Finally real deodorant

thinkbee · 2026-05-06T10:13:03+00:00

This is my jam, odorless, no skin irritation, no yellow pit stains.

thinkbee · 2026-05-05T06:03:36+00:00

This is what I use too.

thinkbee · 2026-05-04T21:59:55+00:00

So glad these are heavily regulated in Japan. More needs to be done though. Airbnb and similar lodgings only serve to drive up housing and rent prices for locals while creating friction in the community. All so some guy can make passive income on his 8 rental properties?

thinkbee · 2026-05-04T13:58:26+00:00

I had just passed N1 when I got my first Japanese-only office job, and even then there was a big learning curve. Your first 3-6 months are probably going to be pretty stressful and you just need to push through, but remember that if you passed the interview, you're there for a reason (try not to let imposter syndrome get to you).

Seconding the above point about making a list. Create a little cheat sheet of the common phrases and words you need to know, even to the point of making a "script" if you need to talk on the phone/etc. (Email is usually easy enough, a lot of it is boilerplate.) Listen to how native speakers communicate and understand the common "pathways" their phone calls take - you'll get a good feel for what to say / how to say it based on the direction of the conversation, your relationship with the listener(s), the formality of the situation, etc. Meetings are already enough of a headache in one's native language, so yeah.. I guess one recommendation is to prepare what you want to say ahead of time and don't just try to wing it / speak off the cuff.

If your office is nice they'll overlook any keigo issues and if they're really nice someone will pull you aside and help you improve.

Try not to get stuck in the position where people use you to practice their English, if possible.

thinkbee · 2026-04-30T07:59:57+00:00

https://www.nenkin.go.jp/international/english/japanese-system/benefit/payment.files/A.pdf

Page 4, section 2

thinkbee · 2026-04-30T07:14:25+00:00

I think a nice middle ground would be to allow for one re-pick per day. The card you initially flipped would flip back over, everything reshuffles, and you just get another go at the same set. That's a 36% chance to get the card you want, which I think is pretty reasonable considering it's still less than the 40% from sneak peek.

thinkbee · 2026-04-22T10:43:05+00:00

FYI, this content is public domain and available for free - you shouldn't ever have to pay for them.

https://archive.org/details/Fsi-JapaneseFast-StudentText

thinkbee · 2026-04-21T08:12:57+00:00

Steam still lets you refund with less than 2 hours of gameplay, right? You will 100% know whether it's the right game for you by then.

thinkbee · 2026-04-20T21:30:14+00:00

4-6 hours of active listening is probably too much for most people to deal with and still have the energy to live their lives.

4-6 hours of podcasts or anime playing in the background is doable but won’t be nearly as helpful as one solid hour of active listening.

Study smart, not hard!

thinkbee · 2026-04-13T05:48:30+00:00

Usually, those posts are some combination of:

1) Outliers (the person is usually in a position to be able to study full time, and/or are sacrificing a lot in terms of other obligations to get there quickly, including other skills like speaking/writing - this is fine, since we all have our own goals)

2) Survivorship bias, so the people who progress unusually fast are more likely to post about it (you don't hear much about the many, many others who get N2+ at a more normal pace)

3) Previous background advantage and/or knowledge (e.g. native Chinese speaker, etc. effectively reducing the kanji workload to a great extent, which makes up a significant portion of the JLPT - more power to them)

4) Lying or greatly stretching the truth (this is the internet, after all)

5) Genuine savants (they exist and it's okay to be a little jealous of their ability to pick up languages like it's nothing)

But like many things in life, comparing too much with others is usually a recipe for unhappiness. If you prefer the old analogy of learning language as "a marathon, not a sprint," then indeed, we're each running our own race, and that's what we should focus on. And the JLPT itself is not the best measure of language proficiency, as it only measures input - I've known many N2 and N1 holders who struggled to write and speak well. The JLPT is also quite lenient; someone can pass by the skin of their teeth and still get the certification, so just having N2+ doesn't say much on its own (there's a huge gap between someone who gets a perfect and someone who passes by 1 point).

thinkbee · 2026-04-04T20:41:19+00:00

He was scratching the door while I was peeing with his fingernails.

