Learning a New Language

Many times at work, while I'm studying Japanese I've been asked "Hey, why are you studying such a difficult language, do you plan on moving to Japan?". It's a difficult question to answer, and no I do not plan on ever moving to Japan.

Learning Japanese is actually something I've wanted to do since I was 16. When I was growing up, I always found Asian languages fascinating...like I'm a archaeologist deciphering some sort of ancient hieroglyphics. Around the same time (around 1999-2000), JRPGs, J-Pop, Anime, and Manga was just starting to kick off in popularity. I learned the basics of the Kana (Hiragana and Katakana), and basic sentence structure in just a matter of a few weeks, surprising my teachers when they saw me writing in Kana during study-hours...but back then, online learning resources were scarce and I couldn't find nor afford a college that would take my learning to a higher level. Eventually, my father insisted that learning a language for a country I may never visit is a waste of time...and that my Otaku fandom was really me following some sort mass-market consumerist culture fostered by big corporations, and that I should be pursing more noble goals in order to become a successful animator...the irony is that anime and manga is what got me into illustration and animation in the first place.

This is what Japanese mass-market consumerism looks like.

Then without warning during my last deployment, my ship announced that we would be pulling into Yokosuka, Japan. I was mixed about this. Should I go to Japan to drink sake/chuuhai, visit some nightclubs...and act like...well...everyone else? Or should I go to the heart of anime/manga, into Akihabara, and follow my artistic/compulsive/geeky twitch?

I chose the latter and don't regret it one bit...but was disheartened that the language barrier. I would be greeted by shopkeepers with いらっしゃいます(irasshaimase), yet I had no idea how to talk back to them, I also used phrases and greetings in the wrong context out of nervousness, trying to recall phrases I used ten years back...stuff that was basic knowledge for anyone visiting the country.

It was embarrassing. Yet I was still drawn into it all...visiting the famous locales of various video games, anime, and manga that I used to read. Yet around the same time I found out Sega wasn't going to be publishing the sequel to one of my most favorite games, 龍が如く5 (Yakuza 5)...and that's when I decided to get back into learning the language.

SEGA: "You guys want to play 'Japanese-Man-Game 5'? *Looks at North American sales numbers* How about a new Sonic game instead?"

Before we left Japan, I stocked up on some e-books and apps, and studied daily for 3+ hours a day. I learned a lot on how my brain worked during cram sessions, memory retention, and the do's-and-don'ts of learning a new language (such as memorizing over 1000 Kanji meanings, but not being able to understand it in context through vocabulary). I anxiously awaited the return home...not only just to be back and see family again, but so I can order some textbooks and meet with people at local language groups. In other words, to continue on with what I put on pause for so many years.

It's exhilarating learning a new language and it reminds me of learning Spanish and French for the first time. Whenever I feel demotivated (which is often), I take a few days off from learning, play a few import games, and get back into the groove again. I'm on Chapter 7 of my Genki textbook, which is roughly Japanese 102 college level learning, I spend about half an hour each day writing new flashcards and reviewing old flashcards, and I'm to the point where I can read almost at the same pace as I can speak it...as long as I already know the word...if I don't it's more along the lines of me sounding out words, much the same way a kindergartner would try to pronounce Howitzer Tank, except your trying to pronounce something that looks a little more like ÞæWI¥¶ZER ԡҭNK (with the Kanji/Kana blended words).

Write the Kanji for this! Don't forget proper stroke order and to memorize the On-Yomi and Kun-Yomi meanings!

Also I have been taking weekly trips over to Chinatown in Seattle, where I familiarize myself with Asian foods and make a trip over to Kinokuniya Bookstore where they have figures, magazines, manga, and books in Japanese (plus textbooks/learning resources for the learner)...and occasionally I'll meet a fellow learner.

Redneck Billy: "I can't read 'em books 'ere...it's all in some sorta moon language!"

In many ways I feel grateful to be in a multicultural city. Where people of Filipino, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese descent all in one corner of the US. It gives me an opportunity to learn from people from other cultures, which in turn, I learn a lot more about myself.

So no, I am not learning a new language so I can move to Japan, to date hot Asian women, or to be some sort of "Super-Otaku". I usually give the simple answer "It's just a hobby", because honestly it is simply a hobby...but it's a hobby that gives me an opportunity to meet new people with similar ambitions, and maybe even read, write, talk to, and understand people native to the language..

"Why would I ever want to date an Asian women? They all look the same anyway!"

Who knows? A few years from now if I ever do go back to visit Japan, I should have a better knowledge and understanding of the language and culture. If I don't go back, well at least I can say I had fun learning :).

