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My Japanese Book Collection

I have books. I have piles and piles of books on almost every conceivable topic. They are overflowing my bookshelves, occupying a futon, and basically just making a wonderful mess in my house. So I bought a bookcase with manga sized shelves. These are most of my Japanese books. I have been collecting Japanese manga. Etc, over a period of a few years now, and this is the result. Books, books, and more books. Maybe someday I’ll even read most of them. Wonder what I’ll do when this bookcase starts… Read More »My Japanese Book Collection

Japanese Books I Bought Today

So today I went to Half Price Books, and I bought some Japanese language books.  Let’s take a look at what I found. I spent less than $100 on everything you see. First, I found some dictionaries. I like dictionaries. I’m not sure why, as I can find everything I need online, but these are in good condition, so I thought why not add them to my collection. It’s also why I didn’t feel too badly snarling them – the online dictionaries are available to everyone else too, so it’s… Read More »Japanese Books I Bought Today

Is Japanese a Waste of Time?

A couple of days ago, I got a pretty sweet invitation.  It’s the opportunity to go to Japan in a year or so, with a group.  The chance also possibly (depending on the ticket lottery) involves the chance to see the 2020 Olympics. It is pretty much the chance of a lifetime.  I would have a chance to use the Japanese I’ve been working really hard on learning.  Maybe I’d even like it there… … and I declined.  I’m not going. The honest truth is, I have no expectation whatsoever… Read More »Is Japanese a Waste of Time?

The Shallowness of Exported Japanese Culture

A recurring theme of this site is my continued wonder at why I’m bothering to learn Japanese at all.  I mean, it is an interesting language, it’s difficult, it’s a challenge.  All these things are true.  But at the end of the day, as a gaikokujin, I find that my reasons for learning the language are really, at the end of the day, somewhat puzzling. What I mean is this:  after learning Japanese, I’ll have the following abilities:  I’ll be able to read manga in its native language (yay!).  I’ll be… Read More »The Shallowness of Exported Japanese Culture