Language Log Attempt #56753

I will try to keep track of my "language learning experience" with a blog, so I can tell if I'm get good or not. You can following along too, I guess...

[tryingtokeepingmyshittogether]

ポケスペ第190話の単語 (Pokemon Special Ch.190 vocab)

Last chapter of volume 15! Making this list is starting to become a chore... I might change things us for the next volume.

ノズパス：Nosepass (it's the same in English and Japanese lol)

連中：those guys (referring to team Aqua)

力をつける：to get stronger [also this is where if finally realized that Sapphire replaces を with ば as part of her accent]

もともと：from the start

ジム戦：Gym challenge/fight

腕をみがく：to polish one's skills

経営：management; running (a Pokemon gym)

修練場：training field

おらん→おる→いる（ジムリーダーがおらんようになって…）[another one of the characteristics of Sapphire's dialect]

つぶれる：to cease functioning

重大：important; serious

報道規制：restriction on information

表向き: outward appearance

託す：to entrust someone

規制がかかる：to place a restriction

ニュースで流れ：aired on the news

規制される：to be restricted/controlled

ひっかかる：to be on one's mind; to be bothered by

巨大企業：corporate giant

自社：one's company

確実：reliable

真骨頂：what one is really made of

切り込む：to cut one's way into (an enemy's position)

誘拐犯：kidnapper

検索する：to look up something (like on the internet)

検索中：searching

キラりきならめく：

検索中：prodigy

テスト用紙：test sheet

席につく：to sit on a seat

まひ：paralysis

採点：grading; scoring

優等生：honor student; prize pupil

(2匹使用の)入れ替え(戦)：switch/replace

思い切り：as hard as one can

実技：practical skill

交代：taking turns

Fuck it I'll add them to the Deck tomorrow.

[tryingtokeepingmyshittogether]

ポケスペ第189話の単語 (Pokemon Special Ch. 189 Vocab)

One more chapter left after this!

ルンパッパ：Ludicolo [idk why this name still makes me giggle]

ハスプレロ：Lombre

ふところ：inside the breast pocket of one's clothing

計画的な：systematic; planned

奪う：to snatch/steal

（人間の）指示を受ける：to take instructions/orders (from humans)

しるし：mark

動体視力：ability to identify objects in motion [Sapphire's a quick observer]

樹海：sea of trees （迷いの樹海）

怪我人をかかえる：to carry an injured person

やみくもに：recklessly

ひそひそ：quietly; whispering

同然：natural; proper

しげみ（の中に）：(inside) the thicket

空洞：hallow; cavity

岩場：rocky area

木々：all kinds of trees

盗る：to steal 「so kinda like 盗む」

疲れ傷ついている：Tired and wounded

お忘れですか。：Did you forget? [it's nice to find polite or sarcastic iterations from time to time]

さきほど：a moment ago

サメハダー：Rough skin (ability)

特性：special characteristic

触れ合う：to come in contact with

最終進化形：Final evolved from

総帥＝リーダー

順調：doing well

造船所：shipyard

潜水艇：submarine

かいえん1号：Submarine Explorer 1 (what the game named the sub)

心臓部：central part

（特別）起動部品：(special) activation part

部品：parts; accessories

自ら：in person

極秘納品：secret delivery (mission?)

陽射し：rays of the sun

命の恩人におかえしがしたかったのね: It's (Castform) owed you guys for saving it's life [paraphrasing cuz holy shit that does not translate well 1:1]

信頼：trust; confidence

引き受ける：to accept; to assume responsibility for

Anki Deck update later

[tryingtokeepingmyshittogether]

ポケスペ第188話の単語

Blah.

