Welcome
This blog explores my life as a father, Buddhist and Japanophile among other things. I like to share information and help make the Internet a better place.
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Category Archives: Japanese
AJATT Hall of Fame
I’ve been following the website AllJapaneseAllTheTime.com (AJATT for short) for ideas and inspiration on learning Japanese and Korean. I also follow the site author, Khatzumoto, on Twitter as well. AJATT has been really helpful in keeping me motivated and not … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Language
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Politeness and Hierarchy
One of the lessons I learned from dating my wife is that in Japanese culture, it’s important to know your place among those around you. The rules are pretty simple, but I also realized that they apply to other cultures, … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Korean, Language, Vietnamese
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Intonation and Pitch-Accent
When people learn a new language, they often ignore pronunciation and intonation until it’s too late. That’s what happened with me with Japanese. I started learning Japanese when I was 16. My neighbor had lived there for a while, and … Continue reading
Posted in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Language
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Halo 2: Japanese and English comparison
As an interesting exercise, I looked up videos on YouTube recently for both the Japanese and English versions of the futuristic, military game Halo 2. While watching both, I noticed subtle differences in language and voice-acting that I thought would … Continue reading
Contentment
94. He whose senses are mastered like horses well under the charioteer’s control, he who is purged of pride, free from passions, such a steadfast one even the gods envy (hold dear).1 –Dhammapada, trans. Walpola Rahula I wrote about this … Continue reading
Buddhist Compassion, explained
As mentioned in my last post, I’ve been reading an interesting Japanese manga about the life of Prince Shotoku, a famous semi-legendary figure in early Japanese history. Although the language is difficult (the dialogue uses ancient Japanese, not modern Japanese), … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Japanese, Language, Literature, Religion
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An Introduction to Japanese Calligraphy
Hi everyone, My wife grew up learning Japanese calligraphy, often called either shodō (書道) or sometimes shūji (習字), and is certified to teach younger children. Since coming to the US and raising children, she hasn’t had much time to do … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Family, Japanese, Jodo Shinshu, Language
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Good Words To Live By
This wasn’t a planned post, but something that came to mind just now and I wanted to share. This is from a Buddhist text called the Dhammapada, which is a collection of the words of Shakyamuni Buddha. I’ve posted Japanese … Continue reading
Reading Manga the Easy Way
I read Japanese manga regularly to help me learn Japanese, but also because I enjoy reading certain subjects.1 If I read my favorite subjects in Japanese, I am more motivated to keep reading, plus I often learn interesting new things. … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, JLPT, Language
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Happy 20th Anniversary Maruko-chan!
Hi all, My family and I have a small Sunday-afternoon tradition1 we have followed for years. Around 3:45 in the afternoon, we gather in the living and watch a wonderful cartoon called Chibi Marukochan, which is now celebrating it’s 20th … Continue reading
Posted in Family, Japan, Japanese, Language
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