JapanScape

Camaro sells out in Japan

2009-08-19T07:49:00.000-07:00

Looks like the "American Revolution" is extending across the Pacific. Even though the Chevrolet Camaro has not even gone on sale yet in Japan the country has met its maximum amount of orders planned. 120 orders have been placed for the V6 and V8 versions of the pony car which will be available with a price from around $45,000 to $56,000.
It is interesting that the American straight line pony car would be so popular in a country all about drifting and flashy body kits (watch "Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift" for examples).
The Camaro has also been a big hit in the states and has outsold the Ford Mustang over the past few months. Something that hasn't been done since the beginning of the pony car era.
It will be fun to see what the kids in Japan will do with the iconic car.

Mazda MX-5 (miata) to shrink

2009-08-18T07:42:00.000-07:00

The Mazda Miata has never been a large car, but just as all car makes do as they age it has bloated a little. Mazda is planning on fixing that by promising to make the next version of the MX-5 smaller and lighter. There are also rumors that Mazda may also make aMX-2 in a few year that would be even smaller than the MX-5 Miata. Zoom Zoom! Here is a rendered speculation of what the new MX-5 may look like.

It look very good. I like the harder edges more than the happy and bubbly look of the current version seen below.To me the Miata has never been a girl car. It has always stood for handling and performance. I think it is a shame that society gives it the girlie-car title. Small size and light weight bring quick cornering and great handling to the table which is what Mazda's goal was in the first place. Something that muscle cars will never get since they only want to go in straight lines (don't get me wrong, that is fun too!). Compare it to a roller-coaster; would rather go fast in a straight line and then get off or would you rather go fast with a lot of zippy corners?

Japanese alphabet

2009-08-17T16:35:00.001-07:00

Vocabulary:
shima: island
michi: road, street

Before we go any further, we need to define what Japanese words are made of. Just like English, Japanese words are built from a defined alphabet of characters. Because we have not yet delved into Japanese characters, I am going to show the Japanese alphabet in Romanji form. Romanji is a representation of the Japanese characters written out phonetically, and is how we have been writing our Japanese words so far. We will add the actual Japanese characters in a future lesson. Here is the table of the Japanese Alphabet in Romanji form:

Remember that Japanese is most often read from top to bottom and then from right to left. So, when studying the table, start with 'a' then move on to 'i','u','e','o', and then move up and to the left to 'ka','ki','ku' and so forth. Just remember to follow the arrows and you should have no problem.

To add some life to the alphabet let's break up today's vocabulary words to show the individual character blocks. Se if you can find these blocks in the alphabet table above.

shima = shi-ma
michi = mi-chi

now let's do a longer word:

Hiroshima = Hi-ro-shi-ma

A great way to remember the alphabet is to repeat it over and over again. Because it rhymes, it does not take long to learn. Just repeat "a, i, u, e, o, ka, ki, ku, ke, ko" and so forth. Remember the pronunciation guide in a previous lesson to make sure you are pronouncing these characters correctly.

In a future lesson, we will add simple extensions to the Japanese alphabet to give us more power with vocabulary.

official pics of the 2009 370Z revealed

2008-10-29T07:59:00.000-07:00

Nissan finally revealed full high quality pics of the 2009 370Z. It will be be 100% revealed with specs at the L.A. Auto show. We can expect from the name 370Z that it will have the same engine as the Infiniti G37 (maybe modified) with over 330 horsepower.
I think it looks great. It is a step up from the 350Z but still has a familiar look to it. I love the roof line. Much cleaner and very similar to my 240Z
I want one for Christmas please.

Japan Trip 13: Tokyo Tower and final day in Tokyo

2008-10-21T13:07:00.000-07:00

Man, it has been a while since I last posted. Sorry about that. i have been pretty busy getting back into the swing of things since returning from my trip to Japan. I hope to get more Japanese language lessons up soon. In the meantime go back and review what i have posted so far. For my next few posts I am going to finish sharing pics from my trip to Tokyo and Hiroshima.

