Gadling

After listening to pop-singer, Gwen Stefani croon tunes about the wicked fashion sense of Tokyo’s Harajuku girls all last year any fashion oriented person would have booked a first-class round trip flight to the area to check out all the hype. Aside from Gwen’s own ode to the area, Tyra Banks has done a great job exposing the extreme clothing style of the Japanese teenage culture in her show America’s Next Top Model. I’m sure you all follow Gwen and Tyra in depth, but in the event that you’ve found more productive ways to spend your primetime television watching hours and listen to sounds aside from the bubbly lyrics of Ms. Stefani you can check out more on Japan’s Harajuku Station and Takeshita Dori by clicking here. If you plan on meeting a friendly local in the area at some point in time you may wish to know this little jewel of information.

Today’s word is a Japanese phrase used in Japan:

Dewa mata – see you later

Spoken Japanese comes smoothly for those who practice or submit themselves to hours of Japanese pop music, but either way one can learn this language in through several avenues. Japanese Online is a VERY good FREE site to start learning. They have audio and a great conversation lessons. The lessons get more in-depth as you become a registered user which is still free of charge. Takese.com has a list of over 2000 words worth checking out. Those on the road already may want to pick up the LP Japanese phrasebook or check into a school for a few weeks of learning. Study Abroad has a list of school located all over the country. If you’re seeking help with written Japanese best of luck to you!

Past Japanese words: hajimemashite

Long ago when I moved to Hawai’i as a teenager in the middle of my junior year of high school I was utterly culture shocked. Didn’t take long to get used to and I embraced the differences, but I wasn’t expecting it to feel so much Asia. My high school’s demographic was pretty much split between students of Japanese origin and Filipino. The breakfast served in the morning always had rice, egg, sausage and ketchup. Everyone wore flip-flops all the time, including the teachers. The one thing I found very cool was the Japanese and Hawai’ian language courses. My previous high school on the mainland didn’t offer either and I had already taken two years of Latin with Mr. Seamen, a funny man who always found ways to help the class (heavy with football players) pass their exams. Anyhow, after enrolling in Japanese I, I learned it was no easy task. I retreated just as quickly as I had enrolled. It would have been the demise of my GPA.

Today’s word is a Japanese word used in Japan:

hajimemashite – nice to meet you

Seems like a mouth full, but this is one of the easier ones. Spoken Japanese comes smoothly for those who practice or submit themselves to hours of Japanese pop music, but either way one can learn this language in through several avenues. Japanese Online is a VERY good FREE site to start learning. They have audio and a great conversation lessons. The lessons get more in-depth as you become a registered user which is still free of charge. Those on the road already may want to pick up the LP Japanese phrasebook or check into a school for a weeks of learning. Study Abroad has a list of school located all over the country. If you’re seeking help with written Japanese best of luck to you!