I have no idea what people are using in the U.S. to message each other these days. The last I heard, people were using “WhatsApp” to message each other instead of paying fees for text messaging. For those that don’t live in Japan, you may not be familiar with the most popular messaging app that almost everyone with a smartphone uses: The popular messaging app LINE. It launched in Japan in 2011 and by 2013, it had already gained 200 MILLION users. That’s incredible growth. If you want to message people from Japan and want to know where you can find them, they’re all probably on the LINE app.
Bryan
Recent anime recommendations
There are so many new releases of anime that come and go every year, that it’s easy to miss the gems. I thought about the various shows I’ve watched in the past two years and which ones I enjoyed the most. These may not be to your taste, but I’m going to talk about three anime series that I think are generally enjoyable to watch. My recent anime recommendations!
A guide to switching to a Japanese MVNO
If you live in Japan, you might be paying too much for a Japanese cell phone contract. I recently switched to a Japanese MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) and couldn’t believe the difference in my monthly bill. What if I told you that your monthly bill could go from 4000-5000 yen ($40-$50) to something around 1600 yen ($16)? That’s some major savings. I’m going to talk about the current major carriers, the differences, and how to switch to an MVNO.
Kanzen Master Series Review (新完全マスター) Level up your Japanese
Let’s talk about the Kanzen Master series. It’s well known for getting you ready for the JLPT, but is it really worth the hype? Let’s find out.
Rental Stores in Japan: Still Alive
Renting movies from a store is a pastime that has died out in the U.S. Why are rental stores in Japan still alive and kicking? A lot of it has to do with consumer culture, and the way that rental stores manage their stores.
Sure, people in the U.S. have it pretty good now. So many movies and TV shows are now available on demand through services such as Netflix, Hulu, and more. What if I told you that most people in Japan still go to rental stores to rent and return movies?
Ima Ai ni Yukimasu (Be with you) Review
One of my all-time favorite Japanese movies is “Be with you” or [いま、会いにゆきます] (ima ai ni yukimasu) in Japanese. It’s a heartwarming love story that came out in 2004 and, unfortunately, isn’t widely recognized outside of Japan, China, and Korea. In my opinion, it’s a hidden gem of Japanese cinema that’s definitely worth watching.
itasha 痛車: Embarrassing Cars in Japan
Japan has a unique and varied car industry. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t find weird cars in Japan. There’s a word in Japanese called “痛車” (itasha) which is the combination of “pain” and “car” to equal “painful car”.
The car itself isn’t painful, but it is painful to look at or makes you cringe in embarrassment. Personally, out of all the things people do to stand out to make their car attract attention, I don’t really mind this compared to people who play their music too loud. Regardless, let’s see what’s the deal with these “itasha” cars.
Japanese Graded Readers Review: Enjoy reading more
Let’s face it, textbooks about people named Mary or Takeshi are boring. Most people will get bored learning from the same resource, especially with reading practice. Reading is not always fun, especially with dry textbooks. That’s why I want to talk about Japanese Graded Readers and why they are a fun, refreshing way to practice Japanese reading.
My Sega Dreamcast Retrospective
This is my Dreamcast Retrospective where I remember the system itself and the games released for it. I first heard about the Dreamcast when it was first announced for Japan by reading gaming news sites in 1998. At the time, Sega’s official site was bare, with only an online forum where people could post and meet other Sega fans. I signed up in 1998 and read threads of people saying how fantastic the Dreamcast would be and everyone couldn’t wait for the US release.
JLPT July 2015 Results
The results for the JLPT July 2015 have been announced online. I took the N1 in December 2014 and July 2015. Long story short, I didn’t pass. However, I didn’t miss passing by too much, so let’s look at my score compared to the previous test and see how I improved and what I need to do for the future.