I’ve got to say that it’s been made an enjoyable experience by the presence of the other participants on Twitter. You think you’re doing well and then you see the #pagecount tweets from your competitors. There’s a good feeling to be had from updating your page count at the end of a long day of reading, knowing that others will see it and be encouraged to catch up.

Everyone in the contest has read at least one page. Some have read more Japanese in the past two weeks than in their entire time as a learner. It’s good to see the community coming together and getting into the spirit of learning. I think we need a big well done for everyone who has taken part. Can we get a round of applause, please?

As for my own progress – I’m pretty pleased. I’m easily outpacing my goal of 1000 pages total. I would have liked to place first, but the top of the leaderboard is a fierce land of uberreaders. I’ll settle for reaching my own personal goal. Creating a habit of constant reading will be a good side effect, too.

As for what I’ve been reading, I’d estimate:

• 70% novels/short story books
• 20% manga
• 5% subtitled videos
• 5% websites

I think I need to broaden what I’m reading, but that’s not a big deal for me right now.

My only problem with the contest is that I won’t be able to finish it properly due to my trip to Japan. The only stuff I’ll be reading in the last three days is restaurant menus and street signs. It’s a hard life, I guess.

Does anyone want to volunteer to guide me while I’m there? I’ll supply food and conversation to willing helpers (and eternal gratitude, obviously).

I’m looking forward to it a lot. It will be the push I’ve been needing to really boost my skillz. To start on the right track, I’ll be waking up early on Sunday, brewing up lots of coffee and happily reading away all day. I’ve got a selection of reading materials that will aid my quest: a healthy mix of novels, short stories, manga and websites. I don’t have a specific total amount of pages that I want to read, but I’ll be trying my hardest to get the number as high as possible.

For more information on the rules and participants, check out the contest blog. If you’re reading this and aren’t currently involved, you’re more than welcome to take part! The hashtag we’ll be tweeting with is #tadoku, by the way.

(I’ll be keeping notes on my progress on my blog as the contest goes on. I’ll put some photos of my books up, too).

But wait, I can recommend a book on Japanese that teaches in a forward thinking manner, but doesn’t try and teach the reader everything. The ambitious title of Jay Rubin’s Making Sense of Japanese promises to help conquer the language. It doesn’t quite accomplish the massive goal that it puts forward, but it does a damn good stab at it. This is a book on some of the larger overarching troubles that learners face with the language, as well as minutiae issues for complex topics.

There’s an informal yet scholarly style at hand – much like that of the best teacher you had at school. It’s learning, but not quite as you know it. By aiming to make seemingly dense topics interesting through the use of clear writing and humour, Rubin is able to breach deep topics with apparent ease. There are two parts – the first half deals with the idea of topics and the myth of the subjectless sentence. It also covers the は and が particles, with clarity I haven’t seen elsewhere. The second part is a collection of essays on various topics, that can be read in any order (unlike part one, which is written as essays that build on each other).

The book seems suited to intermediate learners, but the topics covered are worth bearing in mind for learners at any level. The book would have considerable benefit for translators, as it shows both literal and considered translations of text – making it a nice primer for how to translate trickier sentences when moving from Japanese to English. Indeed, Rubin’s experience of a translator (of several notable works in Murakami’s ouvre, nonetheless) gives credence and weight to his writing.

The biggest downside is that there’s next to no kanji use (or even kana), apart from in the very last chapter. It isn’t a deal breaker, but it’s odd as hell to go back to reading romaji. It does allow slightly easier digestion of the points at hand, because you’re not really looking at vocabulary in this book. There’s a chapter that deals with his thoughts on kanji, that seeks to explain why they were ommited from the book. He seems to share a love/hate relationship with the little guys. A kana+kanji edition of the book would be welcome though.

Overall: A clearly written and humorous collection of essays on the murkier parts of the Japanese language. Beginners will enjoy it, but those with a stronger grasp will take much more away.

(Quick question, since I know there are a few Murakami fans that might read this. Have you read Jay Rubin’s other book, Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words? I’ve been meaning to read it, I just don’t know if it will be 100% worth my time)

The first teaser for the upcoming adaptation of Murakami’s Norwegian Wood, due for release in Japan this winter has slipped onto the internet. It’s a true teaser, as the clip is frustratingly short and doesn’t offer fans much to pore over. Brief character shots, an atmospheric landscape, some wistful dialogue and the sound of John Lennon’s voice are about all we get. But hey, that’s how the novel works, so it’s hitting all the right notes.

I have a feeling that the brief nature of this clip is due to the filmmakers obtaining the rights for The Beatles titular song. With the music in their possession, they could now share footage of the film with the world.

Japanese audiences will get the film in December, while international fans will have to wait a little longer.

