Foreign Language Tricks: Being aware of tone and nuance (and being humble)
Some thoughts on being aware of what we don’t know as language learners, and acting accordingly in a way to get along well with others.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Japanese Grammar and More: Episode 15 (Let’s learn about ‘you’)
In this episode of my podcast for learning basic Japanese grammar, I go over the word “you” that is commonly used to compare one thing to another. I also go over a useful expression for making a wish.
The Japanese piano adventure continues: A Yamaha damaged, a Yamaha bought
This is my detailed writeup of my journey finding a new piano to replace my old damaged Yamaha baby grand.
The challenges of applying Ki Aikido principles in daily life
Some thoughts on how you can apply principles learned in Ki Aikido in your daily life.
Japanese audiobook review: “Lecture on Removing Ki Blockages” by Shin’ichi Tohei
Ki-Aikido is a martial art that focuses on learning to control your mind and body in order to perform at your best, whether it’s doing a technique in the dojo or undertaking some action in your daily life. I’ve been training in this for quite a while now and have written a few articles on… Read More »
Japanese Bilingual Reader Release: “Kantan! Read Japanese Stories Like a Native (Volume 3)”
I’m happy to announce Arigatai Books’ latest release: a bilingual reader featuring a story by Hayashi Fumiko, an important woman Japanese author.
The Power of Relaxation Off and On the Mat (discussions on Ki-Aikido)
“Just relax!” You’ve probably heard this phrase used before, often in situations when someone is stressed out or panicking due to stress or other factors. Or they may be overreacting about something that is in reality not a big deal. Just taking a few breaths can make a huge difference in our mood and outlook,… Read More »
Japanese Literature Audio Narration: “Bitter Honey”
A few months ago I published Bitter Honey, a weird and surreal piece of Japanese literature about a magical goldfish who sometimes appears in the form of a teenage girl. (Note: the story is published in both English and parallel English /Japanese for Japanese learners.) As it was a fun story to translate I thought… Read More »
Japanese Grammar and More: Episode 14 (The potential tense)
In this episode of my podcast for learning basic Japanese grammar, I go over the potential form and a few related conjugations. I also go over a casual way of asking “Really?”
Portland Japanese Garden 2024: photo album
I visited the Portland Japanese Garden in April 2024 for the first time in quite awhile, where I was treated to its many beautiful views, further enhanced due to the light drizzle that made the colors that much brighter. I took a handful of pictures so I thought I would share some of them here… Read More »