lol :D
man, I had my first japanese class today...my brain wasn't fried!! i was very pleasantly surprised!! lol apparently this quarter we're only going over grammar and concentrating on reading, writing, and speaking. Allegedly it isn't as difficult as the 200 level, so I'm psyched XD

Oooh, awesome! Lemme know more about how that goes! Sounds exciting (^_^)

@Ferra, I see what you mean, I have probably had a couple of experiences but due to my ethnic background, people seem to stare at me anyways and try to figure out, what I am. In Japan, they are not shy to ask, and I am not shy to say. Many locals I met seem to assume I am part Okinawan and I tell them I am not and I get the, "OHHH!" So I figured the stares I got were the same stares I get in America, or close to it. I think as far as the cell phone story, that is why I don't say much, I let my husband talk, order food, many things, I am afraid of offending someone because I myself do not what to offend.

I start my Japanese class and Intro to Asian Studies in October!! YAY!

I didn't mean to discourage anyone from learning more about the Japanese language and culture, I was just saying that it's best if you keep in mind that you'll probably never become one with the crowd (unless you don't appear foreign). Personally, I'm okay with that since I like exchanging my culture and holding onto my identity while I continue to learn more about Japan. :yes:

@scholar: Lol, well I should clarify that the deer-in-headlights reaction can come from any sort of interaction with foreigners if they aren't prepared for it. Where I'm at it's not so bad, but I've still met some Japanese people that freeze up as a defense mechanism. And I agree that cross-cultural experiences definitely help you rid yourself of incorrect assumptions. :lol:

@Liunesta: Aww, the only way you're going to learn more is if you put yourself out there. I wouldn't worry about offending (the case I cited was an extreme example) since most people seem happy as long as you make an effort. I speak more Japanese than some of the Asian-looking English teachers here, but everyone seems pretty capable of ordering and doing their day-to-day activities by themselves using Japanese, even if it's far from perfect.

@Strange: will do! The teacher is really amazing too, so it should be a great class :D

@Ferra: eh, I generally stand out a bit from the crowd anyways...although that was more when I had blue hair...lol Still, it's good to know what you're going into when you're going to a different country :D

@kuro: Well, there are websites out there with better descriptions of those phenomenons than I've given. I found this website after I arrived and although I think they use a rather blunt and harsh tone, I haven't found the content to be untrue: JAPANESE CULTURE -- A PRIMER FOR NEWCOMERS

You definitely WILL face instances where someone says something to you but actually means the opposite, so it's good to understand why that's the case.

@Ferra-That is what my husband told me, as long as you are making an effort, if you do something wrong they won't hang you from the gallows lol. I will be ready to start my classes so I can get in a little bit more as far as talking. I have some students in my preschool that don't speak English and I can not communicate with them, and it's hard for both of us. I was going to take conversational Japanese but it is the same time of my regular Japanese class starting in Oct.

@Ferra: oh yeah, I've heard about that before, I think. Are you talking about how they'll never give you a straight "no" but really they mean no? My Japanese teachers have mentioned something like that in the past...or if you invite them somewhere they'll say yes but not really mean it...?

Oh lol it is just a cultural approach that is irrelevant to whether you are a foreigner or not. In terms of Japanese business, more often than getting direct answers about contracts right away, it is more about getting a result that makes the most people happy. Making people uncomfortable is something that is to be avoided, and you're generally expected to make people comfortable if you are in the place to do so. So it's more about productivity than it is about deadlines, I think. They really just try their best not to offend others. I mean, respect is a big thing as is honor.

About that link, I have read over that page before and I do see what you mean about the instances of events being true, except that I think that overall the approach is a lot more sincere. It can be a bit harsh but I think mostly it is better than that. Like how it's best for everyone to win in a soccer game (a tie) as compared to one side winning.