]]> http://nihongonoobie.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/norwegian-wood-teaser-trailer/feed/ 0 Nick http://nihongonoobie.wordpress.com/2010/06/13/reading-books-pinball-1973/ http://nihongonoobie.wordpress.com/2010/06/13/reading-books-pinball-1973/#comments Sun, 13 Jun 2010 21:49:40 +0000 nmartin https://nihongonoobie.wordpress.com/?p=217 ]]> Can you remember the first book that you read in English? Probably not, right? It was probably a simple book aimed at young readers. It may have been a challenge, but looking back now, you would find it a breeze. But what if your first novel as a fresh faced kid was something waaaay above your level? Would you still one day look back and laugh about how you once found it difficult? I’m hoping so…

I’ve just finished my first Japanese language novel – Pinball, 1973 (１９７３年のピンボール) by Haruki Murakami (村上春樹). It’s a proper Japanese novel (though probably a novella, technically), written for native speakers without any of the training wheels found in lower level texts. Basically, it’s way above my level. But I wasn’t going to let that get in the way of reading my favourite author’s work in it’s original form, was I?

Pinball, 1973 was one of the first 日本語 books that I bought, mere months after starting the language. I tried deciphering and translating the first sentence many times, but it proved difficult. Every now and then, I’d do the same thing – pick the book up, try to deeply understand that first sentence. I would fail and put the book back on the shelf. Obviously, that’s no good.

I wanted to read this book, so I had to change the way I read.

Rather than trying to understand every word and every sentence, I just went with the flow of the text. I wasn’t trying to understand everything, rather just trying to read everything. Observing the kanji compounds and sentence patterns and trying to make sense of it all, but not getting dismayed when it confused me. I just kept on reading. I find it more fun this way too, since it’s all new and I can take it at whatever pace I want.

Before I would pick the book up, read a line, then put it back down due to frustration. But now, I wasn’t feeling bad about not understanding things. I can come back to them at a later date. Besides, the very next sentence might be one that I can grasp. It’s just a good idea to keep on reading, because you’re getting massive amounts of contact with Japanese. Comprehension is low, but contact with the language in a pure form like this is priceless.

I  was learning Japanese so I could read, but now I’m learning Japanese by reading. If I read enough, eventually it’ll all fall in to place.

What Next?

I’ve got a few options with that I can do next regarding reading Japanese books:

• Another Murakami novel? One down – many more to go. Possibly 風の歌を聴け, Murakami’s first novel.
• Short stories? – less of a commitment and smaller chunks to digest.
• Other novels? – The Catcher in the Rye is on it’s way from Amazon.jp.
• Something easier? Maybe a light novel? Simpler text with furigana.
• Something contemporary? A book with a more modern use of the language.
• Reread and sentence mine Pinball, 1973? This is a definite. I held back from taking sentences from the book because I wanted to remain focused on simply reading. Now, I’ll flip through it and find some gems to mine.

Bonus Section! Murakami Observations

A few notes for Murakami fans where I gather some of my thoughts about the book.

• The narrator is simply 僕 and his real name is never mentioned. Though, why 僕? Why not 私 or 俺?
• Actually, very few characters have names. There’s The Rat and J, and that’s about it.
• Man, the guy drinks a lot of コーヒ and ビール. Every other page he’s knocking one back.
• From reading translations of Murakami, I know of a character called The Rat, that appears in several of Murakami’s early novels.  I was thrown by RTK with a kanji that appeared here – 鼠. This is listed by Heisig as ‘mouse’, but I knew it must refer to The Rat. Just a case of the character having a broader meaning than the keyword, really.
• Plenty of references to Western pop culture, including several to one of my favourites 「ラバー・ソウル」which would later be written about in greater detail in Norwegian Wood. Most of the references are jazz based, though.
• I thought I wasn’t going to see it in this book, but towards the end, the protagonist starts cooking up some spagetti.
• It’s clear from these observations that from as early as Murakami’s second novel, he had already formed a clear style that would flourish through his later work.
• Also, why has the novel never been released internationally? Murakami is said to be unhappy with it, but I think that fans would lap this up.

Japan Centre

Years ago, this was the first place that I was able to buy Pocky and look at Japanese books. This was before I’d started learning the language, when it all seemed otherwordly. It’s now moved to a larger location and expanded the range, but seems to have lost some of the charm. It always seems to be busy with Japanese and non-Japanese buying sushi and other groceries. It’s somewhat expensive, though has a nice range of food and drink. Freshly baked goods are very tasty – try the melon pan! They sell a large range of magazines, but no books or manga. The nice bookshop in the basement of the old shop disappeared in the move, though it has been reborn as the…

Japan Centre Bookshop

Now found on Brewer Street, this is a small shop that sells a few magazines, assorted books and manga, little toys, as well as (too many) English language books. Not as good as the old shop. Less range, expensive and overall a disappointing replacement for the old shop.

Adanami Shobo

On the same street as the Japan Centre Bookshop is Adanami Shobo – an inconspicuous looking used bookshop found inside an old laundrette (still has the old sign up too!). Inside, you’ll find a huge range of used novels, manga and films stocked up to the ceiling. They’re the cheapest you’ll find in London, and cheaper than other places too. Most books are wrapped, so you can’t peek inside, though this does lead to better condition books. Large bundles of manga are available, so you can obtain the whole story at once (for a price). They stock a small amount of magazines, usually from several months ago (though much cheaper than a new magazine at one of the other shops). Dubbed versions of films are cheap compared to buying online. I very highly recommend this shop.

