of things it will just breed confusion and misunderstanding. Take the time to get to know the language on its own terms. So you cannot speak it fluently yet and this is not the easy way out... but you will be fluent soon enough (so long as you keep at it) so calm down. Taste the sounds of the language and learn to identify each building block (whatever you do, do not box the new language into the sound or grammar restrictions of your old language). Before binge-studying vocabulary you should really be trying to answer this question: What is the flavor of your new language?

If you actually want to know another language then one thing you just have to come to terms with is the time commitment. There is a certain number of hours (although it will slightly vary by person and situation) which you will merely have to commit to hard core studying. There is no way around this. There are thousands of ways to study - from immersion conversations in a coffee shop to repetitious writing of vocab. Choose your poison and come to terms with the time sacrifice.

Prioritize what parts of the language are most important for you and your current position (business, entertainment, travel, friends) and work towards that. Do not try to conquer everything at once. Set realistic goals. Put in the work to achieve those goals, and celebrate when you reach them.

Use good study materials (I just posted another article about my favorite materials if that would be helpful).

Do not isolate a language from its culture. The two concepts are inextricably linked (not jut for socio-linguists). You cant really feel the language unless you somewhat understand the people who speak it, and you cannot understand the people unless you have walked (at least) the metaphorical mile in their shoes.

Be eager to try out you new language skills and be willing to make mistakes - even in front of a native speaker. So what if you are not perfect. So long as you did not (falsely) tell your friends you are fluent then making mistakes should not be embarrassing. In languages, any chance to practice is an opportunity to improve and be corrected - both of which are good things. Be willing to try. If my students are any evidence, a willingness to try is more important in language learning than natural cleverness or sheer time spent immersed in the language.
 Just try.
*** If you did lie to your friends about being bi/tri/multilingual then you should probably go confess now before it gets out of hand...

So go out and study.
Be reminded of the beauty of God’s creation, because learning a new language is wondrous and inspiring. It is like having a secret password, like solving a riddle or getting a joke, like putting on glasses for the first time and realizing what you couldn't see before.
Learning a new language opens your eyes.

Mt Fuji is in this picture. Can you find it? 

Learning Languages 語を勉強する

In a couple weeks I take my first big test for the Japanese language to see if I have learned anything at all... I certainly have tried. 

So, to mark the event I thought I would post about my favorite (and least favorite) language tools. 

My favorite learning resources for languages in general are: 

• The book Fluent Forever by Gabriel Wyner; I received a copy of this book from a friend when I was really discouraged and overwhelmed. It was wonderful for encouraging me, for motivating me, for reminding me that language learning is possible, and to help me structure my learning routine.
• Having an end goal or test to study towards (puts an attainable goal in mind and adds the necessary edge of pressure). Commit to something that is objective. 
• Submersion (in small doses at first so that you are not overwhelmed and give up).
• Singing songs in the target language (It was fun to sing songs that I was already familiar with in English, but generally better for studying if I learned new songs in the target language.) Youtube can be good for this, but make sure you have access to the written lyrics for validation. 
• Engaging in conversation with the language, even if it is simple and only with other newbies.
• Taking a class with a tutor. This cannot be overstated. Look online or for a community class in your area. 
• Putting sticky notes of vocab on objects around my house.
• Spark Charts
• Taping a vocab list to my mirror (to study when I brush my teeth).
• Messaging with other people who can only understand the target language (see websites like https://www.hellolingo.com/ if you need a friend in your target language.)
• Picture dictionaries in the target language
• Flashcards that I made without English on them, explain each vocab word with a picture.
• Spaced repetition software like anki for vocab
• Basic grammar dictionary
• Workbooks or notebooks that I used as notebooks. Repetition really is the key to learning. 
• Online grammar and vocab lists compiled by many different talented vloggers and bloggers. Beware of getting lost on the internet, though.
• Good old fashioned determination; every time you look a work up again you are one step closer to remembering it forever. 

For Japanese specifically I liked: 

• Kana Invaderds (https://learnjapanesepod.com/kana-invaders/) the perfect game for learning the writing system.
• Genki textbook series. They are amazing and easy to understand, even without a tutor.
• Jisho.org (a fantastic online dictionary which also has an app).
• Concise list of Japanese verbs (see the multi-part list at http://www.thejapanguy.com/100-japanese-verbs-you-should-know-part-1/)
• Puns (https://www.italki.com/article/293/learn-vocabulary-through-japanese-puns-dajare)
• Japanese through Pictures book (ISBN-13: 978-4794600738)
• Polar Bear Cafe (lhttps://myanimelist.net/anime/12815/Shirokuma_Cafe)  or any book which is simple enough to not be overwhelming, interesting enough to keep you motivated, and encourages you to engage one-on-one with the language
• Online NHK lessons (http://www.nhk.or.jp/lesson/english/)
• Books for shadowing and emulating a language. Really make sure you make all the sounds right from the beginning. Do not build bad habits. I bought this one (ISBN-13: 978-4874243541) 
• Kanji workbook (ISBN-13: 978-4-384-05635-8)
• Concise vocab books (ISBN-13: 978-4863920101)
• Books to test and spur on progress such as (ISBN-13: 978-4872179408)
• Speak Japanese in 90 days by Kevin Marx

Poor life choices...

There were a few resources that were less than helpful. Some of these may be obvious, but I feel obliged to offer the list...

• Netflix 
• Youtube (it has good material including the links I attached above... but it is such a dangerous place to "search" for tools.)
• Rosetta stone (This software was really fun if you have a decent foundation, but starting from nil I found this software more agitating than helpful.)
• Mina No Nihongo textbook series. Just do not do it. Do not put yourself through that. 
• Not practicing (procrastinating is the worst.)
• Buying all the resources at once without setting a specific schedule or goals and yet promising myself that I will be awesome real soon. Do not make my mistake. Be realistic. Do not overbuy. You already are awesome, now prove it by studying.

Hotels ホテル

So this post is long overdue since the last time I stayed in a hotel was four months ago... So for getting this to you so slowly, but here it finally is. What is it like to stay in a Japanese hotel?
 Well, first off, I have only stayed in a few hotels - just enough to convince me that every hotel experience in Japan will not be the same. Like in the states there will be a unique flavor and service in each (although you can generally expect to avoid the misfortune of the terrifying american motel.) In general there are two types of hotels, business hotels and traditional hotels. I have only stayed in business hotels which are the more western of the two. For a flavor of a traditional Japanese guesthouse you can check out this video from some of my favorite vloggers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N_TFXpaHAQ

In the spirit of tradition, hotels often have disposable slippers for patrons to wear inside the room because the Japanese have something against being barefoot. On more than one occasion the hotel has even supplied a yukata like a bathrobe for my convenience. 

In tho photos above you can see the view from the front of a hotel near mount fuji and a miniature model which they had in the lobby of that same hotel. The card is demonstrating a nifty little feature in one of the hotels. In order to turn lights or electricity on you had to deposit your key card in this machine by the door. If you removed the key (a.k.a. left the room) the lights would automatically turn off.

In most of the hotels, instead of a coffee maker they have a water heater and green tea... which is just not a solution when I want some coffee. 

When it comes to other amenities, hotels have the standard shower-bath and bed and such. However, the floor space of each room is often much smaller than you would expect in America. In one of my hotels, the entire room/bathroom combination was probably less than 150 square feet. In this smaller hotel there was no closet, just a bar of hangers on the wall at the foot of the bed for my clothes. 

One thing that I was encouraged to find was the shelf of books in English and Japanese, including a Bible (above the hairdryer). Some things are universal.