What makes a city a city? Is Tokyo a city? We look at some of the varying definitions and what constitutes a city in Japan. It might just surprise you to learn that Tokyo is actually not exactly a city – nor technically not the capital of Japan!
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In this episode, we will delve into the discipline of manga studies. Joining us on this journey, we have Rayne from the United States. A Master’s student in East Asian Studies at Stanford University.
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Learning a language as a non-native speaker is different from learning your native language. The learning process is different, the pacing is different, the type of vocabulary learned in what order is also different. A major problem (and deterrent) for learning a new language is how languages are taught. In the case of Japanese, learning resources and classrooms throughout the world will generally stick to learning Japanese from textbooks or other prepared materials. While these resources are helpful, often times they are used as the primary means to learning a new language. Furthermore, students who study languages within academia also will be exposed to learning a language through a linguistics perspective. While this isn’t necessarily a bad idea, an emphasis is placed on the technical aspects of the language.
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If you are new to studying Japanese, or have been studying the language for a short while, you might have come across the name Jim Breen at some point. Even if you don’t recognize the name right away, chances are you have seen this name before. Many Japanese-English dictionaries use the entries from the EDICT project. Most mobile Japanese-English dictionary apps such as Aedict, Imiwa (Formerly known as Kotoba) and JED (just to name a few) are all using the EDICT database.
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