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A Forum Full of JLPT Prep Materials

2013-06-19T09:26:00.000+09:00

Another Vietnamese source: The forum Tieng Nhat Club appears to contain a wide variety of materials for JLPT study. Both old materials (1~4級対策) and new materials (N1-5対策) are mixed together. The forum requires a registered account to browse threads.

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Official JEES Sample Questions for Revised JLPT (2009)

2013-06-17T09:19:00.000+09:00

Before the first year of the revised JLPT exam, people were scrambling to find materials to study with. In anticipation, JEES arranged for the release of practice problems similar to what might appear on the new N1-5 style exams. These problems were made freely available as PDFs and have been mirrored in dozens of locations online--you may have encountered them before, but if not, they are...

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The JLPT: Sentence arrangement problems

2013-06-14T09:00:00.000+09:00

Seeing as how LP has been busy posting Japanese Language Proficiency Test prep materials, I figured I would make my own small contribution to the world of test preparation with some hints on how to conquer the dreaded "sentence arrangement problems" (bun no tatekumi mondai 文の立て組み問題)found on the higher levels of the JLPT. What's a Sentence Arrangement Problem Anyways? Good question....

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JLPT Practice Problems: Meguro Language Center

2013-06-12T09:55:00.000+09:00

The Meguro Language Center is a Japanese language school in downtown Tokyo. In addition to JLPT prep classes in their center, they offer a variety of practice problems and self-assessment tools for JLPT hopefuls. I downloaded and skimmed through all of their freely available materials when I was prepping, and I'm happy to see that they've redesigned and re-released a lot of their materials to...

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A JLPT N1 Practice Test (2010)

2013-06-10T09:42:00.000+09:00

In previous articles, we've covered some sources of past JLPT exams for download or sale. Unfortunately, many of the downloadable ones are outdated and do not reflect the redesigned N1-5 style test, and I'd again urge test-takers to take a look at the official past problems available for sale at bookstores or through Amazon. However, example exams are slowly beginning to spread around the...

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Websites for Foriegn TV Shows in Japan

2013-06-07T09:00:00.000+09:00

There are many things I love about Japan, but prime time TV is not one of them. Even though I generally prefer time wasting computer games over mind dulling TV, there are times when I long to see some good 'ol Western TV shows. Of course, there is always the video store, but everyone lives within walking distance or even driving distance of a rental shop. Not to mention, there is often a...

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JLPT Practice Exams for N1 and N2 (2009, 2010, 2011)

2013-06-06T09:23:00.000+09:00

A host of original practice exams are available from Yu Da University in Taiwan. They include all of the relevant sections, including listening with an MP4 file to listen and a listening script for study. Answers also included in separate files.

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A Collection of JLPT N2 Example Problems (2010)

2013-06-05T09:06:00.000+09:00

The Vietnamese message board Tinh Huong appears to have a copy of a modern example questions for JLPT N2 prep. A PDF and RAR file (containing sound files) are linked on the page in question; the PDF at least has been checked and is legit. The forums appear to load a popup on your first click to an outside site but after that the links function normally.

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JLPT Past Papers: Official

2013-06-04T16:18:00.002+09:00

We're coming up on JLPT season again. A few readers have mailed/messaged in about locating past problems, practice exams, or other sources of study. In the past couple years, there was a big scramble because the test design changed and there were no published examples of past or sample exams that test-takers could use for study. That's now no longer the case--there are official publications of...

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My Number: Welcome to Japan's new unified tax and benefit number system

2013-05-31T09:00:00.000+09:00

Get ready folks, because come 2015, you will be the proud owner of brand spanking new My Number (マイナンバー) issued by the friendly folks at the Japanese Government. On May 24th, the three major parties in the National Diet finally got off their duffs and managed to put together a brand new law that gives everyone residing in Japan (foreigners included) a single unified identification number...

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Japanese Internet Slang

2013-05-24T09:00:00.000+09:00

Where the internet goes, slang will surely follow. This axiom is as true of Japanese as it is of the modern English language. The Japanese language netscape is filled with all sorts of interesting slang, much of it originating from popular websites such as 2-Chan, Twitter, and Nico-Nico Doga. However, even if you have nearly perfect Japanese, deciphering some of these cryptic words can prove...

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6 Varieties of Japanese Green Tea

2013-05-20T14:04:00.000+09:00

Last week, we covered four popular kinds of tea in Japan. We ended the article with a note on green tea (緑茶, ryokucha) and its ubiquity in Japan, so much that the general term "tea" is understood in this country to mean "green tea" unless otherwise specified. Here are some of the many varieties of green tea in Japan: Matcha (抹茶): When I was first learning Japanese, I thought...

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Annual Automobile Tax in Japan

2013-05-17T09:00:00.000+09:00

Yes, folks, its that time of year. The time when posters of consternated anthropomorphic vehicles with cute faces get plastered all over government buildings and mysterious official envelops get dropped in your mail slot. It can only mean one thing...time to pay your annual automobile tax! What is an Automobile Tax? The automobile tax (jidosha-zei 自動車税) is often confused with the "vehicle...