To start, here are some pictures of the Ginza area all lite up at night. This is a fun place to walk around.

Close to the Ginza area is a small statue of Godzilla. It is kind of hard to find but fun to search for.
Oh No!! Godzilla!!!

He is a lot smaller in real life.
Tokyo Tower is a must see in Tokyo. It is modeled after the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It has great views of Tokyo and some fun shops.

Because of its similarities to The Eiffel Tower, the people working there dress up like French Tour guides. kind of funny.

Here are some cool pictures of Tokyo from the top level of Tokyo Tower. Be sure to click on them for a larger view. It is a fun city to look at.

When I was leaving the tower there was a street performer with a monkey. They were doing tricks and it was very fun to watch. The two had a good relationship and their interaction made it even more fun to watch.

Japan Trip 12: Hiroshima Hotel

2008-10-09T16:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I am checking out of Hiroshima this morning and am about to go to the Hiroshima Station to board the Shinkansen headed for Tokyo. Since this is my last morning in this hotel I thought I would add some pictures. This is the Hiroshima ANA Crowne Plaza hotel. I highly recommend it. The rooms are smaller than the hotel in Tokyo but are very comfortable and dorm-like (in a good way). It is also very close to Peace Park and Hondori Street. Lots of shopping and restaurants nearby. The price isn't bad and you can add breakfast to your room rate. The breakfast is buffet style and very good.

Japan Trip 11: Kure Navy Ship yard

2008-10-09T04:17:00.000-07:00

I have been in Hiroshima for the past two weeks working with customers in Kure (Kure is about 45 min away by train). The customer's facility is next to one of Japan Marine Self Defense Force's Naval ship yards. Kure is well known for its rich history in ship building and Navy ship ports. During lunch we took a walk to get closer to the ships and submarines. This is the first time I had seen submarines in real life. They were very cool. Here are some pictures i took. Enjoy!

Japan Trip 10: Riding the Shinkansen

2008-10-08T03:23:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the bullet train I rode from Tokyo to Hiroshima and a few others. It took about 4 hours and was very fast. The great thing is that it runs so smooth even when starting and stopping you forget you are on a train. The seats are comfortable and even recline further back than an airliner. Tons of of legroom too. The only thing I can complain about is lack of luggage space. To see the Shinkansen in action, see my earlier post with the videos of Top Gear when they raced the GTR against a Shinkansen across Japan.
I wish we had bullet trains in America to get to places. It would be fun to take one from Seattle to L.A.

The Shinkansen platform at the Tokyo Station.

Here it comes!

Closeup of the front nose
Another one.

2009 Nissan 370Z in a Japan Magazine

2008-10-04T02:15:00.001-07:00

I was in a book store today and saw the new 2009 Nissan 370Z mentioned on one of the Magazines covers. Of course I had to take a look. And of course I had to take some pictures. I don't know if these are photshopped at all or if these are the real deal. Enjoy! TO me it looks like the 350Z with a body kit. I was hoping for something totally different. It is supposed to be smaller and light though. It will also have over 330 HP while taking about the same engine from the Infiniti G37. I don't know if it is exactly the same.

Japan Trip 9: Tokyo Disneyland

2008-10-04T01:26:00.000-07:00

Well, I found time to go to Tokyo Disneyland after all. i grew up in a Disney home. We went to Disneyland California almost every year and the Disney channel was always on (back when it was good). When I learned that I was going to be going to Tokyo on a business trip I knew that I had to find time to go to Disneyland. Here are some of the pictures I took with some commentary. This year they are celebrating Tokyo Disneyland's 25th Anniversary so you might see "25" in some of the pictures. It is also Halloween time so there were pumpkins all over the place and the Haunted Mansion was all dressed up in the "Nightmare Before Christmas" theme.

Here is a view from the train I took as we were coming upon the train station that leads to the entrance of Tokyo Disneyland. You can see Space Mountain and others in the distance.

