Follow Japanese Profiles On Social Media

#Japanese

Usually social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook are the sworn enemies of productive study time, gently beckoning you from your browser’s corner tab, but using this trick you can turn their addictiveness to your advantage: Follow a few Japanese celebrities or news outlets so that Japanese writing appears on websites that you visit often.

The extent you take this is totally up to you, add one or two profiles for an unintrusive sprinkling of kanji, or go crazy and make half of your entire newsfeed Japanese. Just make sure each one is something you’re actually interested in, and don’t add so many that using your account is no longer fun/useful. If you do you’ll end up irritatedly scrolling through and only reading your native language.

Here’s a few suggestions to get you started: @asahi (the Asahi Shimbun), @matomenaver (news aggregator Naver Matome), @pamyurin (the weird and wonderful Kyary Pamyu Pamyu) and @55_Kumamon (Japan’s mascot king, Kumamon).

Take it further: If you don’t need to trick yourself into studying, you can set up a separate account specifically for this purpose.

Listen to Japanese Music

There’s more to Japanese music than this, I promise

Japanese music is available anywhere in the world, and even things like Spotify, Last.fm, and iTunes Radio will let you listen to it for free, so there’s no excuses not to try this one.

Studies have shown that listening to music performed in your target language can help facilitate learning by subconsciously training you to recognise patterns of speech and boundaries between words. In basic terms, this means music teaches your mind to break down chunks of syllables and learn where separate words begin and end. This happens to some extent when listening to regular speech, but if words are attached to notes our brains can compartmentalise them more effectively.

Of course, the more engaged you are, the more you’ll learn from listening to Japanese music, but even having it on in the background as you do something else is beneficial. Notch it up to Hardcore Mode by listening to Japanese radio while practicing writing kanji.

Take it further: Expand on this approach by repeating segments of songs and trying to note down the lyrics (the sounds alone if you’re a beginner, the actual kanji and meaning for more advanced levels), then performing an online search afterwards to check your accuracy. If you’re confident enough you could even break out a microphone and give it a shot at karaoke. Or, quietly, into a shampoo bottle, alone in the shower.

Set Your Phone to Japanese

I take no responsibility for phones flung at walls in kanji-induced frustration

Urgh. I know, this one’s tough. There’ll be moments when you’re so frustrated you’ll want to set your phone ablaze in a sacrificial ceremony to the almighty gods of Kanji. But it does pay off.

When I lived in China I used this method to learn the different characters associated with actions on my phone. This resulted in situations where I embarrassed myself by repeatedly failing to put a new contact’s details in my phone, as well as mornings when my alarm would go off and I was unable to differentiate between “snooze” and “off,” forcing me to get out of bed in a fit of snoozeless rage (the most furious of all types of rage). After a while, though, I began to recognise those characters not only on my phone, but elsewhere. I’d use my office computer and understand commands that I’d never noticed before; I didn’t know how to pronounce them at this point, but I’d already done the (arguably) most difficult part of learning the characters.

This is an incredibly frustrating thing to try but if you persevere the spaced repetition involved in regularly seeing the same characters really helps you to retain the information.

Take it further: If you’re a real masochist, you can also go about setting your other devices and software in Japanese. Just remember to write down where the language settings section is…

Label Items With Kanji Sticky Notes

If you’re struggling with vocabulary get yourself some sticky notes and begin labeling things in your home like a family-friendly version of the movie Memento. Either include the kanji and furigana to help you memorize both, or just the kanji in order to test yourself on the pronunciation each time.

Color-coding can be a useful way of organising the information, either by categorising types of words (e.g. on the shower you could have the noun “shower”, シャワー, in one colour and the verb “wash”, 洗う, in another) or the stage of your learning (e.g. green for words you usually remember, orange for words you can sometimes recall and red for those ones that just won’t stick).

Take it further: You could take the Memento comparison more literally and have those “code red” stickers tattooed all over your silly, forgetful face… But I’d suggest just air-writing the kanji with your finger each time you see them instead.

Think In Japanese

Next time you find yourself with nothing to do, be it in a car, a doctor’s waiting room or while attempting to look busy at the office, think to yourself in Japanese. Not having your textbook is no longer a valid excuse for not studying!