ハスブレロ：Lombre

はまる：to be in a craze about

噴水：fountain

給水口：opening of the water suply

吸い込む：to suck up (literally)

管：pipe

水道局：water department

手遅れになる：it will be too late

柱：column; pillar

ポワルソ：Castform

探る：to feel around for; to search for [so slightly different from 探す]

食いしん坊：glutton

ココドラ：Aron

大好物：favorite food

はがね：steel

ボサッとする＝ボッとする [just another variation]

（危機を）救う：to rescue (from danger)

ネタ：material (for a story/article) [so like a "scoop"?]（このネタはおいしいわ！！）

交渉する：to discuss/negotiate

テレビ屋さん：Someone who works for TV

鉄柵：iron railing

仕込む：to prepare

日課：daily routine

（水道局員を）装う：to pretend to be (workers from the water department)

誘拐する：to kidnap

問う：to care about; to regard as important（方法は問いません）

継続する：to continue

Anki Deck

[tryingtokeepingmyshittogether]

ポケスペ第187話の単語

I've been too busy to read a chapter ahead, like I did during the week. There are only 3 chapters left of this volume!

カクレオン：Kecleon

郊外：outskirts

手持ちになる：to obtain another (Pokemon)

狙う：to have one's eye on

空（のボール）：empty (poke ball)

ギザギザ：jagged (zig-zag)

宙に浮いている：floating in midair

移動している：is moving

深追いする：to chase too far

いろへんげ：color-changing

ベロ：tongue [ペロペロ is the sound effect of licking, while 舌 is also the word for "tongue", so IDK how this is different]

慌てる：to rush; to hasten

正気（とは思えない）：to be in sane; to be out of one's mind

眺め：scene; view

（105番）水道：channel; waterway

たまに：occasionally; once in awhile

技を出す：to start an attack (Pokemon)

むかつく：to feel offended; irritated

むしろ: rather; instead

むしろ楽しいなってすら思うよ！: It's even better than I thought！

輝く：to shine [somehow different from 光る]

前向きな（気持ち）：positive (feeling)

キャッチする：to catch [much easier to remember than 捕獲する, man I love 和製英語]

略する：to abbreviate 「example: ポケモンナビゲーター→ポケナビ」

新製品：new (line of products) [so different from 新商品 I guess]

おこづかい: allowance (money)

おこづかいを貯める：to save one's allowance

親にないしょ：a secret kept from one's parents

こっそり: secretly

ピッタリ：perfectly (suited)

だいぶ（疲れてる）：considerably (tired)

見失う：to lose sight of

風景：scenery; landscape

（風景）にとけこむ：to blend into (the scenery) [literally "melt into"?]

（ボールを）ぶつける：to hit (with a poke ball)

ホッとする：with a sigh of relief; deeply sighing

Anki Deck

[tryingtokeepingmyshittogether]

ポケスペ第186話の単語 (Pokemon Special Chapter 186 Vocab)

Another short chapter, yay!

キノガッサ：Breloom

深いわけがある：to have a good reason

ヤルキモノ：Vigoroth（やる気もの）

うばめがえし：Aerial Ace (move) [literally: swallow return]

軽やかな：minor

伸び縮みする（パンチ）：elastic; flexible (punch)

一発（で十分だ）：one hit (is enough)

療養：medical treatment (longer term?)

手にする：to own; obtain

妙だ：strange

気配：sign; sensation; feeling（別の気配を感じる）

ケッキング：Slaking

いばる：Swagger (move)

威力：power; might

こんらん：confusion; mayhem

じっとする：to be motionless

気のせい：It must be my imagination

陥らない（技）：to fall into (a trap) [in this case probably the move]

しんぴのまもり：Safeguard (move) [literally: mysterious safe guard]

どなた：Who/you [seems to be a more polite variant than あなた or 誰]

お言葉に甘えて：Thank you for your kind offer (set phrase)

行き過ぎる：to go past （早くこの町行き過ぎたいんだけどな～）

きっと：most likely

くだる：to go down to （そんなくだらないことを目標にせず）

強制する：to be forced to do

見返す：to prove oneself superior （大人たちを見返してやるんだ！！）

Anki Deck

[tryingtokeepingmyshittogether]

Week of 3/22 Progress

Things I kept up with:

WaniKani/Bunpro/Anki/SRS: I have been keep up with these everyday. I even made an Anki Deck for the Manga I'm reading. It helps me remember/recognize words, but not so much for using them in conversation. I made it to level 22 in WaniKani and finished all N4 Grammar+ the Tobira pathway up to Ch.6. All that grammar I haven't touched since December is slowly coming back to me!