Yeah! I made it! Wait! that guy is going the wrong way!

Aren't the monorail windows oh so cute!

This is the new Disneyland Tokyo hotel. It looks very nice and fancy.
Tokyo Disneyland can't get enough of Mickey Windows.

Here is the entrance to the Winnie the Pooh ride. This is so much better than the ride at Disneyland Ca.

While you are walking through the line, you can read Pooh stories so you don't get board.
Finally the ride!

Now on over to Space mountain for a real man's ride. This is the same as California.

The only difference is the interior. The spaceship kind of looks like Sea quest. Sorry it is blurry. My camera is afraid of the dark and likes to blur with little light.

When exiting from Star Tours this crazy little Alien greats you. Star Tours is the same as California.
This picture is to show you how wide the walking areas are for the large crowds. This was in the morning so it was not crowded yet.
The loading area for Snow White. Even scarier than California's. The witch is even more involved. The ride should be titled "Look at how much fun the witch can have scaring little kids."
Here is Small World.
The loading area is inside.
I love the look of the haunted mansion. Creepy!

Another view from the line. This line took 1 hour and 40 minutes. I like the ride in California because the line goes a lot faster. I wonder if the one in California has more entry rooms to bunch people up into.

Cool decorations in the line.

Finally I am inside. I really liked the "Nightmare Before Christmas" overlay. It was fun and had fun music and story that went along with it.

A view of the river and the Big Thunder Mountain. This ride seemed longer and faster than California. I liked it better. Splash mountain was about the same but the turns and drop were in different places, except for the main one of course.

And here are some shots of the Castle for the girls.

There is not a "Main Street" in Tokyo Disneyland. Instead, there is a large covered area called "World Bazaar". It is pretty much the same as in there are shops and ice cream places.

Those are the best of the pictures I took. I hope you enjoyed them.

Fun fact about Tokyo Disneyland: Tokyo Disneyland is not owned by Disney. It is owned by "The Oriental Land Company", which licenses the theme from Disney.

Another though: I also liked the Jungle cruise ride at Tokyo. There was a part where you go into a cave that is part of an ancient India Civilization with cobras, a tiger, and cool statutes.

Nissan GTR Vs Shinkansen bullet train

2008-09-26T03:00:00.001-07:00

I love "Top Gear" and I am excited for the US versions. I wish they would ask me to be one of the hosts. haha! Anyway, here is a two part video of the episode where they raced the GTR against a Bullet Train across Japan. Enjoy!

Japan Trip 8: Nissan Gallery continued

2008-09-26T01:58:00.000-07:00

Here a few intersting vehicles they had at the Nissan Gallery we do not have in the States. Enjoy!

Interesting looking van.
Oh, it's so cute!

The X-Trail. It seems like almost every country has this cool SUV but us. It is supposed to very good.

Japan Trip 7: Nissan Gallery

2008-09-26T01:35:00.000-07:00

One thing that I really wanted to do in Tokyo was visit the Nissan Gallery. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge car guy and I especially have a soft spot in my heart for Nissan sports cars. I myself own a 1973 240z that I am currently working on.
I read on the Internet that sometimes the Nissan Gallery displays classic vehicles. I hoped to get a peak at an old 240z or Datsun roadster in pristine condition.
I knew that the Nissan gallery was in the Ginza area which was a few blocks away from my hotel. So I left my hotel and walked around for a while with directions I memorized from the Internet. Needless to say I got lost. I didn't want to walk back to the hotel to look it up again so I decided to just walk around and look at other sites. I walked a few blocks and then looked up and saw this:

I knew that must be it so I walked in that direction until I came upon it.
I was very disappointed because they were no longer showing their classic cars. However, they did have a couple of Nissan's new super car the GTR. This is one of the fastest production cars today. I had read a lot about them on the Internet but never saw one in real life. This car is beautiful. Here are some pictures of the silver and red versions they had.