An “in-head” review of the last thing you learned is probably the most efficient use of this method but anything from simple sentences about the location of things in the room to complex monologues about current events will do.

Take it further: Memorize dialogues from your textbook, then later try to go through them word-for-word in your head.

Use the Japanese Menu at Japanese Restaurants

You have to earn this

I have to admit that when I used to eat out in Japan I would rely on other people to do the ordering, or simply go off the pictures provided. Even when I’d selected something I wouldn’t bother to read the name most of the time, not when a quick point and “Kore okudasai” (this please) would suffice.

This is a huge missed opportunity though, as food words are amongst the most important vocabulary you can learn. And the brilliant thing about studying by reading menus is that it works for all levels of Japanese, beginners can practice reading hiragana and katakana, while even the most fluent Japanese speaker is bound to get tripped up by dish names every once in a while (I’m occasionally baffled by dish names in English).

Take it further: Ask for a copy of the menu (or take a picture) and take it away with you. Translate the dishes at home then test yourself next time you’re eating there. Who knows, maybe you’ll even discover a new favourite dish.

BONUS TIPS FOR READERS LIVING IN JAPAN

I’ve also included two extra tips to help people living in Japan take advantage of their surroundings and sponge up all that Japanese overflowing everywhere.

Eavesdrop On Conversations

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to listen in on the Japanese conversations around you. If you’re in Japan, you’re literally surrounded by listening exercises far more authentic than in any textbook. Whether in a coffee shop, on public transport or even in the office, stop tuning out other people’s conversations as background noise and start trying to decipher them.

Listening to other people’s conversations even has a few advantages over holding your own. For example, people often talk slower with more simple language when talking to non-native speakers, but by listening to others you get to feel the rhythm of a more natural conversation. And that doesn’t necessarily make it more difficult: negating a need for a response means you can focus solely on listening rather than simultaneously piecing together a reply.

As well as improving your listening ability you’ll pick up new vocabulary and, perhaps most importantly, there’s a good chance you’ll hear things you’ve been saying wrong but people have been too polite to correct you on.

By listening to various age groups and types of people you’ll also put yourself out of your Japanese comfort zone and hear how different people talk. If you work with kids for your day job or the majority of your conversations are with the opposite gender it’s important to do this in order to avoid sounding like them. Because, if nobody else has told you this yet, you almost certainly do. Sorry.

I’m not saying that you should be breaking out a newspaper with eyeholes and making everybody around you feel uncomfortable, though. Be discreet about it. Take a note from Japanese culture and “observe without watching,” or in this case “listen without gaping.” Also, if somebody is talking loudly enough to be heard by the general public it’s unlikely to concern anything they’d be troubled by a stranger hearing.

Plus, your heart is true and your motives pure. Go forth and eavesdrop.

Take it further: You probably shouldn’t take this one further, even if your motives are pure.

Translate Advertisements On The Train

Log out of Facebook, switch off Candy Crush, Farmville or whatever this month’s trashy yet surprisingly addictive game is, and start using your time on the train productively. If you can’t get a seat you may not be able to take out your textbook and study the way you’d like to, but you can get some real-world reading practice in.

Step one: Look up and select an advert. If you’re a beginner make sure it doesn’t have a huge block of text and, whatever level you are, choose one that looks at least remotely interesting.

Step two: Read. When you come across a phrase or kanji you don’t understand, use your dictionary to translate. And don’t say you don’t have one, because you were just playing Candy Crush a minute ago and if you’ve paid for that but not a dictionary we’ll have to have a serious talk.

If something comes up that your translation tools can’t make sense of, don’t give up or spend an inordinate amount of time on it, make a note and move on. You can ask a friend later.

Like setting your phone to Japanese and the sticky note method, this is especially effective because of spaced repetition. Whether you’re intending to study or not, each time you get on the train and see the same adverts you’ll be reminded of the kanji and vocabulary you learnt when you translated them.

Take it further: Before you get off at your stop, snap a picture of the advertisement. This will allow you finish translating at home or, if you’d already done, check your work and review it.

Did I miss anything? No doubt many of you have picked up a few small tricks of your own to improve your Japanese outside of the classroom.

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Bonus Wallpapers!