Reading: I am reading about a chapter or two a day of the Pokemon Special Manga starting from the RSE story. I think a whole volume a week was a little too ambition, because stopping to write down and make Anki Cards of every new word I come across is time consuming. I don't' want to burn out and quit, so I will keep up with 1-2 chapters a day. Writing down vocab

Conversation Exchange: I had about 1.5 hours of conversation time this week. One of my partners is no longer able to converse once a week, so I will need to find a new partner. I will also need to make posts about the vocab I learn each week, so hopefully I will start retaining it.

YouTube for listening practice: I'm still goofing around on YouTube for Japanese videos to watch. Other than binge watching a compilation of random Shin-Chan episodes, I have been watching commentary on short clips of people playing ACNH. The algorithm has deemed that's what I'm interested in so that's what I have been clicking on the most. This アナウンサーYouTuberたいきち channel is what I've been watching the most. He speaks very fast so I can't always catch 100% of what he's saying, but the video gives me clear context so I can keep up.

Teaching: Still doing it!

Things I've dropped the ball on:

Tobira Textbook studying: I am currently re-studying each chapter and have gotten up to Chapter 3. However I have barely touched my notes this week, either out of time constraint or laziness. I want catch up to where I left off (Ch.7), so I need to be better about this next week.

Writing sentences: Usually I will write a sentence or two the vocabulary introduced in each chapter of Tobira. But because I haven't touched my grammar notes on Ch.3 I haven't moved past this chunk of vocab yet. I should re-read the sentences, make corrections, and if possible have native speakers evaluate them.

Speaking: I should probably start talking to myself more often in the target language. Or start shadowing. I also need to find more conversation partners if possible.

Song Lyrics: Whatever, I'll just keep listening and come back to them later.

Goals for next week:

Continue reading: I will keep up the pace of a chapter a day. Once I get used to the grind, I'll start doing 2-3 per day.

Record myself speaking: Once I finish a volume(ish) I will summarize it in my own words and record it.

Speaking: Start talking to myself in Japanese so my mouth gets used to saying new words and I can start thinking in the target language. Or start shadowing.

Tobira stuff: I will get back on track with my Tobira studies.

これから頑張ります！

[tryingtokeepingmyshittogether]

New Vocab words from Conversation Partners Week of 3/22

Since it's been working well with the retaining the vocab I've learned from reading Manga, I'm going to start making a list of new words I've learned from my conversation partners. I may or may not make another Anki Deck...

春分の日：First day of spring

春一：the first wind (storm) of spring [apparently this is from the increase warmth in the air that causes strong wind storms in the spring time in East Asia]

振り返る：to look back on; to reflect on

低気圧：Low pressure (weather)

断層：(geological) fault

公共交通機関：public transportation

交通渋滞：traffic (congestion)

路面電車：Street car

I guess we talked about the change in weather/season as usual and the climates we live in.

[tryingtokeepingmyshittogether]

ポケスペ第185課の単語 (Pokemon Special Chapter 185 Vocab)

短くて嬉しいな～！今日、もう一話を読めろうと思います。明日までにそういう単語を書き込もう。Either there was a lot of action or this chapter was just short.

コノハナ：Nuzleaf（a pun on 木の葉＋鼻 lol）

オレンの実：Oran Berry

モモンの実：Pecha Berry

大っぴらに（動けない）：openly; move around

表通り：main street

さける：to avoid （表通りはさけて…）

結果的に：concerning the results （結果的にそこ「鼻」が相手の嫌がる場所だったみたいだ。）

恐れをなす：to be scared

逃げ出す：to flee

見る目がある：to have discerning eye

（ボクと付き合う）：to go along (with me) [I previously thought this just meant "hang-out" or sometimes "date"]

審査員：Judge (of contests)

投票（する）：to vote

捕獲：capturing (Pokemon)

コツ：ropes; hang; trick （捕獲のコツ）

予感：hunch; premonition（イヤな予感…）

隠れろ！：Hide!