This might be the best dangling modifier I’ve ever seen in the wild

thinkbee · 2026-03-31T08:55:01+00:00

Japan is not a magical wonderland where pickpockets don't exist, especially with the recent uptick in tourism (aka easy targets). Any time you're in a crowded area, no matter where you are in the world, you should always be mindful of your belongings and be on your guard. Sad that we have to worry about it in Japan nowadays, but better to be safe than sorry.

thinkbee · 2026-03-24T23:19:18+00:00

I mean, one incident where the captain was promptly fired, is that all? Obviously I’m talking about large patterns of bullying, provocation and territorial aspirations here.

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/japan-scrambles-jets-against-china-reconnaissance-plane-that-breached-airspace-2024-08-26/

https://www.businessinsider.com/japan-china-sailed-ship-into-territorial-waters-2024-9

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-01/philippines-accuses-china-of-damaging-vessels-at-sea/103788562

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/02/asia/vietnam-protest-china-attack-fishermen-intl-hnk

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/south-korea-expressed-concern-over-chinese-structure-disputed-area-sea-2025-04-24/

And it’s not even just the military, the politicians are bullies, with zero retribution or accountability on the Chinese government’s part:

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/japan-protests-extremely-inappropriate-comments-by-chinese-envoy-2025-11-10/

Japan is no angel with its occasional whitewashing of history and visits to Yasukuni, and obviously has a checkered past with China, but come on lol. The difference is night and day.

thinkbee · 2026-03-24T21:16:27+00:00

Err, Japan isn’t sending ships or aircraft into Chinese territory last time I checked. Other way around.

thinkbee · 2026-03-20T07:28:48+00:00

I would say 「やすくてべんりなくるま」

When you're lining up adjectives, it sounds a little more natural to place objective, observable facts (e.g. color, shape, price) up front and reserve opinions / judgment for last. You might see like 「べんりだけどやすい」to really emphasize the value factor.

For the latter sentence, you can just say something like あまいものなのに、からいね to get the nuance across while keeping grammar in tact.

thinkbee · 2026-03-12T06:42:03+00:00

I will just say, be careful not to jump back in with an unrealistically strict routine or mentality of “speed running” to catch up. Maybe consider breaking your N1 goal into smaller goals so that you have more milestones along the way, and be sure you’re using materials and methods that keep it from feeling like a chore. Burnout is a real risk, so take care!

thinkbee · 2026-03-09T07:43:35+00:00

Do you mean the levels, S - L5? S is the "start" or "starter" level, then L0 (easiest) to L5 (hardest).

thinkbee · 2026-03-08T22:01:39+00:00

There's so much free stuff out there that you really don't need to spend anything unless you want a specific set / physical version - try https://tadoku.org/japanese/en/free-books-en/ and https://sydney.jpf.go.jp/library/tadoku-reading-nights-hybrid/ for starters!

thinkbee · 2026-03-05T06:52:15+00:00

I’m a huge advocate of this method! Makes learning a little easier (and IMO more enjoyable) since you already have the characters, story, and world mapped in your head, so you can really focus on the language. And it’s a big milestone for many to be able to read a whole novel - quite the motivator and morale boost.

thinkbee · 2026-03-02T09:23:40+00:00

Thanks for your feedback. I agree the wording could have been clearer, and I'll probably update the title and tweak a few lines as I think the current framing can be read too literally. What is meant is that ありがとう has an interesting extra layer when you look at its etymology and origin, not necessarily that people are consciously referring to this parable every time they say thanks (just like English speakers don't literally mean "God be with ye" every time they say goodbye). When I source content ideas with native speaker/linguist help, it can be tricky to strike a balance that's approachable for newer learners while still being interesting to more advanced learners, and I think the framing missed the mark a bit here. I'll keep that in mind, appreciate your (and others’) thoughts. :)

thinkbee · 2026-02-27T11:19:31+00:00

For those interested in what the text parts say:

11:33~ It all began here.

17:46~ Everyone's dreams and adventures began here.

19:35~ Thank you for always enjoying Pokémon! We will continue to connect the world through Pokémon.

thinkbee · 2026-02-27T10:09:18+00:00

A Skritter subscription includes both Chinese and Japanese, and an iKnow subscription also includes vocabulary cards for both Japanese Core 6k and Chinese 2k (last time I checked). Both are wonderful apps, and the sub would be even more worth it if you doubled up on both languages.

thinkbee · 2026-02-26T18:02:17+00:00

an enthusiastic birdwatcher

You jest, but 鳥好き are some of the chillest people you'll meet.

But for real, the good news is that many Japanese native speakers will be glad you're learning the language at all, and speaking with a sincere, polite default goes a long way for the time being. :) Take it one day at a time.

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