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A lot of people think that taiko ensembles are the traditional way of playing taiko, but in fact, the modern taiko group is a recent phenomenon, although for centuries traditional Japanese ensembles that include percussion, flutes and traditional local songs have always been around. So what exactly is taiko and why did I and thousands of others end up playing it as a hobby? Let’s dondokodon right into it!

What Exactly Is Taiko?

If you translate the word “taiko”, it  doesn’t mean any old drum. Taiko is a specific type of drum that is made from hollowing out a tree (sometimes cheaper ones can be made from barrels) and covering it with cow skin by either tacking the skin on or stretching it with ropes or bolts. Real, good quality taiko drums are extremely expensive. Not only do the wood, tacks, skin, and intricately designed handles cost money, but creating a drum is a labor intensive process that drives up the price of the drum.

Taiko has only really taken off in the past fifty years as a musical and performance phenomenon in the west as of late, but originally taiko were used for the purpose of scaring off enemies in battle. Taiko also has a religious history as it was, and still is, used in temples as a way to call out gods in religious ceremonies. The high school I went to in Japan as an exchange student was right next to a temple, so sometimes we would hear the beating of taiko flow through the window during and after class.

Taiko performance groups are actually referred to as kumi-daiko, or literally, group taiko. Kumi-daiko has turned taiko into an art, a sport, a musical phenomenon, and a hobby and passion. There are now thousands of kumi-daiko groups throughout the world who all share the passion of hitting huge cylinders with sticks. And it’s pretty cool, honestly.

Kodo is a Japanese taiko group that has helped popularize taiko in both Japan and abroad. The above video shows various styles of taiko, feel free to skip around it and get a feel of the tone.

TaikoProject is an American group which aims to modernize and adapt taiko to make it more accessible and fun for a wide audience.

So, what do you think? Are you loving taiko yet?

Types of Drums And Terminology

I think that the coolest thing about watching or playing taiko in person is the feeling of the vibrations of the drums resonating through your whole body. But if there was only one type or one size, the whole sensation would be a little different. Actually, there is a range of different sounds and pitches that can make up sound the whole ensemble. Even non-drums can be paired up with taiko drums for an even more wagaku music sensation.

Byou-uchi-daiko

Byou-uchi-daiko are drums that you normally would think of if you say taiko. They’re the ones that are barreled out and have the skin attached with round black tacks.

Oodaiko translates to big taiko. And honestly, it’s exactly what you’d think it is: a huge taiko. Sometimes there are bachi (taiko drumsticks) that are made in the shape of baseball bats just to hit the oodaiko. This is why taiko players have to stay in shape.

Chuudaiko, sometimes called nagadodaiko, are medium-sized taiko drums. They’re the most common. Think, if taiko drums were US coins, they’d probably be quarters. If they were yen, they’d be 100 yen coins: not too big, extremely common, and extremely useful. Chuudaiko can also be pretty easily placed on stands to be played sideways or just be played flat on the ground. Like all other byou-uchi-daiko, they can’t be tuned after they’re put together, but having a lot of differently-pitched drums all blend together.

Hiradaiko is basically just a thin chuudaiko.

So what about if you want taiko that you can tune? It turns out that there is another way to stretch the skin across the drum, and that’s the shime-daiko.

Tsuke-shime-daiko

Tsuke-shime-daiko are taiko that have the skin stretched over and attached with either ropest, and, more recently, bolts keeping them tigh. Tsuke-shime-daiko tend to have a less powerful sound, but with a high pitch, they are able to be heard over the booming bass of the byou-uchi-daiko.

Shimedaiko is the standard small tsuke-shime-daiko. It’s typically used as a metronome, but can also be used in pieces as a main drum as well.

Okedodaiko are long shimedaiko. They can be played propped on stands or hung over one’s shoulder with a strap.

kozutsumi is a small handheld taiko traditionally used in kabuki.

Those are the drums, but what about other parts of the kumi-daiko group?

Bachi

Just like you can’t have an orchestra with bow-less violins, we can’t have a taiko group without something to hit the taiko with. Bachi are the drumsticks that you use when you play taiko. They can be made of virtually any wood. Popular woods used for bachi include oak, magnolia, maple, bamboo, and  cypress. The type of wood that the bachi are made of can completely change the way the drum sounds.

