Tag: Japan

Japanese Language School / 日本語学校

On April 10, 2018

In Fukuoka, GenkiJACS, Japan, Learning, Student Life, Study

I haven’t given much of an introduction to the language school I’m studying at and how the first week of classes have gone. It has all been a little overwhelming so far, making it difficult to put into words, but I think I have pulled enough of my thoughts together to make a reasonable stab at it.

The first question most people ask is “why go all the way to Japan to study?” which is valid, since there are a number of good schools in London I could go to for only a mildly outrageous London price.

The main reason is that while in London, everything is in English and you can’t get away from that. News, people, advertising, stores, all in English. So your chance to apply anything you learn in class is immediately limited to the things that you actively seek out in your target language. Even if you did a full time course in London, you aren’t going to apply that knowledge in very many places outside of the classroom. In Japan that issue is taken away – everything is in Japanese and straight after a class finishes, you see the kanji you just learnt or hear the grammar point you have been discussing. In the past week, I feel like my comprehension has gone up a lot (although speaking/writing is still lagging behind) and my appreciation for learning to read all the kanji has risen in proportion to my desire to actually know what is written on the packages of food I’m eating or on the menu I’m ordering from.

So much to study, so few brain resources…

So having established that studying in Japan is more suited to applying what you learn into real life, how’s school then? I choose to attend a school called Genki JACS (Japanese and Cultural Studies) as it had a good curriculum and excellent reviews on the web. They also focus on small class sizes (2-9 students, with my class being 6) and a highly interactive learning environment. They also arrange a lot of extra-curricular activities in conjunction with the local universities and the like. For example, last Wednesday I attended a casual Japanese calligraphy session with the local Women’s university and then an English language conversation meet-up for Japanese people studying English to speak with real-life English speakers. All these are excellent opportunities to learn new things and make new friends.

If you look closely, you can see one cheeky chap has written the kanji for haemorrhoids

My timetable for school is 4 hours of face to face study (morning or afternoon) and anywhere between 30 minutes and 2 hours homework. Repeat this for 5 days a week, with extra homework for the weekends. It sounded a lot easier when compared to my 9am to 6pm job, but I’m completely mentally exhausted at the end of each day and I literally could not cram any more into my head than I am right now.

A lot of this is because the classes themselves have been quite intense. That isn’t because the teachers are overly strict, but rather it is because in the 4 hours of lessons each day we are taught nearly 100% in Japanese and I’ve jumped into a class that is half-way through its course already. So I felt like I’m playing catch-up right from the start and as anyone who knows me would vouch for, I’m not overly fond of being bad at things.

So I need to catch up on the material I missed and try and stay ahead of the new information being taught. My final challenge for the classroom is that my brain has been on a learning vacation for 18 years and it really needs to whip itself into shape (neural plasticity anyone?) and get itself together. Seriously, my ability to memorise things is horrific!

Overall it is the massive learning experience I was looking for. I wasn’t engaged with my work and really felt the need for a challenge. Well, I’ve got my challenge now and it is a doozy! So all is well and I’m hoping that after a period of adjustment, it will be a manageable one.

Now, back to study…

Review: Suntory Strong Zero – Bitter Orange 9%

By Matthew

On April 7, 2018

In Fukuoka, Japan, Reviews, Suntory

I spend a fair amount of time at convenience stores here in Japan. Those of you who have been to Japan will understand, and for those who haven’t, please allow me to explain. Convenience stores (or konbini/コンビニ) are everywhere in the city, and just about everywhere not in a city as well. There are at least 3 within 150 meters of my apartment, and I’m not even in a downtown area. Anyway, there are many of them and they are great for:

They have very tasty pre-made meals (more on this another time)
They have all the little knick knacks you could want (tweezers to noddles to pet food, etc)
They are open fairly late
They have a fun range of alcoholic beverages

There are many other good points, but that last one is the reason for this post. I’ve decided to to a semi-regular (i.e. when I feel like it) series on the myriad of various drinks available from these convenience stores, from the straightforward to the silly. All in the name of science! And also in the name of recovering from a whole day of Japanese study. But mostly it is about the science.

Anyway, first a disclaimer:

I make no pretence of having any real skill or knowledge of alcoholic beverages, above having drunk them and also being in possession of taste buds and a keyboard.

So please allow me to introduce the inagrual drink… The Strong Zero Bitter Orange 9% from Suntory.

Suntory Strong Zero Bitter Orange 9%

By the way, I’m not going to structure the reviews along any specific lines, mainly I just want to have a bit of fun, drink new drinks and maybe learn something new and interesting.

Anyway, moving swiftly on, the Suntory corporation helpfully provides some suggestions right on the can:

Those being:

A warning that it is a strong drink at 9% alcohol
It is not sweet and contains fruit peel
Have with a meal

Good advice/information to know.

