Tofugu.com – Wonky Japanese Language and Culture

Got this tip from @Beta_guy on Twitter. Every word of this video, so true. Brings a little tear to my eye. And is this the shortest Tofugu post you’ve ever seen? Yes it is! Want more Godzilla?

What Tenso is doing is one of those ideas where you think “dang, I shoulda thought of that.” It’s simple, it’s helpful, and provides a really good service. I tried it out recently, and they let me pick out a Japanese t-shirt and ship it via their service, so that I can give it away to one of you. More information on that at the end of the post.

So here’s the rundown on Tenso: 1) You go to a Japanese website that sells something. 2) You order the item, and have it shipped to your tenso.com address (the address is free). The package is then sent to them, located in Tokyo. 3) They get the package, and then send it to you at a discounted rate. Read more…

I’ve been working on a couple of new blog projects the last month or two. As some of you might know, I have a pretty poor success-to-failure ratio when it comes to starting new projects (who doesn’t!? what?), so I went ahead and made sure to write some first, announce later. We’ll see, I’m feeling good about these ones. What about you? Read more…

Believe it or not, I did go see this movie on its opening night. I had to do it. Not because I wanted to. No, because I care. I care about each and every one of you, and I don’t want you to suffer the same eighty-four minutes I had to suffer (though the previews were quite enjoyable, actually). I had to prove to the “cautiously optimistic” folks who thought this movie was going to be the bee’s knees that this movie was indeed terrible. No more excuses from them now. No more telling me I’m jumping the gun. Keep going for the full video review. Read more…

Deas lives on and blogs from Hakatajima, halfway between Honshu and Shikoku. He’s a fellow wonky culture lover who tends to write about his personal struggle to conquer the Japanese language, as well as about trips abroad, adventures in eating, life as an ALT, and comedy. From tongue twisters, to old radio dramas and just being silly, he approaches Japan from a casual perspective, tempered by time and humor.

In this guest post, I thought I’d walk you through some convenient methods for picking the pace up on your speech, dropping unnecessary syllables, and blending in with the kids your age. (Unless you’re older and you want to be like the uncomfortable teen’s awkward mom poorly using “Wassup?” If that’s you, this article might not be for you. Then again, some people can pull it off. Your call.) The following examples are all found in the above video as well. Choose your favorite format, and follow along. And of course, feel free to leave comments and ask questions! Read more…