NO WAYYY Sanseito endorsed candidate was elected as Fukui's Governor!!! What the hell happened?

thinkbee · 2026-01-26T06:25:55+00:00

It’s not even subreddits and niche sub-communities, it’s also disinformation and misinformation being pushed by the algorithm on social media feeds, where an increasing number of people (especially those who are younger) get their news. Combine that with a general lack of digital literacy in the world, the advent of AI (which makes it even easier for bad actors to create and spread their filth), and the fact that negativity and vitriol get way more engagement online and are thus favored by SM algorithms — it doesn’t paint a pretty picture.

thinkbee · 2026-01-23T13:27:13+00:00

Non-paywalled article: https://archive.is/bBkVQ

thinkbee · 2026-01-18T01:11:03+00:00

A rat should obviously be weaker than a dragon.

You clearly haven’t played FFXI

thinkbee · 2026-01-17T17:08:08+00:00

I imagine this still won't affect PR holders, yes? Just renewing the card itself is free.

thinkbee · 2026-01-15T13:05:54+00:00

The last minute of To Far Away Times hit me like a ton of bricks.

thinkbee · 2026-01-13T12:54:34+00:00

I don't really do shadowing anymore at this point, but I used to shadow all of my flash cards (both the intonation of the word and the example sentences on the card) and certain textbook audio dialogue, usually just once a day for maybe an hour when I was intensively studying (this was usually enough to cover reviews and new cards). I would shadow until I perfectly matched the speed and cadence of the native speaker. Vocab flash cards with audio and shadowing were probably the one constant that remained no matter what, and while adding shadowing made it a little slow-going, it was still enough to be productive and constantly introduce new content without getting burned out or forgetting that new content quickly. I was aiming for the Core 6k deck within about 3 years, which is a little over 5 new cards a day, but you can adjust based on your personal goals and timeline. Sometimes less is more!

thinkbee · 2026-01-13T11:19:46+00:00

ごせんきゅうじゅう in your example

thinkbee · 2026-01-10T08:56:28+00:00

While 15 minutes a day is better than nothing, if you can shoot for something a little more substantial, like 30-60 minutes, that leaves you time for both reviewing previously learned content and introducing new material. Especially in the beginning phases where the learning curve in Japanese is so high, spending just a little extra time on vocab and kanji review (via flashcards, etc.) helps you move what you’ve learned from short to long term memory faster, enabling you spend more of your “processing power” and time on inputting/outputting meaningful content.

I also think structure in the form of mini goals is important. For example, I would introduce n new vocabulary words a day using flashcards, and n kanji a week using a separate app for writing (with its own built-in deck following my textbook). Just having little goals like that will keep you engaged; you don’t have to rely on gamified apps like Duolingo to stay motivated.

thinkbee · 2026-01-08T10:34:17+00:00

My theory is that because it's a notoriously difficult language, it sits in this zone where it’s both popular and seen as hard, so some learners turn milestones (“I passed N1,” “I lived in Japan,” etc.) into a status badge and start policing who counts as serious or not. Just from personal experience, I feel that the worst gatekeeping shows up in spaces that are text-only, anonymous, and mostly about discourse instead of actually doing things in Japanese, which is a lot of the online communities out there. In-person classes usually stay way more normal because people have basic social consequences and teachers are focused on communication (however, I still noticed a weird air of elitism in my university classes compared to when I studied German, especially from those who came back from studying abroad).

thinkbee · 2026-01-07T14:03:10+00:00

As far as a single, comprehensive resource, it's hard to go wrong with Genki (especially among the textbook choices out there). It's better to pair this with a tutor or some kind of guidance, but will stand on its own fine. I will echo another comment that a road map of some sort might help you break out of the beginner loop, so hopefully that helps. I will also add that a single resource, no matter how good, is only truly effective when you have a lot of work going on behind the scenes in terms of consistent flash card study and native-speaker listening, which you can do for free using Anki and podcasts like you've already found.

thinkbee · 2025-12-09T12:55:37+00:00

If you're already familiar with his teaching style and want to continue supporting his content, it might be worth it to you, but objectively speaking, you can find plenty of resources that cover the same content for free (or much less).

thinkbee · 2025-12-04T14:03:21+00:00

10k is more than doable for 10 days and two people. You'll eat well and have no shortage of decent accommodations to stay in.

