JET Tokyo Recontracting Conference

On August 16 I presented two 75 minute workshops on learning Japanese at the JET Programme 2004 Conference for Re-contracting JETs in Tokyo. I have reproduced my notes here for the benefit of those at the conference, for those JETs from Western Japan who attended the earlier conference in Kobe and anyone else who is interested in wading through them. I made participation a central part of the workshops - lots of pairwork and skits - so we had a  good laugh and the the proceedings were far more lively than the dryness of these notes might imply.

Here is the official blurb from the handbook produced by CLAIR (the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations):

Pera Pera! Learning Japanese whilst on JET - by someone who has done it and knows exactly the special language learning needs of ALTs

Want to sit Level 1 of the JLPT? Or maybe just understand what your students are saying at lunch? Every language learner has different needs and the best way to organize your learning is not simply to crack open any old textbook but to take a good look at what you need to know and what resources you have at hand.

Learn how to steal vocabulary, talk like a talento and whip kanji butt as language consultant and former ALT (1997-2000 Ehime) Will Jasprizza leads you through goal setting, motivation, strategies, techniques, technology tips and case studies using TV dramas, manga, DVDs, flashcard software, blogs, keitais, web radio and convenience stores.

Prologue
[Video: Good Learner, Bad Learner ]

Part 1: Principles to Learn By

1. Set Goals
A goal without a date of completion is just wishful thinking. Set short and long term goals eg by the end of this week = learn 50 new kanji, by the end of the year = pass Level 2 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. Have a daily plan, e.g. 5 words a day, use one phrase all day.

2. Make Japanese a part of your life
Find something you like doing and do it with Japanese people. martial arts, karaoke, fishing, soccer, reading  manga, taiko, tea ceremony, whatever.

3. Practice, practice, practice.
Speaking a language is a skill and skills develop the more you do them.

4. Vocab, vocab,vocab
The more words you know the more you can say. Knowing how the words go together is important, but you have to know what the words are first! You can never know too many words.

5. Don’t be afraid to look like a fool
Make mistakes – better to open your mouth and be a fool for 5 minutes than keep it shut and be a fool forever. If you want to be shy you obviously don’t want to learn the language.

6. Be language hungry
Living in Japan is being in 24 hr shaberihodai, kikihodai, yomihodai, kakihodai language restaurant – so make the most of every moment and eat up!

7. Don’t compare yourself unfavourably with others
Recognise that there will always be people who are better at Japanese than you (eg Japanese people over the age of 5!) Take note of the achievements of others, and use them as yardsticks for your own progress but never get down simply because their Japanese is better than yours.

8. Language is what people SAY
Concentrate on the spoken word. You can get Japanese manga, novels and movies overseas, but the chance to hear Japanese spoken everyday is something you can only get in Japan, so treasure it and learn it.

9. Overlearn
Learning until you “just know it” isn’t enough. Overlearn until it becomes automatic

10. Don’t be too proud to say “I don’t know”
Especially when hanging out with people who don't speak Japanese as a first language – if someone uses a word and you don’t know it (“Anyone seen my Hello Kitty shitajiki?”) ask.

11. Have a good time
You learn more when you are having fun.

Part 2: Needs, Resources and Techniques.

A. Needs – stuff you want
-JETs have special needs as learners of Japanese
-Most of their needs concern day-to-day communication
-Predominantly listening/speaking, some reading and little writing
-Dealing with people – bosses, colleagues, lovers

I sent emails out to about 30 JET listservs and received about 40 replies. One of my queries was "What are your language needs as a JET?" The following are a few examples of replies I received.

“I can get by in nichijoukaiwa and email/memos pretty well, but I'd like to be able to make speeches and participate in work meetings.”

“Good enough so I can communicate with Japanese people in my home country. I personally don't care about the Proficiency test or what level I passed. If I can talk to someone and they understand what I'm saying and respond; I'm happy.”

“It's  my  goal to more effectively order non-squid pizza and pick up guys in bars.  Recently, I've been trying to call them back and arrange dates on the phone; if I could do that by the time I leave, I would be very happy.”

"Sometimes I want to bitch-out a person for being an ass-hole."

Resources – What you have
Most people think of resources in terms of textbooks. If you want textbooks there are lots out there and a quick review of Amazon reviews will let you know what people think of them. I want to focus on spoken Japanese and concentrate on the non-book resources, and sources of Japanese people generally never even consider as resources.