別名：alias; different name

追い求める：to pursue（別名、強さを追い求める男）

Anki Deck

[tryingtokeepingmyshittogether]

ポケスペ第184課の単語(Pokemon Special Chapter 184 Vocab)

This didn't feel as painful this time.

ドクケイル：Dustox

つたえておきたいことがある：There's something I have to tell you (letter talk?)

仕立て直す：to alter (clothing)

必ず（着ように）：always [it can mean "certainly" or "without fail" too, but those don't make for very natural sounding English translations so this is my guess of what they are trying to convey]

気取る：to act like/to pretend

余計なお世話（ったい）：none of your business

寸法：measurement; size

測る：to measure [is somehow different from 計る and 量る by kanji, but the pronunciation is still the same]

さて（と…）：Well...

手持ち（が増えたのはありがたいけど）：on hand (Pokemon)

担当する：to be responsible (for a role)

いずれ（バレる）：sooner or later (will be caught)

舞台＝ステージ stage

時の流れ：the flow of time

移りゆけども：as it passes （時の流れは移りゆけども変わらぬその身の可愛さよ）

どうたい（分かった？）：How about it?; Get it? [still trying to figure out what どうたい as an adverb can be used for)

歩き＝ウォーキング: walking

ますます：increasingly; more and more (of something bad)

（葉っぱの動き）を参考する：to reference; to use as a reference

キモリ：Treecko

（警察に）知らせる：to inform (the police)

受話器：(telephone) receiver

つかむ：to grab（葉っぱだと思ってつかんだのはポケモンの羽…！）

入れっぱなし：to be left in (PokeDex entry)（いれっぱなしで返しそびれてた）

認識する：to recognize; to be aware of

粉：powder; dust [I always thought it was just "flour" lol]

もうどく：deadly poison [I'm pretty sure it's a Pokemon move, I just can't figure out which one it is]

しっかり（する）：properly deal with (?)

対策：strategy; countermeasure

練る：to work out (a plan)（対策を練らなきゃ）

居場所：whereabouts; location (of someone/something animate)

素早い：quick; swift

出くわす：to come across

そのたび：each time

（相手の位置を）つかむ：to understand; to comprehend

触角：antenna; feeler

ヒレ：fin

レーダー：radar

ボーっと（する）：to stare blankly; to be in a daze

性能：ability; performance

のん気：relaxed (nature)

痛快：thrilling

めかし込む：to dress oneself up

目指する：to aim for; to have an eye on

Anki Deck

[tryingtokeepingmyshittogether]

ポケスペ第183話の単語(Pokemon Special Ch. 183 vocab)

I feel like these lists get longer every chapter....

アチャモ：Torchic

整える：to tidy up; to adjust（せっかく整えた毛並みがああ！）

襲われている：being assaulted/attacked

太刀打ち：fighting against; competing against

戦闘力（が高い/低い）：fighting strength (is high/low)

おわび：apology（そのトラブルにキミを巻き込んだおわびと言ってはなんだが）

炎：fire (type)

迷わず：without hesitation

ミズゴロウ：Mudkip

微妙：iffy; not great (colloquial usage)

マシ→増し：preferable; least-worst

ギリギリ：just barely（たくましさ部門なら、キリキリなんとか）

応戦する：to counter; fight back

よける：to avoid (physical contact)

しかける：to pick a fight; to challenge（先にしかけてきたのはそっちじゃろーか）

「どげんこつ」：？？？(Sapphire's dialect is hard to understand. Maybe some dialect from Kyushu? But I'm not familiar with those...)

