Power Pros Baseball is a Konami series of cartoony, arcadey baseball games that’s been published every year in Japan since Bill Clinton took office. Year in, year out, Power Pros faithfully recreated the Japanese league rosters as near-featureless bobblehead-looking guys, with quick, polished gameplay and a “Success Mode” with a storyline and life sim elements. For two years, they tested the waters of the American market, releasing MLB Power Pros and MLB Power Pros 2008. I played these games obsessively, but they never came back. Once I found out I could import them, I gained not only a language practice tool, but a reason to learn as much as I could, so I could play more of that game. At first I could only play individual games, then I learned enough Japanese to navigate a season, and then I learned enough to read and enjoy the life sim and story mode. So, for any of you Japanese students interested in finding games to supplement your language study, here’s a quick guide to importing Japanese video games.

Sony PlayStation 3, PS4, and Vita

I think this screenshot just sold me a PlayStation 4.

The Sony consoles are your best bet for importing Japanese games because they’re popular in Japan and have little to no region lock. Traditionally, game consoles bought in America or Europe couldn’t play Japanese games without some sort of workaround or adapter. Many people still try to find first-run NES launch titles because they have a secret Japan-US adapter inside the cartridge which can be taken out and used for other games. Sony started to reverse that trend when they made the PS3 region-free, so Japanese PS3 games can be played on any region’s console. (PS1 and PS2 games are still region-locked, even when played on a PS3.) So all you need to do to play Japanese PlayStation games is get your hands on the games themselves.

We’ll talk about how to get disc games later on, but the PlayStation has another import-friendly feature: a freely-accessible Japanese PlayStation Store. By creating a new sub-user on your PlayStation, you can sign up for a Japanese PSN account and get access to the same download titles you could get in Japan. After doing that, any demos and free-to-play games are easily available to you, but paying for games is another hurdle. You will need either a Japanese credit card or Japanese PSN cards, which are sold on a number of websites but usually at a 70% markup. Ten dollars of Japanese PlayStation Store credit will likely cost you $17.

Like the PlayStation 3, the PS4 is region-free, so games bought from the UK or Japan or Australia will all work on a North American console. The PS4 doesn’t launch in Japan until February 22nd, but when that time rolls around, there are a few Japan-only games you can import, including the strategic RPG Natural Doctrine and the new samurai-era Yakuza game.

The PlayStation Vita is also region-free, but in this case discs are much easier to deal with than downloads. The Japanese PSN Store isn’t as easy to access on that device as it is on the PS3. It can still be done, it just requires backing up and resetting your Vita.

Games Worth Importing: Summer Vacation 4 (Boku No Natsuyasumi 4) (PSP), Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan! (PS3), Yakuza: Ishin (PS3 and PS4)

Nintendo Wii, Wii U, and 3DS

The Nintendo Wii and Wii U don’t make things so simple for you. Both are region-locked, so by default an American console will not play Japanese games. Importing a Japanese Wii or Wii U can also be frustrating because online features will check your IP Address, so you will need to resort to VPN trickery to do anything involving the internet on a foreign console. There are always a number of fixes circulating for the notoriously hackable Nintendo Wii which can allow you to play games from other regions, but because these hacks are always changing, potentially illegal, and occasionally prone to bricking your Wii, it is hard to recommend any given solution.

Nintendo’s handheld consoles get a little complicated, but they are very good for Japanese study. The original DS is region-free, except for the online DSi store and the DSi-exclusive game cards (all four of them). The 3DS is region locked, so you’ve gotta buy a Japanese one to play Japanese games. We at Tofugu have gone over before why you might want to buy a Japanese 3DS, one major reason being the great library of games with furigana options for those millions of us who are still working on our kanji. There are dozens if not hundreds of Japan-only, text-heavy DS and 3DS games, making both handhelds a terrific choice for an intermediate Japanese student.