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays!

Should be a great Christmas this year. Got my family at home some nice gifts this year, as well as gifts for myself (due to excellent Black Friday/Seasonal deals).

First thing first, the Google Nexus 7. What an excellent device! Last year I chose the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, but quickly regretted it due to the amount of proprietary software and lack of storage space (8 GB which was really about 4.5GB...not nearly enough for a power user like me). Picked up the 32GB model this year for the same price. It has excellent technical specs, great storage space, and the new Kit-Kat OS update which is pretty spiffy.

I've been importing a lot of Japanese games lately. Call me impatient, but when I see a game out in Japan for months already, with no word on a US localization (or the word is usually "Q4 2014") or with content that is too risque for American audiences, I have no choice but to import. Fortunately Sony allows region-free gameplay, and I've already discovered many excellent gems.

First off, we have God Eater 2, excellent graphics, fantastic gameplay...essentially Monster Hunter with a story. I posted a review up on Play-Asia, http://www.play-asia.com/god-eater-2-paOS-13-49-en-70-63p5.html#reviews just look up "GreatScott84".

Why is this not out in America yet!?

I've also been playing an updated version of Dynasty Warriors 8, called "Shin Sangoku Musou 7 with Moushouden", it's been out in Japan for a few weeks now, but unlikely to see a Western release anytime soon, if at all. It helps to have played the previous translated games to learn the names, motives, etc if you don't understand Japanese; but not necessary.

Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme, now on Vita!

I admit import gaming does help with learning Japanese, seeing Kanji/grammer on paper is one thing, but hearing it and reading the subtitles on-screen is another. It's like listening to tapes, instead it's all interactive. For example (and this is a very basic example of some more complex stuff I encounter) I'll see something that says スタートゲーム. I start pronouncing the letters "SU-TA-TO-GE-EE-MU". I read and repeat several times over in the correct Japanese pronouncination "Suh-tah-t-gaem"..."Staat-Gaem"...Oh "Start Game"! I'll see it over and over to the point were I don't even have to pronounce it and my mind simply just understands the word visually. When I encounter more complex things, such as Kanji, I can understand just a few things so far; such as 行く meaning "Iku" or "To Go, 見る "Miru" or "To see", or 私 meaning "Watashi" or "I, myself", and seeing the Kanji being spoken in different ways and with different conjugations depending on context is something that no textbook can really explain.

The huge downside with importing is the lack of access to the Japanese Playstation store. It's quite easy to swap on the PS3, but on the Vita it's quite a hassle...and I refuse to make a specific Japan-only account using a fake address and purchasing foreign Playstation cards to purchase DLC just on principle. Plus not having my trophies all in one central account is a bummer.

Also picked up Gran Turismo 6. I've been a huge Forza fan since Forza 2...but after last year's disapointment with Forza Horizons and their DLC schemes, plus this years controversy over vehicles too expensive to purchase in-game without purchasing credits via microtransactions...it pretty much left a sour taste in my mouth. GT6 is pretty much a cleaned up version of GT5, with a better direction. It's amazing it looks just as good as the next gen Forza, but on 7 year old hardware.

Also did a bit of train simming. Met some cool people on engine-driver.com who also plays Train Sim and Farming Sim. I'll have to pick up the new Titanium edition of Farming Simulator during the next Steam sale, which hopefully should be soon!

Next stop, Mulkiteo!

I started playing the visual novel Steins; Gate...which is fantastic! About ten years ago on some BBS boards, I recall a guy online named John Titor who claimed to be a time traveller from the future. Hoax...obviously, but the game asks the question, "What if John Titor was real?". The game is also hilarious and has many subtle references to general geekdom. I've been playing the visual novel on PC, but the anime follows the story pretty well.

Lastly, I want to touch on the PS4. I picked it up last month and really enjoying it...somewhat. It's a great system but unfortunatly the good titles for it won't be out until at least February. Still, I'm really enjoying Assassin's Creed Black Flag, the Twitch integration, the media features, and playing a round or two of FIFA :). Can't wait to see what the next year has to offer!

Portability

Recently, I've had an epiphany. It seems like I spend almost as much time on portable gaming systems than I do with the at-home console. For good reason though. I blame my sister's dog, the US Navy, and the WA State ferry system.

You see, our dog has a habit of getting on my lap whenever I try to do work on the laptop or play games on the TV. When I try to move her so I can turn on the PS3 or swap disks she looks sooo darned cute I can't do anything about it except reach for my Vita or 3DS nearby.

So darned cute!

