日本語会話: The Japanese Conversation Thread

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

<snip>+ So many "portable hikikomori" - especially on trains where lots of people are just insulated in their own tiny worlds of their mobile phones. No eye contact or anything! The Japanese have always been recluse, but I think mobile phones kinda make it worse because it means they have an "excuse" not to interact with people sitting next to them (too busy interacting with people online!).<snip>

Yeah, there really are a lot of them aren't there? It makes me kinda sad, for all the good technology has done for Japan it's done quite a bit of harm too.

On a less of a downer note, I had a nomikai with the first-year teachers for my area on Friday, and managed to sort of hold a (really basic) conversation for ages, including teaching one of the other ALTs how to do a basic jikou shoukai (however it's Romanised) and doing the same for the new Japanese teachers in English. Benkyou Suru pays off!

[GoktimusPrime]

Just realised that exactly 15 years ago from yesterday was when I first went to live/study in Japan! Although I arrived at night and all I did was go from the airport to my apartment, unpacked a bit - switched on the TV (Crocodile Dundee dubbed in Japanese, I kid you not!), then went to sleep. So really 15 years go today was my first real full day in Japan... wandering around barely speaking a word of the language. I remember poking my head into one small restaurant and the woman working there said 「いらっしゃいませ」 and something else... I don't remember since I couldn't understand her at the time. I freaked out and ran away!

[GoktimusPrime]

Fist of the North Star (北斗の拳) LOL

[GoktimusPrime]

My Japanese word for this week: 水疱瘡 「みずぼうそう」 CHICKEN POX!

My daughter has it.
(and yes, she's up to date with her vaccines but she still got it anyway)

[Firestorm]

My Japanese word for this week: 水疱瘡 「みずぼうそう」 CHICKEN POX!

My daughter has it.
(and yes, she's up to date with her vaccines but she still got it anyway)

Mizubousou = chicken pox? weird

sorry to hear that Goki-senpai, but it's better she gets it as a kid rather than an adult right?

[GoktimusPrime]

It's okay, she got over it a few days ago. Currently her favourite word is もっと！

e.g.
Having a bath...
「お風呂終わった？」
「もっと！」
On Saturday we had lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant, she finished her tea and showed us her empty cup...
「もっと！」
So I said 「母ちゃんきいて」 so she asked her mother.

My wife told me that today she saw an oak tree on TV and pointed at it and said 「どんぐり！」 Someone's been watching waaay too much Totoro. She now calls the big Totoro 「大きいトトロ」 and the little white one either 「Baby　トトロ」 or 「小さいトトロ」

[jena]

I really want to learn Japanese but nowhere where I live has any courses etc.