なまり：accent (of one's speech); dialect; mispronunciation

全開：full power/throttle

野獣：brute; wild animal

だったら：if that's the case

ともかく（も）：anyhow（a variation of とにかく?）

誤解：misunderstanding（でもよかった。これで誤解がとけたね。）

預かる：to hold on to; to keep in one's custody

ハブネーク：Seviper

分布調査：distribution investigation

観察する：to observe

秘密基地：secret base (game mechanic)

ボヤボヤする：to be careless; to be slow

（全）制覇：conquest; mastery (of all)

筋肉がつく：to gain muscle

気楽な：carefree (but too much) [When translated into English it doesn't sound like a negative attribute, but in Japanese it carries that connotation. There is probably a better word in English to describe this like "lackadaisical" or something.

化学製品：chemicals

（第一）不衛生：(above all) unsanitary

染める：to dye（白く染めた）

相容れない：incompatible; clashing with

制覇する：to master

賭ける：to wager; bet

戦闘：battle (sometimes uses バトル as furigana)

達成する：to attain; achieve

期限：(time) limit（期限は…80日！！！）

成立："deal" (conclusion of a deal)

するどい（ツメ）：sharp (claw)

かばう：to defend (someone)

積極的に：actively; positively

当て：medical treatment

完了：complete（当ては完了）

Updated Anki Deck

[tryingtokeepingmyshittogether]

第182話の単語(Chapter 182 vocabulary)

Again use Rikai-champ for a quick reading of unfamiliar kanji.

グラエナ：Mightyena

芋虫：(hairless) caterpillar

ケムッソ：Wurmple

進化の瞬間：The moment of evolution

巣：nest

マユ：Cocoon

取り寄せる：to have (something) sent to one（わざわざ取り寄せたかいがあったよ。）

別種：another kind; variety

マユルド：Cascoon

改めて：another time; once again; especially

いいとも：sounds good; no problem; sure thing (colloquial phrase)

隣同士：next-door neighbors

よいしょ：heave-ho (expression for strain)

誕生祝い：birthday celebration

家出（計画）：running away from home (plans)

（家に）越す：moving (houses)

勝ち抜く：to come out on top (「コンテスト」をいくつも勝ち抜いてきたBeautifulなポケモンたちだ。)

ゲレード（の高い）：(higher) grade

開催される：to be hosted/held (passive verb)

極める：to maser

出場：appearance (on stage); performance; participate

優勝：championship

挑戦：challenge

（バトル）修行：training (in battles)

引きずり込む：to drag in; to pull in

ただ：only (other meanings)

突きつける：to thrust before; to face (the facts)（その結果を突きつければ…）

捜索願い（をでされる）：request for police search

もしかして：If I'm not mistaken; perhaps

（ポケモンに）襲われる：to be attacked/hunted down (by Pokemon)

観察中に：while observing

（領域を）侵す：to invade (one's territory)

手を貸してくれる：lend me a hand

暴れる：to act violently

（毛並みが）乱れる：to be disheveled

畏縮する：to cower

進化形：evolved form

部門：category (for contests)

（その美しさを）活かす：to make use of (that beauty)

演出する：direction (of a play)

身のこなし：agility

扱う：to deal with; to handle (something)

みがき（をかける）：to improve (literally: polish)

うつりゆけ：to change?

身につける：to learn; to acquire knowledge

疾風：gale; gust of wind

にげあし：runaway (ability)

にらみつける：glare (move)

効く：to be effective （効いていない）

とりあえず：right away; first of all

巻き込む：to involve in (figure of speech)

洞窟：cave

（デボン）製：Devon company?

加速：acceleration

加速機能付き：acceleration function included

開発される：to be developed (passive)

新商品：new product

一般に：widely; generally

手に入れる：to get a hold of something (figure of speech)

骨を折る: to take pains (figure of speech)

偶然：coincidence

いきなり: all of a sudden (adverb)

崖：cliff

険しい：steep

Anki Deck

[tryingtokeepingmyshittogether]

第181話の単語 (Vocab from chapter 181)

I recommend turning on Rikai-champ or whatever you have if you want to read words with kanji at a glance.

サボネア: Cacnea (Pokemon)

自主練習：free practice

それにしても：all things considered; never-the-less; (multiple translations)

複数の：several; multiple

一瞬：second; instant; moment

（ジム）就任：(Gym) appointment/post

素直に：honestly; frankly (this is an adverb that is different from素直な, which means "meek/docile".)