Games Worth Importing: Captain Rainbow (Wii), Miles Edgeworth 2 (DS), Youkai Watch (3DS)

Microsoft Xbox 360 and Xbox One

Microsoft’s game consoles have not yet caught on in Japan, so the selection of import games is limited and the selection of text-heavy Japanese games almost nonexistent. The Xbox 360’s region lock operates on a game-by-game level. Publishers can ask that their game be region-free or region-locked. There are very few Japanese region-free games available, and there is no way to purchase DLC for Japanese games outside of Japan due to an IP Address check. Similar to the PlayStation, it is fairly simple to set up a Japanese Xbox Live account and try free games from another region, but you will still face the same difficulties in paying for games because Microsoft Points are region-locked. You can also migrate your account to a new region, but it will be stuck for three months, so setting up a new profile and adding it to your Xbox is almost certainly a better idea. Play-Asia has a reasonably complete list of Xbox 360 games and their region capabilities.

Xbox One will be region-free, contrary to Microsoft’s initial announcements. However, Microsoft have yet to announce when their new console will actually come out in Japan, so it could be a year or so before you get a chance to import anything. Given the sparse selection on the 360, there likely will not be a large array of Japan-exclusive Xbox One games, but at least you don’t have to sink your money on a separate Japanese console this time.

Games Worth Importing: Mushihime-sama Futari (Xbox 360 and region-free!) aaaand that’s about it.

PC and Mac

Japan is very much a console gaming culture, but there are certain niches that live on the Windows PC. Japanese indie games (sometimes called doujin games) are often readily available on the internet, if you can find them, though not many of them work on a Mac. The Japanese indie game scene is often ridiculed for just how many train simulators and pornographic visual novels it produces, but a number of now-famous indie games like Cave Story and La Mulana started off as free-to-download Japanese indie titles.

It can be difficult to wade through everything available on the internet to find these gems, however, so I have another solution for Japanese study through computer games: I go on Steam and do an Advanced Search for games that support Japanese text or audio. That list (currently 185 games long) should only contain games that let you simply switch your language to Japanese, with no hassle of importing or creating a new account or anything. You probably already own a few.

Games Worth “Importing”: Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale, Ys, Cave Story

Getting Your Disks

If you don’t happen to be staying in Japan right now, getting your hands on Japanese games can get a little difficult and expensive. The simplest way is to buy from an importer like Play-Asia.com, NCSX.com, or YesAsia.com, but they mark up the price from what you would see in Japan. For instance, the latest Pro Yakyuu Spirits game costs ￥4820 or $48 on Amazon.co.jp, but will run you $65 on Play-Asia. So why not just buy from Amazon.co.jp? You can’t, not directly. Amazon.co.jp won’t ship games, game consoles, or any electronics to a location outside Japan. You have to use a shipping service like Tenso, who can forward your game from their location in Tokyo to your address wherever. But the shipping cost will still be $15-20, so you’re not saving much money for your extra effort unless you buy in bulk.

Buying Japanese video games can be a pain, but it’s becoming easier year after year. Eventually the download options should get better too. Hopefully they will ease up on restrictions and make it easier to buy and download games in the future.

The right video game can be a fun supplementary study tool and a great reward after your language ability has jumped ahead. But most importantly to me, now I can play baseball video games that don’t suck.

If you’re an importer (or wannabe importer), let me know what games you’re a fan of the most. Anything in particular that will help with Japanese studies?

Not content to blindy folllow popular methods of language study a Jedi Knight searches the near and far galaxies for hitherto unknown tools and techniques with which to master Japanese. Hidden beneath the long sleeves of a hooded cloak is a tool for deciphering even the densest of Japanese literature, the Kanji Sono Mama Rakubiki Jiten on Nintendo DS.

Kanji Sono Mama is a dictionary, translated “Kanji just like that, easy to pull”, which puts any authentic Japanese text within the reach of a mere mortal. Sure there are other electronic dictionaries, but none I’ve found come close to the utility of this sleekly packaged touch generation device. I’m going to show you the method I use to expand my vocabulary with Kanji Sono Mama.

This method works with any dictionary which allows you to look up kanji compounds online or off. The Kanji Learners Dictionary is a good example of a dictionary that will allow you to look up compounds based on recognition of their radicals. If you’re reading kanji online then you could use a combination of QuickKanji and Jisho.org. For this post however I’m going to focus on using Kanji Sono Mama, because it’s mobile and it has a flash card function that combines well to make it an all-in-one vocabulary droid.