Other instruments

Fue is a tradtitional flute made out of bamboo. Fue are used a lot in bon dance music and other festival-centered music.

Chanchiki, or more formally known as the atarigane, is an instrument that looks like a mix between a bell and a frying pan. You put the little hammer in the middle and slide it within the instrument, giving it the naming sound: *chan chi ki*

Other instruments and drum variations can be used, but these are the main ones. I’d have to say that my favorite might be the chanchiki, possibly for how cool its nickname is.

Kuchishouka

Until recently, taiko sheet music did not exist. One of the most interesting points about taiko is that pieces were traditionally passed down orally, not through written transcription or music. The way of orally “singing” the pieces is called kuchishouka (sometimes kuchishouga).

Don, doro, tsu, tsuku, ka, kara, and su are the basic translations of the beats that my group uses. Don is one hit in the middle of the drum. Doro (sometimes doko) is right left in succession, double time of don. Tsu and tsuku are subdued versions of don and doro. Ka is when you hit the rim of the drum making a wood on wood sound. Kara is one after another in succession. Therefore, when teaching a piece or even practicing a piece at a time when there are no drums, you can just sing the piece with these as the lyrics. For example, a piece I would be playing might look like this in kuchishouka:

Don doron don don ka ka kara kara don don kara kara don don kara kara su don don ka ka.

Recently, a lot of famous taiko masters have been getting old, so pieces are being transcribed more and more often. The ways that they are transcribed differ from person to person though, so there’s no way that one person could possibly learn every taiko piece, giving each piece a special and unique feeling.

If You’re Interested

Although actual taiko drums are very expensive, there’s a way of making your own practice drums out of tires and and clear packing tape. If you’re crafty and have a lot of time on your hands, try it and share your results with the rest of the eager world!

You can also feel free to learn from books and videos- taiko is an art form where you don’t need a master anymore, especially with the internet. Try looking up if there are any taiko groups in your local area and see if there are ways to get involved!

I’m sure you’ve been waiting for me to mention Taiko no Tastujin, the taiko arcade game that is in every shopping center in Japan. That’s my only experience with taiko!, you’re saying. I’m really good at that game, so I must be good at taiko!, you’re saying. Well, there are good taiko players who are bad at the game and bad taiko players who are good at the game. It’s a fun way to learn the basics of the don’s and the ka’s at any rate, but don’t expect it to make you a master. After all, with the video game, you won’t learn any form or technique.

After a long week, there’s nothing more satisfying than playing taiko with an ensemble. The movement of your body, the concentration on the beat, and the feeling of being connected with your taiko group is an experience like no other. Next time you’re watching a performance, maybe you’ll know a bit more about taiko and appreciate it a little more. Maybe you’ll even want to try it yourself. No matter what, as both a historical and contemporary idea, taiko will still be pretty darn cool when you see it.

Have you ever played taiko? Have you seen a group perform? What did you think? Let me know in the comments!

Enka uses a pentatonic scale, another similarity to blues, which means it uses five notes per octave. More specifically, it uses a scale called the “yonanuki scale”, yonanuki meaning “fourth and seventh removed”. As the name suggests, the fourth and seventh notes are not used (perhaps to avoid the foul four and similar sounding seven?).

The Government Mandated Beginning

Enka originally got its start during the Meiji era in the late 1800s. Back then, the government had banned public speeches complaining about politics to prevent dissent, like a 19^th century equivalent of turning off the comments section. But some clever activists noticed a loophole in the law: they never mentioned that people couldn’t sing complaints about politics!

In the early 20^th century, people began to switch to narrative songs playing with a shamisen called roukyoku. Enka was no longer the genre of choice for singing your complaints. Despite this, it continued to evolve, incorporating Western style instruments, such as guitar and violin.

After the war, roukyoku began to decline in popularity. By this time, enka was known as just “popular music”. Hibari Misora was a popular singer who had debuted a hit jazz song at the age of 12. Her enka music became extremely popular in the 60s, and she recorded over 1,200 songs and starred in several movies. She was called the Queen of Enka. Michiya Mihashi took it even farther, recording 2,500 songs, and selling a record 100 million records by 1983.