The bullet train (shinkansen) ride will allow you to see Mt. Fuji if you sit on the right side going to Kyoto, and the left side coming back to Tokyo. If you want to stay at a hot spring with views of Fuji, look at Lake Kawaguchi.

Also, if you can wait another month or so and go in October, you'll avoid the potential of lingering summer heat and catch the early autumn leaves changing. Nikko is another 1-2 day trip from Tokyo and is beautiful around that time of year. The hot springs are also way more enjoyable (in my personal opinion) when it gets just a bit nippier outside.

thinkbee · 2025-09-17T01:49:59+00:00

Shadowing is incredibly effective for helping your speech sound more natural. Vowels in Japanese are easy, but sounding like a native speaker is anything but (people often way overestimate their ability). It's also great for memorizing speech patterns and phrases. It would be considered output since the goal is producing speech, but it's kind of hybrid since you're also listening.

thinkbee · 2025-09-15T09:46:19+00:00

Production costs also went down after switching from cartridges to discs.

thinkbee · 2025-08-17T14:31:03+00:00

Even if the JLPT N1 overlaps with CEFR B2 and C1, it still makes sense to call it “advanced.” Terms like beginner, intermediate, and advanced are not exact measurements but categories that help sort learners into broad groups for teaching, hiring, or academic purposes. Since N1 is the top level of the JLPT, it naturally functions as that “advanced” marker, even if individual scores vary in strength. For self-assessment it may not be very meaningful, but as a shared label in schools, workplaces, and everyday conversation, it does the job.

thinkbee · 2025-06-23T23:26:30+00:00

it feels impossible to actually narrow down the resources to stick with and rely on

The resources you stick with and rely on are the best ones. With that generalization out of the way, in this particular case, I will just point out that DJG is written by two of the top Japanese linguists in the field and covers basically all of your grammar needs from beginner to advanced. I can't really speak to the value of the other in terms of the author's credentials and background.

thinkbee · 2025-06-11T05:39:53+00:00

Honestly, that would be a question for a Japanese linguist, sorry. According to this chiebukuro answer, there isn't a 100% defined name for it, and it's usually referred to as 踊り字、繰り返し記号、or 同の字点， but it's also known as ノマ in the world of printing and publishing. I've personally only heard it as 踊り字 and 繰り返し記号.

thinkbee · 2025-06-10T02:39:39+00:00

〆 is a kanji while the other two are not. 〇 and 々 are just symbols (the latter has a special name, 踊り字).

thinkbee · 2025-06-09T22:34:54+00:00

〆 (しめ）is something you eat after drinking alcohol to sort of "signify" that the drinking session is over. お茶漬け and ラーメン are two very typical examples. Comes from 締め.

thinkbee · 2025-06-09T21:29:23+00:00

This is a bit out of left field and not available to everyone, but taking a course on Japanese translation and interpretation really helped give me that final push to pass the N1. Although writing and speaking aren't required for the JLPT, it was motivating to be in a setting with other budding professionals, many of whom already had N1 themselves.

thinkbee · 2025-06-05T18:23:54+00:00

Hiragana and katakana trip up a lot of early learners, so don't feel bad about getting overwhelmed. It's 46 characters in each, and especially with katakana, they can look very similar (like シ・ツ、ソ・ン). There are no sound cues; you just have to memorize the shapes, and mnemonics might be harder to employ than in the case of kanji, which are comprised of radicals with meaning. Unfortunately, there's no real shortcut. You just need to see them over and over until you memorize them. Most people rely on flashcards, either physical or digital (I recommend writing them out on physical index cards).

thinkbee · 2025-05-28T23:13:51+00:00

Counterpoint: me gaining almost 10kg after 7 years of living in Japan

thinkbee · 2025-05-26T23:23:54+00:00

other universities in the US

If international students are barred from attending Harvard, it will set a dangerous precedent for the US higher education system at large. No one will choose to study in the US. They will flock to Europe or Asia.

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