ようやく：finally; at last (adverb)

ぬかるみ：mud; slush

はまる：to fall into; to get stuck (ぬかるみにはまっちゃった。)

毛並み：coat (of hair or fur)

だって：because (colloquial; goes at the beginning of a sentence)

ねんきり：telekinesis

たくましい：strong; sturdy (translated as "tough" in the English Pokemon media)

[tryingtokeepingmyshittogether]

Reading for this week:

I'm going to read the first volume of the Ruby and Sapphire chapter (so I am skipping to like page 72) for reading comprehension practice. I'll make a list of all the new vocab I come across each chapter with links eventually. 頑張ります！

[tryingtokeepingmyshittogether]

Things I Read in Japanese

Candy/Snack Wrappers: Short, sweet, sometimes to the point. They make you think deeply about what the onomatopoeia being used are trying to convey (I have a hard time with remembering where what オノマトペ is applicable since they often have multiple uses like ゴロゴロ does. They are also fun and impress the shit out of people who can’t read Japanese. Best confidence booster for all levels.

Manga: One of my motivations for studying Japanese. I have a decent collection of physical volumes that I don’t nearly read as much as I should. I also have a Kindle Fire which I like reading books on because of the back light that lets me read in the dark (before bedtime is my peak concentration time). For digital manga I read whatever is available for free on Book Live and manga/books I have bought (they take US credit cards!). I like how I can zoom in on panels of the digital books so I can read the stuff that doesn’t quite make in into the speech bubbles. Also the more variety I have, the more likely I’ll read.

NHK Easy News: I don’t read this as much as I should, but I find myself skimming headlines before a conversation exchange, so that I have a topic to discuss with my partner. However, lately it’s been nothing but stuff about the Corona Virus. Talking about that topic gets old real fast. It’s not a struggle for me to read an article like it was before, they just haven’t been interesting enough to keep me there.

Pixiv コミック：A fair amount of the manga on here is available for free (but not everything). A lot of the manga I found after they got an anime produced (like ガイコツ書店員本田さん ), which is how I found them. Sometimes they end up in tankobon on Book Live or in book stores, so you can find the manga in other places as well.

Google Images with searches in Japanese: Believe it or not, I feel like I have attained and acquired the most vocabulary from just Google Image searching a phrase in Japanese. It shows me common combinations we things like adverbs (a big challenge for me to differentiate) with pictures and or 4-koma. I find myself using it a lot for making lesson plans and introducing vocabulary to my students. Whenever I click on an image I often end up falling down a rabbit hole by reading whatever article said image was attached to.

[tryingtokeepingmyshittogether]

Japanese YouTube Channels I Frequent

Warning: Some of these channels talk slow and use simple vocabulary that is more useful for language learners and others don’t. TLDR: comprehensibility will vary

Comprehensible Japanese: How I observe CI Japanese done right. It is appropriate for very beginners to intermediate. Topics vary, but I really like how Yuki-Sensei can describe seemingly complex topics like history and art and make them comprehensible to beginners. Too easy for anyone above that level or used to natural speed, but I want to teach using CI like her one day.

Dogen: His shit be fast and hard, but if you ignore the subtitles you do learn more advanced Japanese. It’s also nice seeing content made by people who have to have a foot in two cultures at the same time. Language learning is supposed to broaden one’s perspective, but it’s hard to find others who share that perspective with you.

KAMIO Japan: Has cute little short videos on merchandise characters (think Hello Kitty and Rilakkuma). I mostly watch them for their エリートバナナ・バ夫 series. It’s silly and at native speed, but the language it uses doesn’t seem to complex or hard to follow along with.

あかね的日本語教室：For educational/immersive content. Akane-Sensei talks slowly and simply (like every Japanese teacher is supposed to) so she is easy to understand if you are upper beginner-intermediate levels. If you don’t have an actual Japanese teacher you see everyday to get that comprehensible input, this is the next best thing. She has videos on things like ordering food to discussing topics on her Live Streams. I like how she explains how to function like an adult in Japan, so it brings you up from the basic これはペンです statements you are only capable of producing after finishing a beginning textbook.

