Independent Japanese language study: Muzukashii, desu ne?

Though it pains me to admit it, I've fallen off the wagon with my independent Japanese study. I began the year with gusto by creating milestones and a study log check list. These are the milestones I set out to accomplish in my Japanese for Busy People book:

You can see that I've attempted to go through my Minna no Nihongo book several times since studying at the Calgary Japanese Language School:

I was really good for the first six weeks. I set out the goal to dedicate 10 - 30 minutes a day, five days a week to studying Japanese. Here's my log sheet:

Our little study group was difficult to maintain as those who came to the first two were all at very different levels in their Japanese studies. The majority of my classmates from last year either continued with CJLS, decided to study on their own or commit to another activity.

Things began to unravel after Thanksgiving. Life happened. New projects on tap. Studying became more sporadic.

Here we are in November. I will try again to get back on track. I already notice that my Japanese comprehension when watching anime or listening to music is slipping to catching a few words here and there, instead of actual phrases. Yadda!

I am hoping that it will be easier to follow my schedule once I resume my Iaido training after Christmas. Fingers crossed.

Do you have any study tips and ideas to share for studying Japanese (or any language) independently?

Learn Japanese Through Song

みな-さん ごめんなさい！This is a busy time of year for me, so my posts are going to be a bit sporadic for the next month. In my hunt to find various ways to maintain my Japanese language studies at home, I found these clips to help one learn Japanese through song. どうぞ!

Let's Learn Japanese has countless songs on Youtube to help you study Japanese:

Let's not forget one of my fave self-study sites: GenkiJapan.net. I blogged about them earlier this year in search of Sesame Street.

In Search of J-Blogs

A quick post today. Here is a list of some blogs that I've come across to help with studying Japanese:

All Japanese All the Time: The layout is a bit busy, but it's full of useful information.

Japanalicious: An active blog about Japanese Language, Culture and Travel.

Learn Japanese Blog: Lessons, characters, counters and more.

Lingualift Japanese: Check out the Top 100 Resources for Learning Japanese. Sugoi!

Wired in Japan: a blog about learning the Japanese language and the blogger's experiences living and studying in Japan.

Japanese Reading Practice with Children's Books

When learning a new language, it's important to try and apply what you've learned into daily living. Our Japanese Language school has a lending library.They are mainly children's books, but with our limited vocabulary, kids' books suit us just fine.

For a good laugh, check out みな うんち！It's the weirdest book I have ever read. The English translation is available on Amazon.

One of my classmates recommends the city library. I've also borrowed children's books in Japanese from the Calgary Japanese Community Association.

In the fall, I traveled to Vancouver, British Columbia. There, I visited Daiso Canada, a 100 yen store (or a "toonie" store for us Canucks). There were so many neat things, from kitchenware to slippers and from office supplies to books.

I picked up this puzzle book to work through. It's fun, however, the frustrating part is having to look up every second word!

While doing some spring cleaning, I found the puzzle book again. Guess what I'll be doing during my イースター の やすみ?

I had such a great time wandering the store. One of the staffers looked at me a little oddly when I held up a folder/book protector and asked "いくら です か？" It was before I realized that everything was approximately $2.

One of my friends just returned from a trip to New York City. One of her stops was Kinokuniya Bookstore. She picked up this book for me to practice my Japanese, along with some pamphlets:

Clickity-click, Barba Trick. Now, will I be able to read my Japanese kids' book without singing the Barbapapa Theme?

The Yasumi! Doushiyou? Wheel

In February, I was inspired by an episode of Minami-ke Taidaima to make an activity wheel to plan my long weekend. It was a fun way to study Japanese. This round, I decided to make one that can be used every time I have a break. It's simply called the "Yasumi! Doushiyou?" Wheel (or "Break! What should I do?")

How fitting that I make this as Minami-ke Taidaima wraps up. It's been a fun ride with the Minami sisters and their friends. Certainly, it was a nice mood lightener after watching some deeper shows such as Shinsekai Yoriand Zetsuen no Tempest.

Check out my To Do List for April Fools' Day. Suteki desu ne?