WS: Eigo Noto: When is your birthday 3

Previously we have learned the days of the months and played some fun games to ensure the students can remember them, and in the last lesson we introduced the question "when is your birthday?".

This lesson will focus again on this question and teach how to answer it properly.

Mobile Phone Guide #7: Multilingual phones

Reading all the Japanese characters on a mobile phone menu can be challenging for even the most seasoned of Japanese speakers. But fear not, as many Japanese phones often come with the ability to switch between Japanese and English menus. 

How Japanese Addresses Work

Today I StumbledUpon a video so clear and accurate that there was nothing I could do but post it, unedited, on AccessJ. Many thanks to Derek Sivers for this informative and entertaining creation.

JLPT Past Test Downloads

For virtually every test (apart from medical, I guess), the best way to success is a lot of exam-condition practice.

The same applies for the JLPT, and not only can you buy past papers (see below), but you can also download them from various websites.

Let's find out where!!!!

Update (May, 2013): We're in the process of adding several more posts to the site regarding JLPT study material. Be sure to check back frequently to see what's new on the front page and what's listed under the LearningJapanese tag.

Donate Money to Japanese Save the Children

I'm doing a series of long-distance runs in Japan this year to raise money for child victims of the tsunami/earthquake.

You know it's the right thing to do, so I won't bore you with a sob-story.

Please go to my page and donate some cash.

Dom is fundraising for GlobalGiving

Q&A: Osaka Nampa Master

Nampa is the Japanese term for guys picking up on girls in public locations, usually with the sole aim of getting them into bed. A whole subculture has sprung up around the word, and akin to titles like "How to Talk to Women" and "How to Make Someone Fall in Love With You in 6.7 Seconds" in English bookstores and across English webpages, "How to Nampa" is a term probably every magazine with a 20-something male target audience in Japan has published articles about.

WS: Eigo Noto 2: When is your birthday 2

This lesson carries on from my previous post last week. This lesson reviews the months of the year and introduces the question "When is your birthday".

In the next lesson we will look more at answering using "It is in November" and "it is December 4th".

Short-Term Volunteer Opportunity in Tohoku

Japan needs you.

I blogged the other day about a competition to visit all 47 prefectures in Japan in 100 days and help with tsunami cleanup.

Just in case you don't win that, here's another chance to visit/help out.

Japan Matsuri Volunteers

Need a Japan fix? In London this September? Want to get involved in the action?

Japan Matsuri is looking for volunteers for it`s third annual event. Held in the heart of London.

If you are homesick for Japan, or missing the wonderful festivals then look no further. This is designed to feel like a typical Japanese festival: dancing, music, food and shows.

Read below for more information.

Mobile Phone Guide #6: Mobile e-mail

The first thing that most people notice about Japanese mobiles is how people use them more as e-mail devices and mini-web browsers than actual phones. Mobile phone mail (携帯メール keitai meru, or simply meru) has been a staple of the Japanese phone market long before the advent of BlackBerries and iPhones. While having a mail address on your phone may seem like a silly novelty, it is actually petty handy for directly contacting people all over the world. 

In today’s installment of our mobile phone super-guide we'll look at Japanese mobile-phone mail.

Tsunami Photo Exhibition London July 22nd-24th

This Friday 22nd, sees a new photo exhibition opening at 'Olympia two' in London.

It has been four months since the Tsunami devastated towns in the Sendai area and one photographer, Christina Aiton, an Australian living in Shichigahama, has documented 14 families from the area and their lives in the aftermath.

The Best Way to Learn Kanji

My miracle solution to learning kanji may work for you, so why not give it a go.

There are two things I don't do when learning kanji: spend a lot of time writing them out, or use traditional flashcards.

There are two things I do do: use tool one and tool two below: