I’m back! In Japan, that is. Enjoy this compilation of video from my first few weeks. :D More coming soon!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNXi8ADfmhE

Only a week or so left to go now until I’m in Japan and starting my job. In this video I reflect a bit on the past week and on the place that I will be leaving, Maine.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFe14UJHij0

I’m back again with another YouTube video, this time about one of my favorite subjects, learning Japanese. This time, I discuss the Japanese language requirements for CIRs and how I went about learning this language.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSxkw_ZW2S4

Time for another edition of The CIR Files! I went down to the New England JET Alumni Association’s special pre-departure orientation for new JETs in Boston this past Saturday. Even though it was optional, the turnout was high and I got a lot out of it. I also talk about some new updates on my job as a CIR: I talk about my apartment and some details of the work that awaits me.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7RPMwt1qrY

I’m back with another episode of The CIR Files! In this episode, I talk about how I came to learn about the JET Program and the application process. This is the third vlog I’ve done (second in English) and while I’m still getting the hang of how it’s done, I’m enjoying it very much. I have some ideas kicking around in my head for future episodes, so stay tuned!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVVrYGIFjGQ

It’s my first shot at doing a video blog! Enjoy as I ramble on about myself, the JET Program and the CIR position. I also made a version in Japanese. I can’t promise to do this each time, but it was a lot of fun and I think it’d be neat if I could reach out to Japanese people through my videos as well.

English

www.youtube.com/watch?v=baT9fQTF9Gk

Japanese 日本語

www.youtube.com/watch?v=b08qKx5FJL0

Here it is, the Statement of Purpose I wrote for my JET application. Hope this helps a few people out there in composing their own! :) The biggest thing I learned while writing it was this: focus on what you can give to JET, not just how much you want to go to Japan and how you are into anime/manga/bukka karate. You are most likely applying to teach English to school-aged kids. Let them know what makes you qualified! I wrote this while applying for the CIR position, but much of it’s still relevant to the ALT position. So, without further ado:

As humanity progresses into the 21st century, I believe that globalization will continue to increase in importance. We live in an ever more interconnected age; what happens in one corner of the earth can have profound effects the world over. My humblest wish is to contribute to this process as a translator and teacher. It is with this in mind that I am applying to the JET Program.

I have had a keen interest in the world from a young age, when I developed a fascination for geography. I won my elementary and middle school’s geography bee for three consecutive years, culminating in state finals. In high school I studied a foreign language for the first time, Spanish. By studying this language, I discovered that my own appreciation for English was greatly enhanced. In college I decided to study Japanese, sparking a passion for the country’s language and culture that lasts to this day.

While in college, I had many opportunities to reach out to the international community at large. First, I had the chance to be a conversation partner for newly arrived Japanese exchange students on campus. In this program I had my first taste of what it is like to be a teacher of English for non-native speakers. Some of the students found English more challenging than others. I discovered that a large part of my job was to make them comfortable enough to speak. During the final week, when we were laughing and trading stories, the sense of accomplishment I felt was amazing.

My time as a conversation partner for exchange students inspired me to study abroad. In the winter of my junior year, I began my year in Hirosaki, Japan. While studying Japanese language and culture at Hirosaki University, I took part in culture festivals and international events, including giving a speech in Japanese before the Lions Club of Hirosaki’s dinner for exchange students. I explored the northern Japanese countryside with my host family and the caves of Iwate prefecture with the Hirosaki University Exploration Club, challenging myself physically, mentally and linguistically. The everyday people, places and things that I encountered served only to deepen my appreciation for the ancient culture and language of Japan, which I continue to study intensely on my own.

During my time abroad, I wanted to continue my efforts helping students speak English. At the beginning of the second semester, I found part-time work as an English teacher at a conversation school for children. It was my first opportunity to be a teacher, and to work with children. The excitement for learning that these young students brought to class every week really impressed me. I loved the challenge of working with the other teachers to help instill in the students a knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, the English language and culture. Since returning home from Japan, I have been actively involved with the Japanese student population on campus and the Office of International Programs. I have run information tables and have taken part in the university’s Study Abroad Fair, helping guide people in the decision to study abroad. Several times a week I meet with various Japanese students to practice language exchange.