One of the ladies working there noticed me taking a lot of pictures and asked me if I wanted to sit insideone. I said "no". Just kidding. The seats fit like a glove. I guess they would have to when going 0-60 in 3.3 seconds. I would love to have one but I think I will have to wait 25 years when the price has gone down from the current price of $80,000. Of course by then I don't think I would want to restore all the electronics and computers that help this car go so fast.

Japan Trip 6. Around town

2008-09-21T21:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures I took while walking around the Ginza and Shidome area. Enjoy.

Commuter train leaving the Shidome station.
I love pictures of tall buildings.
A park acros from my hotel. Planning on going there soon.

City shot in Ginza area.

Another cool tall building shot
And another.
This is a cool clock that does some neat stuff around different times. I have not seen it go off yet.
City scene.

Japan trip 5. What I have been eating.

2008-09-21T21:13:00.000-07:00

Here are some examples of what I have been eating so far. These are things that you cannot find in the States but sure are Yummy. First I want to share what I have had at McDonald's. McDonald's?? you may ask. Why the heck would I eat at McDonald's? Shouldn't I be eating at some Japanese restaurants and experience the whole Japan experience. Well, believe me when I say that eating at McDonald's is part of the Japanese experience. They have some foods that you will not find in America. Below is what I had for breakfast yesterday morning. It is a Mega McMuffin. And it is very good. It is made up of two sausage patties, cheese, eggs, bacon, and salsa (I think, could have been Ketchup) all between two English muffins. I will be getting another one soon. Yummy!
Here is a Teriyaki burger. Highly recommended. I thought of something. I bet people thought I was weird taking pictures of my food at McDonald's. Something you don't see everyday.
This morning I had to go to Tokyo Station to get my Japan Rail Pass that will allow me to travel throughout Japan on the JR rail lines without buying tickets. I got hungry afterwards and found a little Japanese shop and bought Katsu Kare. This is basically Curry and rice with breaded Pork on top. This is one of my favorite simpled Japanese meals.

I found a Quiznos sub shop. I did not eat there but here is a picture of the menu. Click on it to see it bigger. It is interesting that there sub breads all have sesame seeds on them. Interesting.
On the way back to the hotel yesterday I was thirsty so i stopped in a convenience store and bought this not seen in America drink. This is Fanta Peach flavored. Why is it that all we get in America is Grape, Orange, and Strawberry. Why can't we get more flavors like this? It was very good.
Here is a snack I had Yesterday. It is a melon flavored pastry with chocolate chips. This is very good. Also, It is made by a company called Pasco. That is the name of my hometown by the way.

Here are little icecream bonbons that come witha sword to eat them with.

Japan Trip 4. Hotel View Part 2

2008-09-20T15:02:00.000-07:00

Look out below! I am on the 32nd floor so here are some pics of what I see below. Click on them for larger images.

Notice the Elevated commuter train. Cool stuff!

Those are of the pictures for now. I am going to go out today and explore this Tokyo Jungle and will add more pics later. Check back soon!

Japan trip 3. City View from Hotel Room

2008-09-20T14:58:00.001-07:00

Here are some city views of Tokyo from my hotel room. This is the first time i have ever stayed in Tokyo. I passed through before on a bus but this is the first time I am able to enjoy it. Remember to click on the images for larger pics! Enjoy!

Japan trip 2. Conrad hotel.

2008-09-20T14:52:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the pictures I took of my hotel room. This is Conrad Hotel. A very nice hotel. Very expensive to eat in the Hotel Restaurants (like $75-$100 a plate) so i think I will stick to the shops on the street.

Japan Trip 1. Getting there.

2008-09-20T14:46:00.000-07:00

Over the next couple of weeks, I will be posting pictures of my trip in Tokyo and Hiroshima. Come back often for updates! Make sure you click on the pics for larger views.

Coming in for a landing over the Pacific Ocean. I thought my kids would like to see this one.
First site of Japan! Wait, where is Godzilla??!!