So how does it taste? Well, as the can rightly says, while it has a strong citrus flavour, it isn’t a sweet drink. It has a strong, unmasked alcoholic flavour that would not appeal to those who enjoy a drink that is mild and understated. It is very fizzy and is kept very cold, which only sharpens the experience for me. Oh and I should point out, it is quite bitter. Like, “my face might collapse inwards” bitter. Which is great if you are into that, but if not… Well, you shouldn’t have bought a drink with “bitter” written on it and you really only have yourself to blame.

I’d say this drink is for those occasions when you want something a bit refreshing and surprising. It isn’t a session drink, where you could finish one after another, but on a warm evening after a long day at work/practising kanji, it is quite enjoyable and thoroughly intoxicating. I’m about three quarters done and I am already thankful for spell-check, if that’s any indication of strength.

So there you go, my first review done – I feel a warm glow of satisfaction/intoxication now.

Starting School / 学校が始まる

By Matthew

On April 3, 2018

In Japan, Learning, Student Life, Study

月曜日から、私は GenkiJACS 日本語学校でフルタイムの学生として勉強を始めました。大学を卒業して以来、フルタイムの勉強はしたことがなかったので、私のような甘やかされたサラリーマンにとってはかなり大きな変化です。私は、比較的快適な場所から、地球の反対側で、まったく異なる経験の真っ只中に飛び込み、すでにカリキュラムの半分が終わったクラスに参加しました。これは、そうでなければ難しい状況に、さらに挑戦の要素を加えています。

Had to get a little bit of Japanese practice in there before continuing on with the rest of the blog! It will be interesting to look back at it in 6 months to see how cringe worthy the grammar is.

Hello fellow students, I too am a cool and hip student like yourself.

Here’s the longer-form version in English…

I started as a full time student at GenkiJACS Japanese language school on Monday. I’ve not done any full time study since finishing up at university, so it is quite a significant change for a spoilt office worker like myself. I’ve gone from a place of relative comfort and landed right in the middle of something completely different my experience, on the opposite side of the world, and I’ve joined a class that is already half way through its curriculum. Which adds an extra dash of challenge to an otherwise challenging situation.

The biggest difference I’ve found so far is the amount of attention you have to give to your surroundings. You have to actively think and what you are being taught, digest it as best you can and recall it on demand. You don’t even get the luxury of Googling the answers to the tricky stuff, which is bordering on unreasonable! All this is tempered by having really nice and friendly teachers though. Each of them have very different teaching styles, but it is clear from the start they have giving the students a good education at the core of their values.

Looking back on this post, it feels a little whiny, so I hope you can indulge me a little. This really is a positive-problem sort of thing, in that I was specifically looking for something that will challenge me and test my boundaries. I’m pretty sure that in a few weeks, once I’ve filled in the larger missing blanks of knowledge and established a rhythm, I’ll be a lot more confident and feeling less awed by the gap between where I think I am and where I’m actually at.

My pre-intermediate level textbook

I hope anyway.

Preparations / 準備

By Matthew

On March 25, 2018

In Japan, Preparations, Travel

準備 (junbi) – preparation; setup; arrangements; provision; reservations.

I’ve got most of the preparations for the trip already done. It is difficult to determine what you might need for 6 months, but I figure that if I get the most important things sorted (flights, school, apartment) then I can blag the rest once I arrive. Japan is a pretty advanced place after all, such that if I need a toothbrush I will likely be able to locate one without incurring undue stress.

One thing I needed to sort out ahead of time, are the gifts I needed to get for various people I’d like to make a good impression with. There is a strong culture of gift-giving in Japan, called お土産 (omiyage), whereby anyone going off for a holiday or trip is generally expected to bring back souvenirs for their close friends, colleagues, family, etc. It is somewhat more culturally embedded in Japan than most other countries, where you might get a present for people, instead you really should get something.

What to get though? I did a bit of digging and it appears to be somewhat of a fine art, choosing something that is both representative of the place you visited, but not too tacky and not too expensive. With this in mind, I scoured Amazon for various British trinkets, before arriving on these delightful set of English teas. It feels like they will tick all the boxes, however I will report back here with the results, positive or otherwise.

English Tea Shop Gift Sets

With these packed, I think I’m all set to go! Now there are just 4 days of work between myself and a Korean Air flight to Fukuoka.

Introductions

By Matthew

On March 23, 2018

In Preparations, Travel

In exactly one week from now, I will be flying off to adventures new in Japan. I’ll be spending 6 months in Fukuoka, learning Japanese full time, exploring the city, making friends and exploring new boundaries. It will be something completely different from my daily life in the UK and I’ve very few preconceptions on how it will all go. Will I enjoy the thrill of constantly being exposed to new people, concepts and culture? I certainly hope so, but it is in the not knowing that a real adventure starts.

So as I start this new challenge, I would like to take the time to document the journey. Partly it is for myself, to reflect on later, and partly it is for you, someone who might be interested in what I discover in Japan. I’ll update as often as I have anything to share and I hope you enjoy following along!