Resources A: People

Non-JTE Colleagues
Your JTE is stressed out enough already because of having to team teach with you. And you should speak to your JTE in English – you both need the practice. The other teachers probably want to talk to you but someone has to make the first move. PE teachers always seem to be up for a chat – I think this is because they treat language like sport – not everyone can pitch like Nomo, but we can all throw a ball. The bursar who sits in the office all day by himself is probably dying for the chance to earbash someone. Kocho Senseis are not normally so swamped with work that they can’t afford a few minutes here and there. The Kokugo teacher loves talking about Japanese – go for it!!

Neighbours
Probably already talking about you, and probably dying to talk with you too. Talk about putting the garbage out, how many centipedes you’ve had in your place this week and theorise about who is stealing your undies.

Kids
Don’t know too many big words. Know all the important words, eg those pertaining to eating, drinking, going to the toilet and playing. Patient, don’t care if you make mistakes and boundless conversational enthusiasm.

People handing out tissues
No one talks to them so they’re gagging for a good natter. Be fair and make sure you take a huge swag of tissues with you when you’re done.

Old people
Have time to talk (nothing else to do except gateball and pulling out in front of traffic). Have lots to talk about. Great sources of authentic dialect. Not only know enough about WWII to talk about it, but may actually have been in it.

Drunk People
Easy to approach. Not shy when it comes to talking about personal matters. Unusually frank.

Check-out chicks (Cash register operators)
Often ignored by customers. All they’ve been saying all day is “10,000 kara oazukarishimasu” so a spot of small talk is just the ticket.

Waitresses
Used to dealing with rude customers who just call out “Sumimasen!” so very receptive to polite chit chat. And the occasional bit of stirring. Be nice – if your jokes are falling flat, or the recipient is visibly nervous give them a break and cease.

Red light district workers
Again, their customers may not have provided them with the most scintillating conversation, and it must get boring standing in the street calling out “Massage wa dou desu ka”, so strike up a conversation. Japanese may be a second language for both of you, in which case you can talk about learning Japanese!

Mormons/Jehovahs witnesses
Think of them as free home delivered Japanese language lessons.

People who pick you up when you are hitchhiking
Anyone brave enough to pick up a hitchhiker is worth a chat. Learn how to talk about yourself and get places. The unspoken agreement is that a hitchhiker gets a lift in return for amusing conversation - there is nothing worse than a silent hitchhiker!

Taxi drivers
Be a sport and ask if the driver has had a busy day. Like hitchhiking except you are paying for the privilege.

Resources – B: Non-People Resources

Home
-Translate your bills
-Put post-it notes all over your house
-Stick kanji posters on the walls
-Put something on the back of the toilet door
-Learn the Japanese for all the wildlife in your house
-Read the labels on tins, bottle. Read the back of the cereal box at breakfast.
-Ask your neighbours for help with mail you don’t understand

School
-Translate the documents that get handed out in in the staffroom
-Learn all the kanji on the blackboard
-Go around the school and write down all the kanji for the various rooms
-Learn the school song
-Learn Kimi Ga Yo (you don't have to sing it though!!)
-Translate the event programmes eg undokai, sotsugyoushiki
-Get a list of all the teachers and learn to read the kanji for their names. If there are any unusual kanji remember them – great opening conversational gambit!
-Take your notebook to lunch. Let the kids look at it (make sure you have your dating Japanese in a separate notebook) and ask them to correct any mistakes, or supply the readings for unknown kanji, give the meanings for song lyrics
-Sit in on other classes and take notes as to what kind of language teachers use.
-Listen to how teachers answer the phone. When you reckon you can manage it you can answer the phone!
-Talk to the salespeople who come to the school.
-Pick an area for souji and get the kids to teach you the Japanese for all the things you do in souji (wipe the windows, sweep the floor, weed)

Computer
Use a Japanese computer. Or a computer with a Japanese OS. Or just change your system preferences to Japanese. (If you are fortunate enough to own a Mac you can just change the language preferences to Japanese). Grab your Wordtank and translate the menu items.

