Japanese Fever

So I have been learning to speak japanese over the past two weeks and I LOVE IT!! It's sooo different from English though because they say everything backwards.  They also read from right to left and thats akward. "This like sentence a writing me like that's" See it's awkward.   I'm pretty sure you thought I was dyslectic for a second.  Japanese culture to me is an amazing and beautiful thing. Japan has three different types of writing styles there's.

Katakana

  Katakana is used primarily in Japan in their writing systems.  Katakana is second most difficult form of writing.  I think this one is taught more commonly to natives of Japan however it is still derived from words outside of Japans core.


Hiragana

Hiragana is used for foreign Japanese speakers and writers. It was formed to translate words that were adopted from other languages.  It is the easiest of the three to learn though none are easy to learn.  Hiragana is what foreign students would learn first before moving on to the more advanced katakana and Kanji.

Kanji 

Kanji as stated before is the core of Japanese writing systems and is adapted from Chinese.  Kanji is indeed the most difficult to learn to write because of its free-form nature.  The slightest line drawn incorrectly can change the meaning.

I have been doing the Rosetta Stone and I found that it worked however what Rossetta stone lacks in the hands on experience of actually speaking to a person and having a conversation.  You learn the vocabulary needed however you are missing the interaction.  I know this sounds weird because Rossetta Stone markets " hands on interaction" but it can only do so much.  I'm not knocking it though. It did teach me what it said it would its just, in my opinion,  it takes more implication than listening to a Japanese native speak and then repeating what they.  

 I find it super hilarious when I'm learning Japanese to find words that sound like English but with a mouth full of marshmellows.  Let me give you some examples:

Computer is Konpyuutaa
Dining Room is Dainingurūmu
Toilet is Toire

So to study I have been listening to Japanese podcasts in my car.  I always get stuck at a light with my window rolled down and find myself right in the middle of saying some loud Japanese word, look over and see someone staring me in my face like "wtf is he saying?" I think it's very funny.

So now that you guys know that I'm learning Japanese I am going to expect to get some help with learning to speak the language with a simple Ohayo in the morning. Finally to leave you guys with some pointers.

1.  In Japan sometimes the trains are so crowded railway staff are employed to cram passengers inside.
So basically if you don't like people touching you walk.  Japan is not the place for you because there are sooo many people living there.  

2. When moving into an apartment it is often required to give the landlord a "gift" of money equal to two months' rent. Again if your moving to Japan make sure you are ballin cause it ain't cheap.

3. Men shave their hair to apologize and Women cut their hair when they break up with their boyfriends.  So basically make sure you don't mess up or you will come out looking like this  :

4. If you have ugly feet then don't go there. Raised floors help indicate when to take off shoes or slippers. At the entrance to a home in Japan, the floor will usually be raised about 6 inches indicating you should take off your shoes and put on slippers. If the house has a tatami mat room its floor may be rasied 1-2 inches indicating you should to take off your slippers.

5. So for all the  headbanging rockers out there you guys thought you were hardcore but Japan has got you beat. Tokyo has had 24 recorded instances of people either killed or receiving serious skull fractures while bowing to each other with the traditional Japanese greeting.


That's All Folks
Ja Matte (See ya later)