It is with these experiences in mind that I am now applying for the JET Program. Through the JET Program I will be able to return to Japan and get involved in the community, helping to assist in the meeting of two cultures. I feel that my time in college and in Japan, and my interacting with the Japanese and other foreign exchange students, have served to prepare me for the challenges that face successful applicants of the JET Program. Down the road, after gaining greater proficiency in the Japanese language, I see myself continuing to be involved in international exchange at various levels through translation and teaching. The JET Program offers the chance for these things to become realities and I would be honored to be a participant.

Hey everyone!

超久しぶりね！Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve written on this blog. There’s been a variety of reasons for that, not the least of which is that I just had my final year of classes here at the University of Maine. The fall semester was a tough one, since I was taking nothing but high level English classes. I was reading two books or so a week and writing several papers month. If that doesn’t sound like a lot to you, well, too bad ’cause it was a lot for me. (￣−￣) This past semester wasn’t quite as bad, but I did have my final graduation paper hanging over my head the whole time, affectionately called a “capstone.”

But now that’s all over! Yesterday I handed in my lovely capstone, today my final Shakespeare paper and next week I only have one actual final (I have two others in Japanese and Korean, but they’re so different I wouldn’t call them “finals”). Being as such, I now have real time for myself again, which means I can start writing here once more. However, since this blog is titled “Joe In Japan,” I wouldn’t have considered it appropriate to continue if it wasn’t for one little fact:

I got into the JET Program as a Coordinator for International Relations!

If you follow my twitter then you already know this. Yes, kind readers, yours truly will be returning to work in Japan come August. A whole new set of challenges and adventures are sure to await me and I’m going to be taking you all along with me once again via this blog. My life as a JET, my life in Japan, it will all be here in the form of blog posts, pictures and videos. In particular I want to focus on that last one. I’ve been watching tons of Japan vloggers over on YouTube these past few months, especially those by people who were/are on the JET program. They’ve inspired me to start my own vlog, so starting sometime soon I’ll be posting videos to this channel, focusing on life in the JET program as a CIR: http://www.youtube.com/JoeInJapan86. Please, feel free to subscribe. I know there’s nothing there yet but there will be, I promise! I really do!

I thought that I would use the rest of this post to touch on my experience applying to the JET program. The best way to hear about this would be head over to “English Teaching in Japan,” a podcast run by Chaz Wright. Chaz is, wait for it, an English teacher in Japan who talks about his daily life and the experience of being a teacher over there. A couple weeks after I finished my interview for JET in Boston we sat down on Skype and talked about my time as an exchange student in Hirosaki and then specifically about my journey from the JET application phase to interview. Listen to it here:

My interview on “English Teaching in Japan.” Thanks Chaz!

One final thing I’ll be doing today. Yes, that’s right, today. I’ll be posting my Statement of Purpose, the essay part of the JET application that asks you to explain why you want to go to Japan and what kinds of skills and experience you have that will contribute to JET. Since I got accepted into the program, they must have liked it at least a little bit.

Well, that’s all for now. Thanks so much for reading and supporting me while I was an exchange student in Hirosaki! I hope that we can have some great times together again starting this August. :) じゃあ、な！

Yes, in the course of studying Japanese and speaking with Japanese friends every day, I had picked up Japanese conversational vocalizations, which are quite different from those in English. In a conversation in Japanese, it is expected that you demonstrate, audibly, that you are following along with what the other person is saying. In English, one may nod their head, or say something like “uh-huh.” In Japanese, however, it comes out something like this, which is apparently llama-esque to English speaking ears:

Photograph by Jessie Reeder. This post is a submission for the July ’09 JapanSoc Blog Matsuri.

1. Find a sentence with a word(s) that you don’t understand.
2. Put that sentence into an SRS flashcard program.
3. Find a dictionary definition for what you don’t know and put it in the flashcard.
4. Don’t translate, simply try to understand.