JP-Books in Mitsukoshi

Found in the basement of the Mitsukoshi department store (which is conveniently next to the Japan Centre) is the sweet JP-Books. It’s got lots of books, magazines and manga. They had pretty much every Murakami novel and short story collection, which I was pleased by. The biggest downside is the price, which is reasonable for smaller books and extortionate for larger ones. Each volume of 1Q84 costs around £30, and the DVD of Ponyo cost over £50! The average book costs less than the RRP of a paperback in Waterstones though, so it’s not too bad.

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There are also some smaller shops and restaurants dotted about, where you can get some food or sweets. They’re a little cheaper than Japan Centre too, which is a plus.

Of course, you can always buy online. The main sticking point is finding somewhere that offers reasonable shipping fees. An even better method would be a ‘book exchange’ with a Japanese native.  I’ll look in to both.

Dear FutureMe,

As of April 21st 2009, you are learning Japanese. You’ve been learning since February 2009 and have the grasp of hiragana and katakana, but little understanding of kanji.

You listen to Japanese podcasts before going to sleep and try to watch a lot of Japanese language shows.

If you’re not still studying Japanese when I get this email, then please start again.

If you are still studying, then keep it up!

Write another email when you get this

I don’t think I’ve let past-me down. There was a brief stretch where Japanese eluded me, but in the bigger picture I’m doing well.

Let’s tick them off one by one:

• Hiragana and Katakana – no chance of messing that one up
• Kanji – getting there – comfortable with the meanings but not the readings
• Podcasts – not as much, because they’re not much fun (apart from HideoChannelRadio)
• TV – much better than podcasts! Doing fine with this part

I’m going to write a more detailed account of my current situation (possibly in Japanese), and have that arrive in one years time. It’s a neat little way to track your progress and to a) congratulate yourself or b) remind yourself of what you once had.

You’ll need any old Japanese book, podcast, song or video. The key is to just read or listen, and make a note of any words that jump out at you.

Here’s an example using my current tome – Yoru no Kumozaru (夜のくもざる) by Haruki Murakami (村上春樹). It’s a collection of 2/3/4 page ‘flash fiction’ stories by my favourite author. It’s still above my level, but some stories are easily accessible.

A story I'm working through. It's about a jazz record store.

So, I just read. Read through and understand as much as I can. Then, I read through again and highlight words and grammar that I don’t understand, as well as little phrases that I do understand. There’s no actual need to mark the parts that I understand, but it’s nice to visually mark my progress.

You can mark the book itself with a pen or pencil, but I respect the sanctity of the written medium and prefer to use sticky labels instead. Don’t write on that book, you monster. Also, at a later date when I’m more proficient, I’ll be able to peel all the labels off and read the book properly.

Next, you’ll want to find a sentence of your level containing that word. Two resources I use are WWWJDIC and Yahoo JP dic. They’ve got many different example sentences, though they’re not always ‘natural’ Japanese, so you might want to check over them. Of course, you can use the sentence you mined the word from, but only if you know all of the other words in that sentence. The aim is L+1, a sentence you understand, plus one element that’s new.

A warning. It’s a really comprehensive way of reading text, and as such doesn’t feel like you’re reading for pleasure. I don’t want language learning to be all about mining the words, fun needs to be had too. I’m also reading Harry Potter, Yotsubato (and others) and not going anywhere near a dictionary or sticky label, and just reading and reading. Much of it goes over my head, but it’s just pure reading, which is always a good thing. Don’t let Japanese turn into pure study, sit back and relax every now and then and look at how far you’ve come.

About a month after finishing RTK, I did something stupid. I stopped reviewing the kanji and they started disappearing from being both recalled and recognised. They had become a chore, and it wasn’t helping that I was half-heartedly reviewing them. I was allowing little mistakes to slip through, which led to bigger mistakes when recalling them. Then it moved to not writing down the kanji when recalling them. Not long after this came my Japanese learning ‘break’, where most of my kanji knowledge disappeared. I feel that getting lax with kanji and taking a break from learning is one of my worst decisions in recent memory, and I’ve paid for it by losing several months worth of hardcore kanji effort.

But now, I’m back in the full swing of learning. I still know many of kanji, but only through recognition. By breaking down characters in to compounds, I can generally recall the meaning after some straining. But that’s really not a good way to get things done. It takes the groove out of reading manga. I’ll be reading parts that I already know, then hit an unfamiliar kanji and grind to a halt. There had to be a way to fix this rut…

So I’ve restarted RTK! Back in the company of my good friend Heisig.

It’s a lot easier this time around, the stories are sticking and the reviews are going well. I’m only just finished part 1, but I can feel my kanji skills coming back. The old familiar stories are still in my mind, it’s just as case of making sure that the review process has the right amount of effort applied in.

I’ve conquered the kanji once before, and