Still landing...

Waiting for my bus to take me to the hotel.
Inside the bus. Sorry it is blurry.

I have been busy

2008-09-11T11:45:00.000-07:00

I have not posted recently since I have been very busy getting ready for my trip to Japan. I hope to add a new lesson soon. I will also add pics while I am in Tokyo and Hiroshima.
Until then...

Greating people for the first time conversation

2008-09-03T21:55:00.000-07:00

New Vocab:
Hajimemashite = "Pleased to meet you" or "How are you?"
Yoroshiku onegai shimasu = "Please accept my regards" or "Please accept me."

Before we talk about the above vocabulary lets look at their context in a conversation. This conversation is kind of watered down but it works and also uses some of the grammar that we have learned in earlier lessons.

Mr. Tanaka: Konnichiwa.

Mr Yamata: Konnichiwa. Watashi wa Yamata desu.

Mr Tanaka: Hajimemashite. Watashi wa Tanaka desu.

Mr Yamata: Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

Mr Tanaka: Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

Now the translation:

Mr. Tanaka: Hello. (Good afternoon.)
Mr Yamata: Hello. I'm Yamata.
Mr Tanaka: Pleased to meet you. I'm Tanaka.
Mr Yamata: Please accept my regards.
Mr Tanaka: Please accept my regards.

I think that most of the above conversation was easy to understand as long as you have completed the past lessons.

I want to delve deeper into a few of the phrases used in the conversation because they do not really translate directly into English, we just have English counterparts for them.

"Hajimemashite" literally mean "The beginning" or "the first time". It comes from the verb "hajimeru" which mean "to begin" (We will start verbs in a few lessons). When you are using this phrase you are acknowledging that it is the first time you are meeting. Thus it loosely translates as "Pleased to meet you."

Yoroshiku onegai shimasu means that you are requesting that the person you are talking to will accept you from here on out. Thus it translates to "Please accept my regards".

You will find that some words or phrases in the Japanese language do not directly translate to English. This is partly because Japanese is not a Latin based language as are most languages we are familiar with. Another reason is the Japanese history and culture are very different from what we are used to in the US and Europe.

So, review the above conversation many times. Invite someone to practice with you and remember to insert your own names.

Have fun!

Microsoft lowers prices on XBOX 360 in Japan

2008-09-02T10:37:00.000-07:00

Microsoft has been having a difficult time selling the XBOX 360 in Japan since it was introduced there. Now they are lowering the price on the system in order to be more competitive. The new price on the Xbox 360 Arcade model has been dropped from $260 to $180. That is a price drop of almost 30%! It makes the XBOX 360 the cheapest “current generation” game system available with the Wii being $230 and the Playstation 3 $370. Still I wonder how much more they will sell. Sure, I think the price drop will allow a larger segment of the population to purchase Microsoft’s system and there may be a short-lived boom in the number of units sold but the XBOX’s popularity in Japan is driven more by the games available. I remember about a year ago when “Blue Dragon” came out, which was created by Final Fantasy series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, there were reports of a rise in XBOX 360 system sales.

Head of Japan XBOX operation Takashi Sensui said, “We have set the prices with hopes more people will be able to enjoy XBOX 360.” I think that the Japanese are more loyal to their local systems the Nintendo Wii and the Playstation 3 and that is where the majority of sales may stay.

I could be wrong though. Those are just my thoughts.

"No", the Possessive Particle. It's mine all mine I tell you!!

2008-09-01T22:43:00.000-07:00

New Vocab:
Kuruma = car
Otousan = father
Kare = he/him

Here is another easy lesson. Today we will introduce a new particle into our sentences. Remember, a particle tells us what a word is doing in a sentence. It tells us the importance of a word. Recall that the particle "wa" marked the topic of the sentence. The new particle today is "no" which marks ownership or possession. This should be easy to remember since your first word was probably "no!" as a toddler and you were probably very selfish or possessive of your toys. Okay, silly example but maybe it will help you remember its meaning. The Particle "no" is similar to the English "apostrophe s ('s). "

Like the particle "wa", "no" follows directly after the noun it is modifying.