Software
Lots of commercial software and shareware. Try here for starters: http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/japanese.html#links_software

The web
(there is a heap of stuff online, and Google will guide you – I’ll just cover it briefly)
-Filesharing. Naturally I don’t condone the violation of copyright but public domain files are fine, and TV shows which still have the ads in them (and of course the ads themselves) are theoretically OK 
-Read blogs in Japanese (easy, conversational – close to speech) eg http://www.bitnex.net/~akemi/blog/,
http://naotakeblog.typepad.com/sottovoce/
-Write a blog in Japanese!
-Read websites in Japanese (www.rikai.com will help you!)
-Use on of the myriad websites for learning Japanese (start with Jim Breen, the internet Japanese guru - http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/japanese.html)
-Check out the forums where people discuss Japanese learning. Big Daikon has a forum called “Posts in Kana and Kanji”. JapanNewbie.com has a similar BBS.

DVDs
-Japanese movies – watch them again and again. Watch once without subtitles, then once with, then again without. (If they exist) Turn on the Japanese subtitles for reading practice, but be aware that the dialog and subtitles are usually slightly different.
-Western movies. Find a movie you love which has memorable dialogue (eg Star Wars – the original and best IV, V and VI, not the crappy new Episode I and II,  Aliens, Swingers etc) and watch it in Japanese. Then watch it in English with Japanese subtitles for reading practice)
-Cartoons. Two words – South Park. If you want to be able to curse in Japanese, get the local version.

Keitai
-Set the language preference on your phone to Japanese. If you ever get stuck you can always switch back to English.
-Email your Japanese friends a lot. Cheaper than talking and you get to practice your reading skills, learn the sort of natural phrases people use and pick up a few kanji. You can always sweeten the deal by offering to do half the emails in English.
-Download a dictionary. Use it. Jim Breen has a free online one

Video camera
-Video yourself speaking Japanese, eg telling a story. See how bad you sound. Try again.
-Grab some Japanese friends, students or even teachers and enlist their help in making a situational Japanese video eg “My School”, “School lunch”

TV
-Mimic the accent of people on TV. Pick someone with a cool accent, say a newsreader, and try to sound like them.
-Pick a weekly drama and watch it. Tape it so you can re-watch it. Make note of some of the actors. Note new words. Note new usages of words you already know.
-Watch the NHK foreign language programmes – they use so much Japanese that they are perfect for Japanese language learners.
-Watch the news. If you read the news online you should have a grasp of what is going on and pick up the requisite Japanese vocab.
-Record just the audio from a TV show you have already watched, preferably something with a storyline, and listen to it on your MD player/Walkman/Discman/iPod

MP3 Players/iPods
Audiobooks, audio files ripped from TV, music – listen to Japanese 24/7!

Books
-Western books translated into Japanese like Harry Potter – you already know the story, so working things out is a lot easier.
-Kids books. Use the library of your local elementary school.

Manga
-Pick a subject area you like and armed with your wordtank go for it.
-Crayon Shinchan is mostly hiragana – lots of pics, little text. And funny.
-Detective Conan (Meitanten Conan) has furigana throughout

The street
-Sit at the counter of a bar or café rather than at a table. Talk to the person behind the counter.
-When you run into people use the weather gambit. Easiest one in the world. In summer just say “atsui desu ne!”, in winter “samui desu ne”. This tells the other person that (a) you have mastered the Japanese language and (b) you are up for a chat, and once you have dissected the weather you can go on to discuss important issue like nationality, the size of your shoes, and how often you drink. The weather gambit is also thoughtful in that it gives the other person an out – if they are busy/unhelpful/scared they can say “sou desu ne” and take off.
-Be a regular. Say hi to the shop clerks/owner. As them if they have been busy! Or ask them how business is.
-Don’t have your bills deducted directly from your account – go to each place and pay in person.

Convenience stores
-Pick a phrase and practice it every time you go into Lawson (because Lawson is the best ) For example, to NOT get a plastic bag: sonna mama ii desu yo
-don’t look at the register to see the amount. Listen for it. If you don’t get it, ask again. Just don’t look at the till display!
-Count out the money as you pay it over

Part 3: Techniques

1. Carry a notebook at all times.
Write in it all the time. New words. Things you want to say but can’t yet. People’s names. Kanji. Always write the date and the location so you give context to your memos.

2. Mnemonics.
They work. If “doughy moustache” helps you remember “Dou itashimashite” then use it. Whatever works. If you don’t like them that’s fine too, but try them first.