Ooh, that's interesting. Man, that's nicer than what I'm used to. Take care of yourself and your family...lol
Hey, I have a question, if anyone could help me a translation! I'm trying to say, "There were a lot of paintings I had studied in art history class in the art museum." What I came up with it "アートの歴史のクラスに絵を勉強したアートはびじゅつかんにありました。Am I close?? Lol I am really rusty, and that particular grammar point was never a strength...

omgosh. Did you guys know (or maybe care...) that Gackt keeps a blog on his main site??? I had to lean on my Rikaichan plugin for Firefox to get the gist of things... but seems like he just finished a photo shoot in Toronto.

Gah, I've GOT to get back onto my kanji studies. It frustrates me so much not to be able to read things without crutches.

GACKT Blog
I'm not a stalker, I swear. >.>'
I found this by accident looking for new news on Bunraku.

There's a link in his blog to a short video where he's holding a camcorder or something and he just follows a squirrel around while laughing. It's so silly.

I need to get out there more, I try new things, I love going to new places, but I am so scared or reserved I don't speak much unless it's to say thank you. The guy at the fish cake factory I went to gave me a fish cake with rice inside and so I made sure to say thank you in Japanese, but his English was really good.

@strange_dreams_512: I didn't mean to imply it was relevant only if you're a foreigner. However, I do think it's something that can shock or frustrate foreigners if they don't know what to look out for. I don't worry too much about it, but at work I make sure to be very conscious of my coworkers needs and ask for feedback often. I'm in the habit of jumping up to help serve lunch as soon as the bell rings, etc. :)

Yeah, that's why I think the tone was a bit harsh. They make it sound quite negative when there are a lot of benefits to "group-mentality", even if it often excludes foreigners.

Oooh okay... : o
and um, if you're interested in blogs, my friend was compiling this list. In my opinion it is on the insane side for length, but apparently it is very popular to create, sooo I hope this link works : o

[click here] ♥ ♥

Man

I seriously wish I knew another language. And I think Japanese is really interesting.

/lurks

hehe feel free to jump in (sorry, but my internet is going to d/c soon, but we can talk later if you want) :D

I am about to flop off to bed myself.

But I've bookmarked this topic, so I'll be back, I think.

okies hehe well im here like every day :)

How are you doing today?

I'm doing good. How about yourself? ^^

Doing really well! I'm playing Fangirls, which is why it's so long between my posts lol

I really want to get a perfect score, but I can't seem to yet D;

I'm just sitting here listening to my Zune (So I have less programs running, so Fangirls won't lag lol) Need to go out and buy new headphones, though. These ones are dying.

I worked out the secret to a perfect score on Fangirls a while ago. But it absolutely requires that lag be minimized - or fangirls just lag right through the defenses whether they sould die or not.

Sou ka :0 I'm horrible at most of the games xB

I was really stubborn about this one. I'm terrible at all the others, well I'm oookaaay at Tetris, but that doesn't bring in much gold. Each successful run of Fangirls gets me 100g BANG.

The key is to only use balloons, focusing on the central area where they can hit twice, and the inside parts of the two curve near the entrance. Then after level ten - only use the expensive net throwers, up by the entrance.

Play in with the game on Low setting, play using Chrome instead of FF, and after you place your units, minimize the screen. Don't have any other program going on in the background. All of this reduces the horrible lag that most people have. I don't have to do near as much of this now that I've updated my computer to a quad processor, but still. >.<'

Anyway. I plan on going through my favorite manga series that I own in Japanese, and picking out ALL the words I always skip over because I don't know - and making a study list out of them. It'll take a while, and I've got to resist just 'reading' the darned stuff again. But I figure that'll keep me more motivated on my studies than the usual JLPT flashcards or whatever else.

Minimzing the screen helps? I'll try that. I finish some of the time, but I've never gotten a perfect score.

I've kind of been listening to Miyavi a lot, so I was thinking about getting out some lyrics and translations and seeing if that helps me to pick up anything...