Lets look at some examples.

Examples:

Watashi no kuruma desu. = My car.

Kare wa tomodachi no Otousan desu. = He is my friend's father.

In the above example "my" is implied in "my friend". I could have said "Kare wa Watashi no tomodachi no Otousan desu." but it seems strange since it is implied that I am talking about my friend. Having two "no" particles in this sentence seems wordy.

More examples:

Sore wa Watashi no ki dewa arimasen. = That is not my tree. (Remember the desu box from an earlier lesson!)

Tomodachi no inu wa doko desu ka? = Where is my friend's dog?

See, pretty easy! Remember to practice with other nouns.

“Ka”. Turning a sentence into a question.

2008-08-28T07:09:00.001-07:00

New Vocab:
Doko = where
Dare = who
Nan = what

This lesson is relatively easier than the other lessons. In order to make a sentence a question, just add “ka” to the end (as long as it makes sense). Let’s look at some of the sentences we had before and see if this works.

"Tomodachi wa Nihonjin desu." = "My friend is Japanese." This can also mean “Your friend is Japanese” depending on the context.
Now adding “ka” at the end it becomes:
"Tomodachi wa Nihonjin desu ka?" = "Is my/your friend Japanese?"

Another:
"Kore wa hon desu." = "This is a book."
Now adding “Ka” at the end it becomes:
"Kore wa hon desu ka?" = "Is this a book?"

Pretty easy, huh?

Now lets use some of the new vocab we learned above:
“Doko desu ka?” = “Where is it?”
Lets expand:
“Inu wa doko desu ka?” = “Where is the dog?”

“Dare desu ka?” = “Who is it?”
Lets expand:
“Tomodachi wa dare desu ka?” = “Who is your friend?” or “As for your friend, who is he/she?”

Another:
“Kore wa Nan desu ka?” = “What is this?” or “As for this, what is it?”

That is all for today. If you have any questions feel free to ask in the comments. I would be happy to answer them.

Don’t forget to practice with objects around the room. Have fun!

...wa...desu.

2008-08-26T12:11:00.000-07:00

New Vocab:

tomodachi = friend
kore = this
sore = that
Nihonjin = Japanese person

Today's lesson marks the first lesson of many to come on Japanese particles. Particles are important to the Japanese language since they define what words are doing in a sentence. The first particle I am introducing is "wa". "Wa" marks the topic by following it in the sentence. "Wa" is used in one of the most common, simple Japanese sentence structures. This sentence structure is "(topic) wa ... desu" (the '...' can be anything else in the sentence).

Example:

"Watashi wa Jones desu." = "I am Jones."

Remember from a previous lesson that "desu" means is/am/are

If you are struggling with what is meant by a topic marker, just think of "wa" translated as "as for (topic)". Therefore, the above sentence could be translated as "As for me, I am Jones."
Let’s look at a few more examples.

"Tomodachi wa Nihonjin desu." = "My friend is Japanese." or "As for my friend, he is Japanese."

"Kore wa hon desu." = "This is a book." or "As for this, it is a book."

"Sore wa inu desu." = "That is a dog." or "As for that , it is a dog."

Remember the desu box from a previous lesson. We can insert the different tenses for desu.

"Tomodachi wa Nihonjin dewa arimasen." = "My friend is not Japanese." or "As for my friend he is not Japanese."

Practice looking around the room and use this sentence structure out loud. Remember if you do not know the Japanese word for an object then just use the English word in its place. Also, use the desu box too for review.

Example:

"Sore wa homework deshita" = "That was my homework."

Have fun! See you at the next lesson.

Toon Disney to become DisneyXD

2008-08-24T21:33:00.000-07:00

According to LA Times, Disney is planning on shaking up its Toon Disney Channel by appealing to boys more. The new name for the channel will be DisneyXD and will showcase new live action and anime shows. The change will take place February 2009.