This certainly works as a starting point, but it took me a good couple hundred cards before I started hitting my stride as far as sentence mining goes. Now that I’m approaching 1000 sentences mined, I thought I’d take a moment and write down step-by-step what I’ve found works for me when it comes to using this great language study method.

Firstly, this basis of this method is the SRS, or Spaced Repetition System. It is a kind of software that allows you to create flashcards, but it goes way beyond that. By gauging how easily you remember an item, the software employs an algorithm to “space” the next “repetition” of the flashcard. By focusing more time on what you find difficult versus what you find easy, this software simultaneously stimulates long-term memory and makes efficient use of your time.

There are many kinds of SRS software out there, but if you are studying Japanese there is only one choice as far as I’m concerned: Anki. Developed by an Aussie student of Japanese who also knows a bit of code, Anki has become a large open-source project, with many plugins and stat-tracking abilities that make keeping track of your progress a snap. But most important is the Japanese plugin, which makes Anki the best program with which to sentence mine in Japanese. Once downloaded and changing the input method to “Japanese,” the program gives you three input fields: “Expression,” “Meaning,” and “Reading.” Only Expression and Meaning have to be filled in, since Anki automatically generates the reading of your sentence with hiragana. This is a huge time saver that makes using any other SRS pale in comparison.

So now for the step-by-step instructions. First you need to get Anki installed and set up. I’m using Mac OS X, but the directions shouldn’t be much different for Windows. Go to the Anki website and download the version of Anki for your operating system. Get it installed and then launch it, where you should see a window along these lines:

Now you need to get the Japanese plugin installed. Go to File -> Download -> Shared Plugin:

You should now see the following window:Would you look at that? The Japanese plugin is number one on the list. If you don’t see it, do a search for “Japanese Support” in the search box the top. Once you have “Japanese Support” selected, click “OK” and start the download. When it finishes, restart Anki. Now it’s time to create your deck. When Anki launches again, click “Add Material.” You should now see a window like this:Currently, the “Basic” model is selected, but we need it to be Japanese. Click on the little wrench icon in the upper-right:

We only have “Basic” available as a model right now, but we can change that by clicking on “Add” and then on “Add:Japanese”:

Hit “OK,” make sure “Japanese” is selected as your model, and then hit “Close.” Now your “Add Items” window should look like this:You are now ready to start inputting your Japanese sentences! Notice in the upper-right there is a button that says “Recognition.” This is important because you will only be going from the sentence to the definition, never the other way around.

But we need some sentences, don’t we? This part is completely up to you. Whether you want to find sentences from manga, games, books, movies, lyrics, etc., it’s all good. I will say one thing that will make things easier in the beginning: try to mine sentences from websites. The primary reason for this is that it is much faster to copy-paste text from a Japanese website into Anki than it is to, say, find a sentence in a book and then have to look up all the kanji readings so you can type it in. A great tool to this end is the Rikai-chan plugin for Firefox, a clever little Japanese dictionary that looks up definitions based on the text that you are currently mousing over (Pro Tip: use the shift key while mousing over to cycle between the “word,” “kanji,” and “names” dictionaries). With it you can quickly look up readings and definitions while you are browsing Japanese websites and are still getting used to the language.

One thing I love to read online in Japanese is the news. FNN News and TBS News are great, because in addition to the articles there is usually a video with a newscaster reading the text of the article verbatim. You get reading and listening practice, 一石二鳥 (if you can’t read this, why don’t you try out your newly-downloaded Rikai-chan?). Let’s find a nice, juicy article to get some sentences from. Hmm, this looks good:

It’s about an apparent terrorist attack in Indonesia, but there is a word I don’t understand in the title, so it’s a good starting point. First things first, lets copy-paste that title into Anki:

Be sure to paste your sentence into the “Expression” field. After you tab down to the “Meaning” field, Anki automatically generates the readings for the sentence in the “Reading” field. I find that Anki’s readings are right about 80-90% of the time, so if you are just starting out, make sure you cross-check each kanji’s reading just to be safe.

