I found this TED Talk with Timothy Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek, where he happens to mention his approach to learning foreign languages, and specifically Japanese.

Pretty interesting. I had no idea he was an old school Japan-head.

I think his idea of focusing on the joyo Kanji is a good idea. It certainly cuts out any useless learning(?), as the joyo Kanji are all certainly useful. At IUC Japan we also focused on the Joyo Kanji hardcore, so he’s not the only one promoting this idea. Hrm… maybe I should be doing something like that for Chinese…

Here is a blog post by Ferriss on How to Learn any Language in Three Months.

Four hour work week… learn any language in three months… I’m not going to say I’m a total believer in his voodoo… but I’m also not going to discourage anyone from trying his techniques either.

What do you guys think about all this?

Harvey

A friend of mine had the pretty rare experience of working in a company that still does the Radio Exercises (ラジオ体操) before starting work each morning.

The video says it all.

Japan is a quirky place.

I once worked in a company which still had the ラジオ体操 music play over the loud speakers each morning and after lunch, but no one actually got up and did anything.

It was weird. Could set your watch to it.

Harvey

As many of you know I’m now living in China, but I am going to be visiting Japan again in April. This gives me a chance to give the Japan Rail Pass a try!

The Japan Rail Pass can only be purchased from outside of Japan, as it’s meant to give short-time visitors to Japan a convenient way to scoot around the country. With the Japan Rail Pass you can ride JR trains all you want as long as your ticket remains valid. 乗り放題！

There are a few restrictions, for example, you can’t use the fastest Nozomi Shinkansen (shinkansen = bullet train), but you can use Hikari and that should be plenty for most people. Also remember that JR trains do not include the vast majority of the subways in Japan (if any subways at all for that matter).

Our Japan Rail Pass Delivered in China

Given the price of the Japan Rail Pass you need to have about 3 rides on the bullet train planned to make it worth your while, but if you’re planning to see a lot of things in Japan you’ll probably make this every time.

This time I plan to do Osaka, Tokyo, and an Onsen spot in Gunma. Given that I’m also sure to hit Kyoto as well we’ve already gotten our money’s worth.

Note, my wife is Japanese but she was able to get one too. There are some restrictions in place so not just any Japanese person who happens to be outside of Japan can get a Japan Rail Pass. Basically it seems you have to be married to a foreigner and have proof that you are really living in some foreign land. Check the details on the official Japan Rail Pass website.

Anyway, if you’re going to Japan take a look at your schedule and see if this Japan Rail Pass is going to work for you!

Here is an article on the Japan Rail Pass over on gojapan.about.com.

Harvey

Here is a guest post from Erik who is involved in the Annual Washington D.C. Cherry Blossom Festival Planning!

First a few words from me though. Believe it or not, I have never been to the D.C. Cherry Blossom Festival… I was close to going last year since I was living on the east coast, but it didn’t happen. I’m sure I’ll make it sometime in the future though! I hear that though it’s really crowded, the blossoms are the best you can see in the U.S. They actually have cherry blossoms here in Kunming China and I plan to check them out this weekend. Maybe I’ll post about it if I get some good photos.

For those of you in Japan, get ready to enjoy the blossoms! Here’s a Cherry Blossom Forecast for Japan 2010 so you can plan your park visits.

Sakura in D.C.

Springtime, perfect for having picnics, wearing shorts and admiring the Cherry Blossom in DC. The National Cherry Blossom Festival is an two-week (per annum) event that celebrates springtime in Washington, DC as well as the 1912 gift of the cherry blossom trees and the enduring friendship between the people of the United States and Japan.

DC Attractions include multiple festivals, museums, monuments, and more. The National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) organization that coordinates, produces, and supports creative and diverse activities promoting traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty and the environment, and community spirit and youth education. It’s also begins peak season for an influx of tourists to Washington, also brought in by the thousands of historical landmarks, museums, and other buildings, The National Museum of Crime & Punishment, located in Washington, D.C. is one of those such buildings, with excellent depictions of historically famous crime scenes along detailed information concerning past wars, forensics, organized crime, and more.

For more Cherry Blossoms in Japan stuff, check out these other posts:

Sakura 2005

Sakura in the Sushi Shop

Early Sakura in Ueno 2007

- Harvey

This is quite possibly the coolest Kansai-ben thing ever.

3:54 これで死んでもうたらしゃれならへんな。

Kansai-ben is an international language. You must learn it.

Near the end it busts into Yappa Sukiyanen by Yashiki Takajin, quite possibly the most famous songs in Kansai-ben ever (except maybe some of Ulfuls tracks).

And… don’t miss part 2!

If you’re curious about Kansai-ben check out our Kansai-ben lessons, and also check out the Kansai-ben iPhone application if you haven’t already!

- Harvey