One of DisneyXD's first new series will be a joint effort between Disney and Japanese studio "Toei-Animation" called RoboDz. The story revolves around three humanoid robots that protect mankind and earth from invading aliens. Looks interesting and might be fun. You can see a video preview of this new anime on RoboDz's site. I know the website is in Japanese but all you need to do is find the picture on the left with the three characters lined up with the video play button over them. Click on the play button to download the link to buffer the video and then click on the downloaded link on you desktop. Your video player will then start playing the preview. Enjoy!

I'm Going to Japan!!

2008-08-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

For three weeks (September 19 - October 10) I am going to be in Japan. I will spending the first week in Tokyo and the final 2 weeks in Hiroshima. Since this is a business trip I am not going to sight see all of the time but I hope to be a tourist at night and on the weekends. This is my first time spending time in Tokyo (except for just passing through). Does anybody have recommendation on places to visit? I hope to go to Ginza shopping district since my hotel in only a few blocks away and see the Nissan Auto Museum and maybe go to Tokyo Disneyland or DisneySea (but probably not). I lived in Hiroshima for 7 months in 1997 so I know my way around pretty well. Does anybody have any recommendations for Hiroshima? I will take many pictures of my travels and give updates here on JapanScape.

Ginza Shopping District

Early 1970s FairladyZ (240Z with gnose) at Nissan Museum

The Desu Box

2008-08-19T12:08:00.000-07:00

New Vocab :
Hon = book
Hai = yes
Iie = no

The Desu Box

In the last Japanese Language lesson we learned how to say something exists by using the word “desu”. In this lesson we are going to expand “desu” to be used in different tenses. For example, what if a book did exist or does not exist or did not exist? We can learn how to say those phrases by using the desu box shown below.

This box is easy to use. Just look at the far left column to determine if the object you are talking about is in the present or happened in the past. Then look at the top row to choose whether it does exist (positive) or does not exist (negative). Look down from the top row and to the right of the left column so the form of desu matches your tense and then add it to the end of a noun.

Noun desu. = Is noun.
Noun deshita. = Was noun.
Noun dewa arimasen. = Is not noun.
Noun dewa arimasen deshita. = Was not noun.

One pronunciation point to remember is that the ‘i’ is silent in the word deshita so it sounds like deshta.

Examples:
Hon desu = It is a book.
Hon deshita = It was a book.
Hon dewa arimasen = It is not a book.
Hon dewa arimasen deshita = It was not a book.

Using new vocabulary words learned above, if someone asks if it was you that did something, or is going to do something:

Hai, Watashi desu. = Yes, it is me.
Hai, Watashi deshita = Yes, it was me.
Iie, Watashi dewa arimasen = No, it is not me.
Iie, Watashi dewa arimasen deshita = No, it was not me.

Try the desu box out with other vocabulary words we introduced in the past lesson. Also, practice with objects around the room or when you are going someplace. If you do not know the Japanese word, just use the English word followed by the corresponding form of desu from the desu box. Do this out loud so you are actually speaking Japanese, not just thinking it. Have fun!

desu (is/am/are)

2008-08-17T17:01:00.000-07:00

For now on, before I introduce new grammar I will first teach you new vocabulary. Grammar doesn't do you any good without vocabulary.

New Vocab:

inu = dog

ki = tree

watashi = Me/I

Remember the pronunciation guide in an earlier post!!

Pretend you are at a restaurant and the waiter brings the food and asks "Who ordered the sushi?" If you were the one who ordered the sushi you would want to answer with "It is me" or something to that effect. In Japanese you would reply by saying "Watashi desu."This small phrase introduces a very important word of the Japanese language. Desu translates as "is, am, are." It shows existence so could also mean "to be." One important thing to remember is that the "u" at the end of the sentence is normally silent so it sounds like "dess". Women will often pronounce the "u" however. Lets go through some examples with the new vocabulary introduced above.