Your choice of reading material

I’m a big proponent of reading authentic Japanese while you’re learning. Textbooks simply don’t have the variety of language that literature does. Your choice of literature is up to you, I’m a big  fan of Manga as you might know. I welcome a debate about the merits of manga over classical Japanese literature any day, but ultimately the choice of reading material is yours.

I covered some techniques for reading authentic Japanese manga where I talked mostly about short sessions without a dictionary. This post picks up where that one left off, because ultimately you’ll want to know the meanings of words you’re reading.

Choosing what to study.

People often ask me how to select books that are the right reading level. I usually answer that what you find interesting is usually more important than what reading age it’s aimed at. Reading Chibi Mariko Chan or Sazae San is not just for kids, it’s important social commentary. Although, if it doesn’t interest you it’s not going to hold your attention for very long.

Let’s imagine you have something you really want to read, it’s important to select vocabulary for further study with real intent. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is trying to read too much in one go. Other mistakes that will slow you down are selecting too many items for review or words that are too far out of reach.

Keep the passage you intend to study short, use the techniques I’ve covered elsewhere. Before you pull out your DS decide what vocabulary you’re going to study.

• Finish reading: Only after you have finished your reading session should you start to go back and find vocabulary you want to study. Keep these two sessions separate as much as possible, punctuate them with a short break if necessary. Make sure you have come to a point in your reading from which you will go no further.
• Choose things you understand: If you’ve seen something before but in a different context it is going to be useful for you to get a real fix on it through further study. You know these items are going to be useful because they just keep popping up. They may also be used different ways, so learn them well.
• Choose things you partially understand: In a new context things may look a little different, you may be able to infer meaning but you’ll need a bit more study to come to a full understanding. Choosing words you almost have a handle on is going to be much more fruitful than taking words completely out of context.
• Don’t choose more than you can commit to memory: Even for a Jedi Knight short term memory typically holds no more than seven items. For words you want to learn no more than five a day is a good rule of thumb, particularly if they are new and complex. You should spend as much time on these five items as you did in reading the passage of text you selected.

Practical example #1 – Guessing at the reading with hiragana

Good for: When you can guess from context what the kanji might be.
Method: Use your hiragana input to extract a dictionary entry.

The girl in the picture is on the phone, I could try keitai [けいたい] but that would be incorrect, next best guess is denwa [でんわ] Bingo! Now when I select the entry in the dictionary I get an English equivalent from the Ei-Wa jisho and some usage examples.

The guess work is important because it helps you make leaps at understanding, it doesn’t matter if you fall short a couple of times. Don’t dwell on it, just find the right answer and move on.

Practical Example #2 – Direct entry of the kanji

Good for: When you can’t guess the reading.
Method: Copy the strokes.

The big bold kanji in this cell is easy to copy. You may have seen it before but can’t remember the reading, 大丈夫, just use the touch pen.

I immediately get two readings as before, and some uses in fairly easy to understand sentences.

Practical Example #3 – Stab in the dark?

Good for: When you have to use the force.
Method: Use English input.

I use English input for the word ‘think’, there are two occurences of something that it might be. I get the entry from the Ei-Wa jisho. There are lots of examples, but not all of them contain the kanji I’m looking for.

Caution: Use sparingly!

Using the flash cards.

Now you have a word that you can add to your vocabulary list. This where I really like the DS Sono Mama Rakubiki Jiten, with a simple tap of the touch pen you can add the word to one of three flash card groups.

They have their advantages over hand made flash cards.You don’t have to write anything out carefully on tiny bits of paper. Each card links to a full dictionary entry if you want to see alternative uses and meanings. You can move the flashcards between groups, which is perfect if you are using a Leitner system.

The DS also has a one handed mode. You can collect vocabulary and then causally flip through you cards while sitting on the bus. Perfect for the incognito Jedi in you.

If you have technique for breaking down what you read into reusable chunks please share it in the comments. Do you use flash cards? How do you build your vocabulary?

Keep Reading! Take a look at the companion article: “Are You Still Lugging Dead Tree Bilingual Dictionaries?“

Brett Fyfield is the Chief Rainbow Maker at Rainbowhill Language Lab. He enjoys Aikido and is often mistaken for “suits homeless” because of his dishevelled appearance. If you want more tips on incorporating authentic Japanese literature into your study routine tweet him up on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

The Manga is Homunculus by Hideo Yamamoto. 2003.