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4 Kinds of Tea in Japan

2013-05-13T14:04:00.000+09:00

Though not all of these tea varieties originated in Japan, they are all quite popular drinks across the country: Koucha or Black Tea (紅茶): As seen in last week's post, black tea is a popular drink across the country. It's a standard on restaurant menus (including McDonalds and KFC) and usually served in one of the four forms we talked about last time. Many varieties of...

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Automated Speed Cameras in Japan

2013-05-10T09:00:00.000+09:00

Despite being the home of Toyota and Honda, Japan is not a land known for its generous speed limits. As a matter of fact, I am hard-pressed to think of any posted speed limit in excess of 80km/h, and that is on the expressway! So what keeps lead-footed drivers in check in Japan? Is it Japan's legendary adherence to societal rules? Or perhaps it's the iron fist of The Law? The answer, as it...

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How Japanese People Take Their Tea

2013-05-06T14:03:00.000+09:00

Black tea is a popular "Western" drink in Japan, and it is widely available at restaurants, cafes, and in bottled form at supermarkets and in vending machines. Specialty shops offer a wide variety of black teas to the enthusiast, but in casual restaurants and cafes, the popularly available black tea is Earl Grey. Black tea is usually served in one of four forms in Japan: Canned...

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Stamp Taxes and Revenue Stamps in Japan

2013-05-03T09:00:00.000+09:00

I have long wondered what the deal is with Japan's obsession with postage size "revenue stamps" (shunyu inshi 収入印紙) that you have to stick on just about every offical document. Anyone who has ever gone to the immigration office has had to a least by one or two of these expensive little suckers in order to get a visa renewed. Not to mention you probably have some reciepts laying around somewhere...

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Drivers Education Refresher Class in Japan

2013-04-29T09:25:00.000+09:00

Last week I lauded my local driver licensing center for their efficient processing of renewal applications. In a sea of a couple hundred other individuals, I got my whole application finished--including an eye exam and photograph--in under thirty minutes. Because I was a first-time renewal (初回更新者, shokai shoshinsha), I was also slated to take a 120 minute drivers' education refresher course as...

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Getting Married in Japan: Changing to a Spousal Status of Residence

2013-04-26T09:00:00.000+09:00

If you are getting married to a Japanese national and already a lawfully registerd foreigner with mid-to-long term residence, you may find it advantageous to take a trip down to the local immigratin authorities and apply for a so-called "spouse visa." Among other advantages, becoming an offically registered spouse removes any working restrictions that a traditional...

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Renewing Your Japanese Drivers License: A Cautionary Tale

2013-04-22T09:28:00.000+09:00

A couple months ago, I received a friendly postcard in the mail from my local traffic safety association. Turns out it had been a whopping three years since I made it through the ridiculously nitpicky Japanese driving test, and that meant it was time to renew my license. You can see a picture of what one of those postcards looks like here. As I looked online to find out more about what this...

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The Basic Resident Register Card

2013-04-19T09:00:00.000+09:00

I am sure that all you foreigners have been waiting with bated breath for the day when you can finally get your very own Basic Resident Registry Card (jumin kihon daicho kaado 住民基本台帳カード). Because if there is one thing you need in your wallet, it is one extra card. Luckily, come July 9th, foreigners will finally be able to get their very own card. What is a Basic Resident Register Card? The...

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Drunk Driving in Japan: Alcohol Levels and Penalties

2013-04-15T14:01:00.000+09:00

At the end of last year, Dan told us about Kenmon, or checkpoints set up on major thoroughfares in Japan to help catch drunk drivers. He mentioned that drunk driving is a serious offence in Japan, and it is. Here's how serious: Legally there are two classifications for driving under the influence of alcohol in Japan: 酒気帯び運転 (shuki obi unten) and the more serious 酒酔い運転 (sake yoi...

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Recycling Old Computers in Japan

2013-04-12T09:30:00.000+09:00

As we covered last week, getting rid of garbage in Japan is a well known hassle. While we already covered the fine art of getting rid of consumer electronics, it is a well known fact that not all electronics in Japan are created equal. Desktops and laptops are no exception to this rule. Personal computers (desktops, laptops and monitors) fall under a completely different set of recycling laws...

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Recycling Home Electronics in Japan

2013-04-05T14:24:00.000+09:00

You may have heard that Japanese cities are legendarily picky about garbage sorting and collection. Unfortunately, this pickiness extends all the way to consumer electronics, some of which are especially difficult and expensive to dispose of. Let's take a look at how to get rid of some of you old, broken appliances. Identifying Your Electronics Figuring out what category your...

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Japanese Speech Content in Kitakyushu City

2013-04-03T09:01:00.000+09:00

Kitakyushu City is holding a Japanese speech contest in June this year. Applications are still open until April 14, 2013. (Your written speech and application must arrive at the specified address by that date to qualify.) Any non-native speaker of Japanese who is at least 15 years old and who hasn't previously won the annual competition is eligible to participate. The speeches can be on any...

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