The Rise…

Misora and Mihashi, along with several other artists in the 50s, helped shape the modern form of enka. Its popularity continued to grow into the 60s, and in 1969 Keiko Fuji, daughter of a singer and a shamisen player, joined the scene. Her hit song “Shinjuku no Onna” brought the term enka back to the genre, and the following year, she teamed up with Hibari Misora to win the 21^st Kouhaku Uta Gassen, an annual televised music competition. She retired in 1979, and would later give birth to popular singer Hikaru Utada.

Enka’s golden age continued into the 70s, which saw the first non-Japanese enka singer, Sarbjit Singh Chadha, who sold 100,000 records, before a visa problem forced him to return to his home country of India. Another popular debut was Sayuri Ishikawa. In the last 40 years, she’s released over 100 albums and has appeared on Kouhaku Uta Gassen 35 times. Her 1977 hit song “Tsugaru Kaikyou Fuyugeshiki” is still a popular karaoke choice to this day.

…And The Fall

Sadly, enka’s popularity began to slow during the 80s. In 1989, as if signaling the end of an era, Hibari Misora passed away at the age of 52. Her final song, “Kawa no Nagare no you ni”, is played on her birthday to honor the late Queen of Enka. Enka continue to decline in popularity into the 90s, with the decade’s youth preferring the more modern J-pop.

But enka refused to die. With the dawn of the new millennium, enka rose from the ashes, like a surprisingly musically inclined phoenix. New artists, born during enka’s heyday, continue to evolve the genre. Kiyoshi Hikawa is known as the Prince of Enka and, like the Queen before him, is bringing enka to his generation, along with older fans of enka.

Likewise, Jero debuted in 2008 as the first black enka singer. After moving to Japan to live with his grandmother, he promised her he would one day compete on Kouhaku Uta Gassen. Although she died in 2005, he eventually fulfilled his promise. His dedication to his family, combined with his modern hip hop image, makes him popular fans both young and old.

And so, enka begins to grow again. Like in the past, it evolves, with new instruments used by new artists inspired by new genres. Although it may never regain the popularity it had in the past, it seems Japan’s future still has room for that nostalgic look at the past.

Bonus Track

Although your ears will never experience the combined talents of Hibari Misora and Jero, at least your eyes can, thanks to the always awesome Aya.

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Sources:
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2008/11/18/news/enka-still-strikes-nostalgic-nerve/
http://www.technogirls.org/enka/

The typical Automatic Mario music video has Mario being ferried across the level by moving platforms, bouncing off enemies and custom blocks that send him flying. Most videos are uploaded to the Japanese video sharing site, Nico Nico Douga.

Melt

Theme song to Doraemon

This next one gets a bit Mario-ception, being a Super Mario World rendition of a vocal version of a song from Super Mario World. Sometimes blocks and other background objects are used to create graphics related to the song. Can you spot the KY in this video?

Western Show on Super Mario World

Even Luigi gets his own 自動ルイージ – Automatic Luigi:

Danjo

Cirno’s Perfect Math Class

Not to be outdone, some videos feature four separate levels playing out at the same time, to cover even more parts of the song.

Little Busters!

There’s even a four screen version of Queen, one for each member of the band.

Don’t Stop Me Now

Interest in Automatic Mario peaked around mid-2008, but there are still a few new videos being submitted to Nico Nico Douga every so often. In closing, I’ll leave you with an eleven minute medley of songs.

Kumikyoku Nico Nico Douga Grand Finale

Daft Punk is obviously extremely popular around the world, but I think that it owes a thing or two to Japan in particular. Besides Japanese animation company Toei creating Daft Punk’s anime OVA (yes, Daft Punk has an official anime), Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem, there’s one Japanese man whom Daft Punk seems to owe a lot.

Last time Daft Punk went on tour, they performed on a giant, illuminated pyramid, towering over crowds of thousands across the world. The similarity wasn’t lost on me when I found out that Japanese electronic musician Isao Tomita did more or less the same thing in the 80′s.

Even though Tomita’s music was much, much different than Daft Punk’s (Tomita did mainly electronic covers of classical music), Tomita’s 1984 performance known as “Mind of the Universe” bears a striking resemblance to Daft Punk’s modern-day pyramid of light.