3. Where appropriate, use your L1.
As an adult you already know one language, so it makes sense to use that language if it can help you learn another. OK, English/Japanese cognates are rare on the ground, but katakana-ise nearly any English word and it will probably be understood (gasorin, aipoddo, Makku, Rodo obu za Ringu). Even directly translating works sometimes – I bet you could remember all the prefectures if you translated them into English (Northern Sea Road, Blue Forest, Autumn Rice Field, Love Princess)

4. Memory systems
Learn a simple memory system like the number peg system for storing new words in your short term memory (again, Google will guide the way)

5. Prepare for a situation
Look up the vocab for situations in advance, eg before a haircut review “not too short”

6. Prepare after a situation
After a situation in which you were bombarded with new vocab, look it up and be ready next time.

7. Talk to yourself
Can you describe what you do from the moment you get up to the moment you go to bed? Try talking to yourself in Japanese and find out where the holes in your knowledge lie (Me ga samete, okite, toire ni itte….ah – how do I say “I put up the seat”?)

8. Get a J-girl or J-boy (or both)
It is almost a cliché, but given the high levels of motivation which liking and caring about someone inspires this is the perfect situation in which to learn the nuances of the Japanese tongue. Just remember that boys may end up sounding effeminate, and girls may sound butch, so be aware of gender differences in language.

9. Make as many mistakes as possible
You’re going to make mistakes at some stage – why not get them out of the way early on. You’ll learn more, and faster, than people who hold back for fear of making an error.

10. Use spare moments
Carry flash cards (or your notebook, wordtank) and look at them at every chance. Standing in queues. Waiting for the bus. Sitting on the bus. During a school ceremony (but don’t get caught)

11. Get a teacher
A lesson once a week goes a long way. Tell the teacher what you need to know (casual conversation, formal telephone manner etc) and practice it. And then use what you have learnt during the rest of the week.

12. Have a standard joke/phrase and use it often.
Try “noru nara, nomu na, nomu nara noru na” (if you drive, don’t drink, if you drink don’t drive). Sounds funny and will garner a smile and impressed look every time.

13. Have a daily word
Pick a word and use it as many times as you can during the day. Pick a word which is common to incorporate in this approach, eg yappari, toriaezu, rather than tachishonben

14. Keep a diary in Japanese
Even if it it just in hiragana. Or Maybe start in English but put some words in kana/kanji. Hard work at first, but soon you will be writing fluently because you are writing about someone you love – you! Get a friend to look over the diary and make notes/corrections. Of course, be careful what you write.

15. Carry a Wordtank at all times
Enter new words. Save them in the memory. Review at leisure.

Appendix
Heisig and Remembering the Kanji

I’m only going to do a short piece on kanji.

My personal view is that kanji are fun. But I also think they can be little bastards, especially the ones that look similar. Learning to write kanji is the foreign student’s greatest obstacle to literacy in Japanese. Most people try to imitate the order in which school kids learn kanji, but unfortunately you haven’t been speaking Japanese for 6 years like they have. Non-Japanese learners of Japanese are starting way behind the eight ball – we don’t even know the words the kanji represent. We have to learn the meaning, pronunciations and orthography. To make it harder, the Japanese school method lacks systematization – no rules – just rote learning and writing out the kanji hundreds of times.

Enter the Heisig Method.

James Heisig is a professor at Nanzan University in Nagoya. He came to Japan in the seventies, enrolled in a language school but failed to attend classes, rather he taught himself the 2000 odd Joyo kanji in 4 weeks, much to the disbelief and consternation of everyone else at the school. He converted his notes into book form: Remembering the Kanji: A complete course on how not to forget the Meaning and Writing of Japanese Characters

Heisig breaks kanji into component “primitives”, bits even smaller than the kanji radicals, each with an allocated meaning. He then allocates each kanji a single keyword, reflecting its meaning. The final step is to use one’s imaginative memory – you are creating a bank of images created purely in the mind – to make up story for each kanji, incorporating the keyword meaning and the primitive meanings.

Most kanji learners have created stories as a form of mneumonic device. The genius of Heisig is his systemization of all 2000 Joyo kanji via these stories, which reinforce each other, and make it possible to recall and write all the kanji from memory.

You won’t learn to read the kanji – that is not the objective of the book (see Volume 2) but if you take the time to do the Heisig book you will be able write 2000 kanji, and know what they mean. Not a bad start.

A review from KanjiClinic:

Comments

[Marc Nyhan]

Hi Will,

I was at the conference last week but I missed your presentation as I was completely intoxicated at the time. I really wanted to attend it because it's a struggle learning Japanese and you got rave reviews from my mates who did attend.

I've just had a look at your "Pera Pera.." notes and they look damn good.

ありがとう

Marc (Wakayama jet)