The same goes for the Navy. Sometimes I'll leave for weeks, if not months at a time. Often our only (half-cracked TV) in the workshop is in use by the Call of Duty/Madden bros. So playing a random niche title only to have someone walk in the room and ask "Why are you playing a game in Japanese with some weird looking schoolgirls?" kinda draws a bit of a strange conversation in explaining what the style of the game is.

Then there's the WA State Ferry system. I usually have to handle business in Bremerton every few weeks, and I am absolutely addicted to connecting to my 3DS with 200 other cars around and getting those puzzle pieces and Mii streetpass goodies while I sit in the ferry for an hour doing nothing but play games. I look forward to the commute every time!

I'm actually ashamed to admit I had to trade-in/rebuy a few titles to get the handheld port (Dragons Crown, Tales of the Abyss, etc...) now that I have handheld systems, because I know the chances of me getting the opportunity to play on the big-screen is low, especially with the PS4 coming out, most of my attention will be drawn to that and the shiny new games.

Speaking of PS4, it comes out soon. The launch titles are a bit meh, but I ordered the new Killzone and Assassin's Creed 4 so that should keep me occupied, along with my PS3 backlog: Tales of Xillia, Neptunia Mk2 and V, The Last of Us, GTAV, FFXIV, etc...Don't even mention my laptop backlog *looks at Steam list and shudders*...yeah...

The world of gaming never ends. So all I can do is sit back and enjoy it, regardless of whether it's on console, PC, or in my hands :).

I'm baaaaack!

There. I said it! I am back from the great unknown. The last time there was a post here was about two months before I decided to join the Navy. 5 years later and here I am. Back to where I started. Funny how things work eh?

Here's today's update. I just about finished up Chapter 3 in Genki I, which dealt with Verb Conjugations (Ru, U, and irregular verbs). I kinda have a good feel for it although I am studying up on flash cards from Memrise to keep the new vocab stuck with me. I wanted to finish up my workbook last night but our dog, Ravenna decided that was the perfect opportunity to sit on my lap, directly between the book I'm writing in and my face.

You probably have seen those Android card games, they are a dime a dozen. One particulary stood out last to me last year with its excellent art design from Mobage, Rage of Bahamut. Well just yesterday I preordered a Rage of Bahamut Figure directly from Kotobukiya. All the main sites (AmiAmi, Hobbysearch, etc) sold out within hours, and after looking at this figure you can understand why:

Sexy, eh?

Also picked up a couple import preorders from Play-Asia. Onechanbara Z Kagura for for the PS3 and Akiba's Trip 2 for the Vita. What can I say about them? Onechanbara (Also known as Bikini Samurai Squad here in the US) is a game that deals with a katana-wielding cowgirl and her sister who kill zombies. Gameplay is pretty straight-forward, so apart from missing the dialogue queues, no other translation is really needed except...kill zombies. Akiba's Trip 2 on the other hand deals with killing vampires in a perfectly recreated district of Tokyo, Akihabara (which I've visited twice IRL). It's basically the anime/manga/otaku mecca of Japan. Here's a photo I took earlier this year:

Akihabara, what I would do to go back...

I'm on the fence about preordering Gods Eater 2, Project Diva F 2nd, and Fairy Fencer "f". The import business can be a little tricky because you can wait months...sometimes years for an announcement on a translation to come out (case in point, Yakuza 5...or as my friends call it, "Japanese-man game"). By that time the developers are already moving on to the sequel to the original game. Some cases (such as Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts), it's a no-brainer that there will be a localized copy here in the states, and it's safe to skip the import. But for the more niche games, especially from publishers like Sega (who is terrible at localizing anything that doesn't have "Sonic the Hedgehog" in its name) it's a bit more difficult to gauge.

Regardless, I am not going to wait on my butt for someone else to do the translation for me. Yakuza 5 was what brought me to the whole Japanese-learning/import thing. So rather than wait 2-3 years for someone to do a proper translation, I'll spend that 2-3 years learning Japanese up to JLPT N3 (which is my personal goal).

Lastly, got a game of Pokemon X to go through. I've discovered the wonders of the Wonder Trade system. Most of the time I get junk Pokemon (ughh another Budew...Pidgey...etc?). But sometimes I luck out and get something cool like a Ghastly like I did last night. Also I'm trying to cut back on the grinding aspect of Pokemon and just move on with the story for now. It's just a constant battle between me and the fast-moving sun...in other words...time.

Also GTAV. I'm going to do some online playing later today so if anyone wants to hit me up, give me an add on PSN: incrediblescott.