Learning Japanese: What You Can Realistically Achieve
If you are anything like me, arriving in Japan with no previous immersion language experience, you are probably thinking that Saga prefecture presents an ideal situation in which to learn Japanese (an expectation that your family and friends have probably also expressed, including their parting farewell, "you’ll be fluent in no time"). Well, shit happens! Getting a good grasp on Japanese no matter how smart you are is really hard; just hearing it constantly is not going to set up you up to be able to understand it, speak it or read it without lots of regular practice and study (I thought I’d start with the bad news).
There are some mythic ALTs who came here with no Japanese and passed level 2 of the Japanese Proficiency Exam after two or three years. For most students of nihongo, finding native speakers who are patient enough to listen to and correct our fledgling efforts is the most difficult part of building good communication skills. Some places which have served previous ALTs well in their quest for conversation buddies and incidental learning opportunities include bars, churches, Buddhist lay organizations, selling Amway door-to-door and partaking in various recreational activities. The turning point in my language-learning motivation was finding some people who I would want as friends even if I were in my home country. They are out there, but finding them takes time and perseverance.
Be aware that what can sound like awesome Japanese being spoken by some longer term foreign residents may have all the nuance and flair of a native three year old’s conversation (I admit it). Informal Japanese learned in social situations is not the same as that spoken between colleagues in a work situation. Learning when and with whom to use different politeness levels is one of the big challenges of learning to speak good Japanese. To claim proficiency you need to be able to do this. It is also worth mentioning at this point that there is a tendency among some Japanese people to extravagantly praise the language ability of previous ALTs to incoming ALTs. The most kindly rationale for this is that they are trying to motivate you. Know that in actual fact, most likely your processor’s Japanese (unless they were already immediate/advanced speakers before they arrived) never came within the realm of fluency. Don’t let any stories of your predecessor’s supposed linguistic brilliance intimidate you.
For the purposes of setting your own goals, it might be helpful to know that CLAIR has apparently done research, which found that the ALTs who make the most gains in their Japanese study are those who arrive with immediate ability. On average, absolute beginners are well into their third year before the basics start to gel, while advanced students tend to fall into complacency because their Japanese is already good enough for them to be able to get around okay.
Starting as an absolute beginner, after three years here and regular study, I managed to learn most of the Joyo 1006 kanji that Japanese school children learn before they enter junior high school (in practical terms I can figure out the basic gist of most general reading material). My speaking ability is good enough that I can get around and have “daily conversations.” I am lost once the conversation turns to the philosophical. It is still quite possible for me not to be able to figure out what topic is under discussion in the staff room (this can be disconcerting when it includes gestures and eye movement in my direction — you learn to get used to it).
Where to start
Japanese Proficiency Exam (nihongo nouryoku shiken)
This is an internationally recognized exam, held annually throughout Japan in early December. You can buy the application form from any of the major bookshops in Fukuoka. Your application needs to be in by the end of September. Ask at the counter for the nihongo nouryoku shiken no moshikomusho onegaishimasu. If you are a total beginner but study consistently over the next five months, you should be able to pass level four (yon kyuu). The application form will cost around 500 yen; submitting the application in order to sit the exam will cost around 5000 yen.
Study material
Japanese study material, including the preparatory books for the proficiency exam, are stocked in Junkudo’s Tenjin book store around aisle 50 on level four. You can also buy books over the net from Amazon Japan. Even if you plan to use the correspondence course provided by CLAIR as your main textbook, you will need a few reference books. These would include, if you’re serious about learning kanji, the Compact Nelson Japanese-English Character Dictionary. You will also need a good grammar reference like Seiichi Makino & Michio Tsutsui’s A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar (yellow book) and A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar (pale green book).
I personally found the CLAIR language course frustrating because of it’s lack of clear explanation and tendency to move too fast without focusing on essential vocabulary for everyday situations. You may want to pick out another textbook to base your study around. Both the Japanese For Busy People and the Minna no Nihongo series have their loyal supporters. The Japanese Language Proficiency Exam preparation books are good for structuring study as well. Richard Graham (the guy who started Genki English) recommends the Pimsleur series set of tapes and gives his tips at Genki Japan.