"Inu desu." = "(It is) A dog."

"Ki desu." = "(It is) A tree."

"Watashi desu" = "(It is) Me."

Now look around the room for objects and say them with the word "desu" following it.

"Clock desu."

"Chair desu"

etc...

Don't worry about knowing all the objects names in Japanese. Just say what you know for now substituting the English words for the words you do not know in Japanese. This will give you a lot of practice! Try it on a walk too!

No Toyota Supra?

2008-08-15T14:31:00.000-07:00

I remember when I saw the 90's version of the Toyota Supra. I was in Japan walking down the street in the mid 1990's. I thought it was a beautiful car. I loved the looks and sound. I told myself I was going to get one someday. That someday has not come yet but my hopes are still high for the future.
I now looks like when I do get one it will still be the 1990's version because there are rumors that Toyota will not be producing a new Supra even though they have been teasing us for a few years now with concept photos and designs. Their excuse is the demand by the US govt for higher MPG requirements. GRRR!! My hopes were high. Oh well, At least I have the next Nissan Z to look forward to which will debute in the fall at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
Below is a picture of the 1997 Supra similar to the one I saw in Japan.

Hello!!

2008-08-14T22:28:00.000-07:00

Now lets learn how to greet someone in Japanese. The only word or phrase we are going to work on is “hello.” The fun thing about Japanese is that there are three ways to say “hello” depending on what time of day you say it. We also do this in English:

Good morning
Good afternoon
Good evening

All three of these phrases ultimately mean “hello” but are used during different times of the day.
Here are the Japanese equivalents:

"Ohayou gozaimasu" Good morning
“Konnichiwa” Good afternoon
“Konbanwa” Good evening

Note: “Ohayou” is pronounce like the state Ohio.

Japanese Vowels

2008-08-13T07:46:00.000-07:00

All languages have rules and Japanese is no exception. The first rule presented in this lesson explains how to pronounce the vowels in Japanese. Of course the Japanese language has the same vowels as English, namely: a, i, u, e, and o. The difficult thing to master when learning English is the different way to pronounce the vowels. For example, the vowel “a” can be used in the words “father”, ”ate”, and ”bat”. Each of these words pronounces the letter “a” differently. Go ahead and say them out loud a few times to hear the difference. The great thing about the Japanese language is that there is only one way to pronounce each vowel. Here is a list of the vowels with an English word that shows an example how to pronounce each vowel.

a pronounced “ah” as in “father”
i pronounced “ee” as in “feet”
u pronounced “oo” as in “boot”
e pronounced “eh” as in “met”
o pronounced “oh” as in “no”

Practice these vowels by saying out loud “a i u e o” over and over again so you can remember their pronunciations. People may look at you funny but you know you are cool so it doesn’t matter what they think, right? See you at the next lesson!

Welcome!

2008-08-12T23:00:00.001-07:00

I have had many teenagers try to talk me into teaching Japanese at the local high school. Since I currently have a job that I enjoy and I do not have time to obtain a teaching certificate I think I will hold off on teaching for now. Maybe in the future. I have observed the growing interest in Japan by kids recently because of Anime, Manga, and video games. Since I am not able to teach Japanese to kids I wanted to find a way to share my knowledge to students of all ages to help fuel their interest in Japan. Therefore I want to share what I know of the Japanese language, culture, food, and more. I want to share current events and news from Japan such as politics, automobiles, and consumer electronics as well as entertainment such as Movies, Anime, and Manga. So pretty much anything to do with Japan will be discussed in this blog with Grammar, vocabulary, and writing sprinkled in between.Comments are always welcome on anything that is being discussed. I hope you have fun learning more about the Japanese Language and culture through this blog.

A little about my experience with Japan:

Served a 2 year Mission in Japan for the LDS church.
Completed a Minor degree in Japanese at BYU.
Taught Japanese language and culture for three years at the LDS Missionary training Center.