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Q/A and advice for 2012/Future VCE Japanese Students

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sheepgomoo:
^ there are some that arent especially expensive (compared to English anyway *cringe) and still be very effective with improving your jap. For example, my tutor was actually a uni student, and for me i found that their teaching style was effective for me. Of course, you might not be so lucky as to find one suited to your needs first time round, but in any case, generally, any tutor can set you off on the right track is what i think :)

And i might be going off by myself for saying this but I'm sure that jibba (hope you dont mind!) and other previous japanese students would be happy to help you with any problems via pm or otherwise :)

acciodraco:
Thanks Jibba and xoangelicc for your feedback. :D I'm going to return to my tutor, and next years it's a class of min 4 students, but is it better to have one-on-one tutoring?

I do hope it's not too late, because I feel like Japanese has to be a gradual thing, and I've already wasted so much time. I guess I do like Japanese, but at school it's just so :( The teacher is non-native, and literally teaches from the book. But as you said, I should probably watch Japanese shows and check out those other resources you both suggested.

Btw, I'm going to Japan for ten days in Dec for a holiday. It's not much, but is there anything I could do to somehow make it more worthwhile? 

Thank you

 

Fyrefly:

--- Quote from: acciodraco on November 10, 2012, 11:09:17 am ---Btw, I'm going to Japan for ten days in Dec for a holiday. It's not much, but is there anything I could do to somehow make it more worthwhile? 

--- End quote ---

It sounds ridiculously obvious, but actually engage and interact with Japanese people. If you're travelling in a group of English-speakers, it can be easy for you to just stick with your little group and close off outside interaction without even realising it. For people who have trouble with socialising, one of the easiest ways is probably for you to sit in your hotel or hostel common room in the evening by yourself, doing something that makes it obvious you speak Japanese, even if it's just flicking through a travel brochure or something. In truth, Japanese people love the chance to talk to foreigners, but they're deterred by the thought of an awkward language barrier. If they know you can speak Japanese, then the hard part is over; they'll likely look for the opportunity to talk to you, so make sure you create that opportunity - no headphones in ears, no looking completely engrossed in your activity of choice, etc. Don't talk about whaling or politics or religion. Do ask them about their hometown and their job.

sheepgomoo:
Also - notice your surroundings and see if you are interested in things like convenience stores and fast food restaurants, vending machines, etc. and take lots of photos! I'm not sure about the arrangements regarding how your school deals with detailed studies, but if you're very interested in general topics like those and are able to write a considerable amount, I'm pretty sure they'll let you do what you want :)

Your experience should definitely be worthwhile. I mean... it wont only help with your speaking and jap skills in general, you also get information for your detailed study and a topic to talk about for general convo! I think you're really really lucky and I'm actually super jealous of you at the moment :P

Its definitely not too late! If you enjoy jap and have the drive to do well you'll be fine. I pretty much was/am in the same boat: i felt that my jap class was redundant, because the teacher was teaching very slowly for the kids who couldn't keep up. It was only after getting a tutor that i really got into jap. And regarding the tutor; if you've had them before and didnt notice a big difference, I suggest finding a one-to-one tutor. It really depends on your learning style though. If its more effective for you to be in a group, then so be it. Good luck and have fun ^^

jibba:
To add onto what Fyrefly and xoangelicc said,

If you have the chance, I would recommend going to Osaka! The people on the street there are much more friendly than the people in Tokyo (my personal opinion). When I went to Osaka, people on the street would come to talk to us, try their best to speak English when the conversation got stuck and were really friendly. In Tokyo, especially the city areas like Shinjuku, people seem to be too busy with their own lives. But that just depends on who you happen to bump into xD. Definitely recommend going to Youth Hostels common rooms like Fyrefly said. Japanese university students regularly come to youth hostels to practice their English and talk to foreigners in Japanese (if they can speak it).

Eat a lot of Japanese food and try speak as much Japanese as possible! 

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