Left: Isao Tomita’s “Mind of the Universe.” Right: Daft Punk’s “Alive 2007” tour.

Mind of the Universe was performed at a music festival in Linz, Austria, and Tomita went balls to the walls for this performance. One blog notes that in addition to the pyramid of light from which Tomita directed the whole show, he also

employed 13 channels of sound, including one from a helicopter 1500 feet above the river, multichannels sound systems on either side of the river, and on a ship that also carried musicians and a chorus of 100 Austrian singers.

Tomita’s music definitely isn’t the kind you’ll hear a DJ spinning at a rave, but you can’t help but admire the sheer spectacle of it all. Here’s some video from the legendary 1984 performance:

Besides his epic Mind of the Universe, Tomita did a ton of incredible work. He also did a massive performance at the Statue of Liberty called “Back To Earth,” and did a show for Australia’s bicentennial that was part of a $7 million gift from Japan.

He also composed music for a Japanese Olympic team, and for the movie that The Lion King ripped off, Kimba the White Lion. Nowadays, Tomita is doing more mundane work (music for Disney theme parks), but is still keeping quite busy, considering he’s been active for more than half a century.

Tomita is definitely more Switched-On Bach than Random Access Memories, but that doesn’t mean that he’s irrelevant.

He directly laid the groundwork for some early Japanese electronic musicians like Yellow Magic Orchestra (a member of which was his assistant) and, far in the future, current Japanese electronic musicians. It’s not that much of a stretch to say that vocaloid superstar Hatsune Miku has a bit of Tomita DNA in her.

In fact, last year Hatsune Miku and Isao Tomita came together to create a symphony performed in Tokyo. When it comes to old school meets new school, it’s hard to top Tomita x Miku.

So when Daft Punk’s new album comes out an people are going hysterical out in the streets, remember that somewhere, Isao Tomita paved the way. Especially that giant pyramid of light part.

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Putin posts photos of puppy gifted from Akita Prefecture: Last year Russian President Vladmir Putin was gifted an adorable Akita puppy from the governor of the Akita Prefecture. In what’s presumably a gesture to show that he hasn’t had the dog killed or jailed, Putin posted pictures of him frolicking in the snow with the Akita and another. See, scary authoritarian leaders can have a soft side, too! [via News On Japan][/threecol_two] [threecol_one_last]

Sukiya, Matsuya to cut ‘gyudon’ prices: What’s better than the cheap, cheap beef bowls (AKA gyudon) from Japanese fast food giants Sukiya and Matsuya? How about even cheaper beef bowls from Sukiya and Matsuya? Word is still out if gyudon rival Yoshinoya will follow suit, but one thing’s clear: everybody’s winning (but the cows). [via News On Japan]

Boar rampage leaves eight hurt in Hyogo town: Even though people like to portray Japan as a hyper-futuristic megaopolis, the country still faces problems that it’s faced for centuries. One such example is wild boars, one of which ravaged a town in Hyogo prefecture, injuring eight people. No matter how advanced your country’s toilets are, it’s still hard to stop a 200lb boar. [via News On Japan]

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Why Japan is the most interesting story in global economics right now: As the yen is reaching towards ¥100 to $1 USD, people all over the world are watching intently to see what the results of Japan’s dramatic economic policies will be. Since Japan’s situation is so similar to that of other industrialized countries, its economic experiment could have huge implications elsewhere in the world. No pressure, guys! [via Twitter]

Japan outranks U.S. as world’s biggest recorded music market: After years of people screaming that the music industry is dying, Japan is showing ample evidence that it’s still very much alive and kicking. More surprising than that, Japan has not only surpassed the United States as the largest consumer of recorded music, but a lot of that is still CDs. Gotta get those AKB48 handshakes somehow!

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Japan deploys Patriot antimissile system in downtown Tokyo: As Kim Jong-un continues to throw a global temper tantrum, North Korea’s neighbors have to make contingency plans, just in case the DPRK accidentally launches a successful attack. In Japan’s case, it’s set up anti-missile system throughout the country in major cities. More advanced, robotic solutions, are undoubtedly in development as we speak. [via Reddit]
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