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Victor Ward
Bespoke gigolo
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 Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 3:42 pm Post subject: |
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At the Inter-University Center in Yokohama, we had to make a pledge at the beginning of the program that we would speak only Japanese while on the school premises. Everybody abided by it scrupulously.
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Richard
Supreme Allied Commander
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| Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 4:43 pm Post subject: |
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| yanpa wrote: |
| I should point out that I came to Japan through learning Japanese (rather than the other way round), so had a head start, but even then one thing I realized PDQ was that living in a dorm full of other gaijin out near the Tama river and attending Japanese classes at a well-known university with yet more, mainly English-speaking gaijin was only going to be of limited use in actually learning Japanese, so I instituted a programme of サボtting as many classes as legally possible, and managed to find a "job" "managing" a small "gaijin house" (about 40% occupied by J-trash though) much closer to civilization, a course of action which brought me into contact with many more real Japanese people and Japanese-speaking real life situations than would otherwise have happened. |
If you care to share, could you tell us how long you have been here? I am not engaging in the old saw, "I've been here longer that you have....  but am just really curious. Your posts are always interesting to read btw despite that "thing" on your head....heh-heh.......
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Richard
Supreme Allied Commander
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| Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 4:45 pm Post subject: |
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| Victor Ward wrote: |
| At the Inter-University Center in Yokohama, we had to make a pledge at the beginning of the program that we would speak only Japanese while on the school premises. Everybody abided by it scrupulously. |
My hat off to you Victor.....totally agree with your previous posts but then again I also agree that people make their own life choices and have their own reasons for making those choices.
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yanpa
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| Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 6:00 pm Post subject: |
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| Richard wrote: |
| yanpa wrote: |
| I should point out that I came to Japan through learning Japanese (rather than the other way round), so had a head start, but even then one thing I realized PDQ was that living in a dorm full of other gaijin out near the Tama river and attending Japanese classes at a well-known university with yet more, mainly English-speaking gaijin was only going to be of limited use in actually learning Japanese, so I instituted a programme of サボtting as many classes as legally possible, and managed to find a "job" "managing" a small "gaijin house" (about 40% occupied by J-trash though) much closer to civilization, a course of action which brought me into contact with many more real Japanese people and Japanese-speaking real life situations than would otherwise have happened. |
If you care to share, could you tell us how long you have been here? I am not engaging in the old saw, "I've been here longer that you have.... but am just really curious. Your posts are always interesting to read btw despite that "thing" on your head....heh-heh....... |
That "thing" on my head... you're a the foreign person, not to understand a unique Japanese culture.
Anyway, let's see... cumulative maybe 24... months. Dat's right, months. Reaching a point where for various reasons it might be a good idea to expose myself to the whole J-experience for longer (if nothing else just to get it out of my system), and Mrs. Yanpa is pining for the fjords of her native Tokyo. |
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Victor Ward
Bespoke gigolo
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| Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 11:12 am Post subject: |
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How many English teachers, particularly those who work in eikaiwa mills like NOVA, ever really learn Japanese well? My guess would be a very small minority.
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imlost
The Professor
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| Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 1:56 pm Post subject: |
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Very small I guess. I do know people here who have been Eikawa teachers for eons and ca only say Hello and Goodbye in Japanese.
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monkey
Great Sage Equal of Heaven
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| Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 4:11 pm Post subject: |
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I learn a lot more japanese when i have jobs that arent in eikaiwa or JHS.
I have said before though that my japanese is shit, but thats cause i dont actively study.
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imlost
The Professor
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| Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 11:24 am Post subject: |
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| monkey wrote: |
I learn a lot more japanese when i have jobs that arent in eikaiwa or JHS.
I have said before though that my japanese is shit, but thats cause i dont actively study. |
And we are also both Australian which makes us the laziest sons of bitches around! 
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Victor Ward
Bespoke gigolo
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| Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 3:25 pm Post subject: |
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Laziness was one of my main motivations for learning Japanese. I was too lazy to deal with the annoyances of illiteracy and an inability to communicate.
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monkey
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| Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 3:41 pm Post subject: |
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Being able to go to restaurant that doesnt have pictures on the menu would be nice 
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Victor Ward
Bespoke gigolo
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| Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 4:15 pm Post subject: |
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Believe me, it is!
Also, one of my mottoes is "So many women, so little time." I didn't want to be limited to only J-girls who spoke English. It's been a very successful strategy. 
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monkey
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| Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 4:17 pm Post subject: |
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Point taken, But i got one who acts as a personal menu reader for me. It probably costs me more than a full time translator would though? 
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Victor Ward
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Burly
Entrepreneur
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| Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2007 2:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Victor Ward wrote: |
Also, one of my mottoes is "So many women, so little time." I didn't want to be limited to only J-girls who spoke English. It's been a very successful strategy. |
You mean that you communicate with Japanese women!!??!! WOW!! I never even did it with native English speakers 
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yanpa
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| Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2007 3:32 am Post subject: |
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On my first longer sojourn in Japan, I put in a small ad in the the Tokyo Classified, together with my postal address (this was over a decade ago, before Internet and keitai really took off). It was in Japanese, and quite cleverly worded (if you'll allow me to be so immodest); and in the "looking for language exchange partners of unspecified gender" section, not the "Charisma Man looking for willing J-pussy" bit.
From that one ad, I got about 70 actual letters, 95% of them from girls.
Got me a whole lot of "language exchange partners"  |
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