Dictionaries
Unfortunately there are not many good dictionaries published for foreign students of Japanese. Kodansha’s Furigana English-Japanese/ Japanese-English Dictionary (an enlarged version of their romanji dictionary with hiragana script above the kanji) is probably your best option (especially as it has example sentences following most of its word entries).
No electronic dictionaries are made specifically for foreigners, although the Canon Wordtank series have a reputation for being somewhat foreigner user-friendly. From the point of view of portability, electronic dictionaries are good. They usually also have a history function, which enables you to look back over the words that you recently looked up. You can find a good English language comparison guide to electronic dictionaries at Wordtank Central.
You probably want to shop for electronic dictionaries around in Fukuoka (Best Denki and Yobahashi electronics shops would be good hunting grounds). I first bought the Casio XD-470, which enables you to write unknown kanji on it’s screen and look them up this way. It made understanding written Japanese a whole lot easier. I also finally broke down and bought a Canon Wordtank so that I wouldn’t have to lug the furigana dictionary around when I wanted to study at school.
If you don’t have some Japanese language background already you will need someone to step you through how to use these dictionaries. The Wordtank site above has a link that explains how to use one Wordtank model, otherwise see if you can get someone knowledgeable to go shopping with you.
Keitai
Once you know hiragana and katakana scripts (and some basic kanji), you are set to send and receive text messages in Japanese. Good fun!
Manga
Comic books are another good way of practicing your reading skills. Look out for the bilingual copies of Sazae san, Doraemon, Inuyasha, Kitaro no Ge Ge Ge, etc.
Kanji
In my first year, I was introduced to kanji through the same workbooks as those used by Japanese elementary school kids. If you ask your school librarian they can probably order these workbooks for you (there are three for each grade and they cost around 400 yen each). If you type "kanji" into Google, a whole lot of websites will come up with online learning aids. The Japanese Page is a site that I have found useful.
Otherwise, pick out a kanji workbook from those on sale at Junkudo. If this is your first introduction to kanji, you need someone to explain on/kun readings, stroke order, stroke number and the radical system to you. Things like grid paper for kanji practice, mechanical pencils, lead fillings, etc., can be bought in the stationary sections of most of the department stores.
Some people studying kanji really enjoy shodo, and others don’t. From the point of view of study, calligraphy is encouraged because it shows all the flaws in your writing form. If you buy a beginner’s shodo set (100 yen stores sell the essentials cheaply), the Japanese teachers at your school will be able to show you how to get started. There are also some English language books on calligraphy in the Japanese culture section at Junkudo. There are shodo classes offered through Avance as well.
Who can help you
When you have your week of Japanese lessons as a new JET in Saga City, the course instructors will probably mention the language classes held at Avance (Saga’s international center building). You can sign up for these. The cost is minimal and it’s a good opportunity to see other ALTs. On the other hand, the time in travel could probably be more productively used to study one-on-one with a local teacher of Japanese.
There are also some private language schools that offer intensive courses that coincide with Japanese school holidays. AJET often circulates information about these. One school in Okinawa offers courses specifically designed for ALTs.
Features of Saga-ben (hyogen, or local dialect)
The Japanese being spoken around you is often going to bear only a passing resemblance to the text book Japanese that you are learning. To assist your comprehension here are some examples of how central Saga-ben diverges from standard Japanese. The dialect also changes in form across Saga-ken.
| Standard Japanese | Saga-ben | English |
|---|---|---|
| sayounara | soiginta | goodbye |
| totemo | gabai | very |
| atsui | nuka | hot (weather) |
Often the “i” at the end of “i” adjectives is dropped and replaced with “ka”; for example, samui becomes samuka.
The textbook verses informal spoken Japanese
Probably the best book to help you get a handle on slang and informal Japanese is Making Out in Japanese by Todd and Erika Geers. Its probably best to avoid using most of the listed expressions until you understand enough Japanese to be able to grasp their nuance (most Japanese people are not as free and playful with their insults as English speakers). Nevertheless, this book can help you understand what is really going on in the school playground and on Japanese TV.
One final avenue I would suggest are the scripts of popular Hollywood films published with English and Japanese script side-by-side on the page (books of these sell for around 1200 yen at Junkudo). These are good study companions to the DVD of the movie (DVDs enable you to switch between languages as you watch).
Gambatte ne!