 じゃぷった Let’s Study Japanese: An easier version of Akane-Sensei’s channel. It’s all in Japanese and has everything transcribed on the screen, but is told in a slow, easy-to-understand format with visuals. I like how how she teaches business lingo in Japanese. She hasn’t seemed to upload in awhile, so it might be an inactive channel (as of 3/21).

ラミアさん家のゲーム状況チャネル：A let’s play channel that plays a lot of “girl games” (right up my alley!). Standard let’s plays that don’t have the host cracking inappropriate jokes every 5 seconds probably don’t sound that appealing if you are an adult, but it works when you are trying to learn another language! I now understand the appeal to young children! Lamia speaks at native speed (not too fast though) and narrates a lot of her intentions (～したいと思います). I like that her voice isn’t obnoxious, she is straight to the point, and she is a competent gamer so you’re not stuck watching someone screw up multiple times (she edits out things that will take her awhile to accomplish). It is a great way to attain vocabulary for things you never even thought about (like “treasure chest”宝箱 or “fairy”妖精). I personally watch her play Zelda games the most.

日本語の森：A channel that explains grammar/vocab concepts to you all in Japanese, and makes it fun. There are a lot of grammar channels (both in English and Japanese) that do pretty much the same thing, but the teachers here go beyond stuff on the JLPT and use skits, song lyrics, live streams, all sorts of things to make the learning process more enjoyable. These are the fun Japanese teachers well all had or wish we had at some point.

にぎりっ娘：A cooking channel with no narration (just subtitles in English and Japanese). This lady makes some fine ass bento. This is how I learned to make bento variations when I started dabbling in Japanese cooking. I did have extensive practice using recipes from Nami Chen’s Just One Cook Book blog  and Makiko Itoh’s The Just Bento Cook Book Series, before I tried making dishes from this channel. So I have more background knowledge than I probably should on ingredients I have no way of getting in this country (but I try anyways...). If you want to try making Japanese food or just like watching it be made this is pretty relaxing. I learned the words for various common ingredients like 醤油、佐藤、味醂 (that’s how you make teriyaki btw).

[tryingtokeepingmyshittogether]

Week 1 2021年3月14日

What I am already doing to keep my shit up:

WaniKani: all day everyday for Kanji reading/typing/vocab (Level 21-22)

Anki:Tobira Decks + Core2000 deck almost everyday for vocab retention

Japanese Videos on YouTube: of anything and everything, I’m trying to stick with videos without any English if possible both educational and non-educational. Will make post about frequented channels at some point.

Japanese music: [need to log hours] Fun listening practice (current obsession PP)

BunPro: almost everyday for grammar retention (Up to: Tobira ch. 6)

Conversation Partners: twice a week for one hour/each

Teaching Beginning Japanese: 2-3 times a week for 30 mins- 1.5 hrs

review basic grammar rules/vocab on a constant basis

make it comprehensible to new learners

if I can teach it I’ve acquired it myself

What I need do be better at doing:

New Vocabulary: I need to write down new words I find in the wild when immersing in native material and make it into Anki cards.

Memorizing lyrics to songs: So that I not just mumbling along.

Understanding lyrics to songs: So I know wtf I’m singing.

Reading novels/manga: I don’t read nearly enough Japanese on a regular basis. I’m more of a binge reader since it helps put me to sleep. I can only concentrate on novels/books when it’s dead quiet, so this is almost always done at night before bed.

Interpersonal-writing: Same as reading. I don’t have any Japanese friends that I text with on a regular basis. I know it would make presentational writing a lot easier if I did it more often.

Goals for next week: read a full volume of manga (idk what yet)

Reading: read one full volume of a manga I have bought (not just skimming to the end when my attention span fizzes out)

Vocab: record all new words and turn them into an Anki Deck

Writing: summarize what I read in Japanese

Speaking: record myself summarizing it (off script)

頑張ります！