Now lets look up that word I didn’t know, 地元. In the beginning, you will be best served by using a Japanese-English dictionary. But after you’ve been studying for a while, you will want to switch over to a Japanese-Japanese dictionary. There are subtleties in certain words that just aren’t done justice by a simple translation. I like to use the Yahoo! Japanese dictionary. Let’s go there now and find out what 地元 means:

According to definition one, it is the location that has a direct relation to something. In the second definition, it is the location where a person lives, or the location which falls under one’s influence. Coupled with 警察, which means police, I would take 地元警察 to mean the local cops. Let’s grab both definitions and slap them into the “Meaning” section of our new flashcard:

As you can see, I write my definitions by first writing the unknown word, then an equals sign, then the pasted definition. If I have a sentence with multiple unknown words, I break up the definitions with a semi-colon. Once the card is all set, click the “Add” button.

So how do you study these things? Once you are ready to start, click the “Close” button in the “Add Items” window and then begin your review by clicking on “Start Reviewing.” You will be presented with your first flashcard. What I do is to try and read the sentence aloud as best I can and then click on “Show Answer” (or press the spacebar). Then I check and see if what I said matches up with the reading, in addition to how well I understood the contents of the sentence. You have four options based on how well you remember – Again, Hard, Good, Easy. If I made a mistake saying or understanding any part of the sentence, I click Again. If I struggled but got it right, I click Hard. If I went through the sentence without trouble, Good. If I fly through the sentence, speaking and understanding nigh-fluently, I click Easy. I will usually try and study my deck twice a day in order to better take advantage of the nature of the spacing of the flashcards.

One last thing as far as Anki itself goes, which is synchronization. Anki has a fully-functioning online version that allows you to study in a web browser by creating an account and syncing the deck on  your computer to the Anki server. There are also some other interesting applications of this feature. Let’s get that set up now. First, go to Settings -> Preferences:

A window will pop up, under which you should see a tab called “Network.” Select it.

Click on “Create a free account” to be taken to the Anki website where you can set up your new Anki account. Once you have it created, type your user name and password into their respective fields in this window and make sure “Sync on open” and “Sync on close” are selected. This makes sure that you always have the latest, most up-to-date set of flashcards in your deck and on the server. After you do all this, click “Close” and your deck will now be able to sync! In the event of catastrophic computer failure, you can also sync with the Anki server to recover your deck, which will save you a lot of heartache in the long run.

Now for a few tips on sentence mining. The most important thing to make these flashcards enjoyable to read it to keep it short. Japanese sentences have the tendency to be many lines long, and if there is multiple new words in it, then you will almost certainly get frustrated remembering everything. I try to keep it to no more than two, maybe three unknown words in a sentence, or two lines long in the “Expression” field, which ever comes first. In this way, I’m able to quickly read the sentences in my flashcard deck and make more efficient use of my time. Of course, you may have a sentence that you want to mine that is really long, such as in a news article. At this point, it gets a bit more fuzzy and requires you to have a bit of a handle on Japanese, but the best thing I find it to cut up a sentence at “、” symbols, which are Japanese commas. If the sentence contains none of these, stopping at certain particles (は、が、に、etc.) allows you to break up a sentence while keeping it intelligible.

I know that I mentioned that you should stick to copy-pastable items, but if you have a manga or movie that you are dying to watch/read, then by all means go ahead. You may still find the internet to be of use to you. Once you come across an unknown sentence, Google it. More often than not, somebody out there has transcribed the book/movie in question. Simply copy-paste your sentences from there instead of manually typing them in. The most important thing is to not get bogged down, which you are like to do if you are just starting out. Keep it simple, short, fast, copy-pastable.

Finally, if you have a iPhone/iPod touch and are willing to jailbreak, check out AnkiMini. It’s a mobile version of Anki that let’s you study your deck on the go by syncing up with your account on the Anki server (aren’t you glad you set up an Anki account?). This is currently the best solution on the iPhone/iPod touch until the developers create a proper App Store app.

Well, that’s that. I hope that this guide will give you head start on sentence mining. If you have any further questions, comments, etc., please don’t hesitate to leave a comment!