Mina-san, to say the Intros have taken on a life of their own is definitely an understatement. But have no fear, as we said, we’re not doing away with them!

As you’ve probably noticed by now, JapanesePod101.com is constantly evolving. And of course, we’re learning a lot as we go along. As mentioned in the News, Marky has actually scripted intros up to the beginning of May. So the same wild, story-lined intros will continue until then. On Moday and Tuesday if you want to follow the Intro Story-Line, you can find it separately listed as Intro (where the Bonus Tracks usually go). Starting in May, the Intros will be attached to the Lessons as normal, but with Newbie/Beginner friendly Intros. (It’s undecided at this point, but they will probably follow the same story-line model being used now).

Also mentioned was the idea of lessons based around the Intros. Last year we did 2 Japanese Culture Classes on a few of the old one-off Intros and the feedback was tremendous! If there’s interest in going through the new Story-based intros (and some of the one-offs that haven’t been covered yet), then be sure to hit up the Listener’s Lounge in the Forum. We’d love to hear your requests!

For the fans of the Intros, and we know there are lot of you out there, we hope this doesn’t inconvenience you too much. Some listeners love a challenge, but when you’re starting out with your first Japanese Lessons, it might be a little overwhelming to hear 4-5 lines of hardcore Japanese before even getting into the lesson. For those Newbies and Beginners who still want to give it a shot and read a long with the PDF, the option is still there!

It’s a great idea , as :

- it allows you to listen to the intro over and over if you don’t get everything
- it means the intro can get even longer, right ?

Dear JPOD Team,
As an “advanced Beginner”, let me say that I could never really understand the intros, but I loved hearing them! Just the sound of them was so funny!! And I could usually hear “Japanesepod101″ somewhere in the dialogue. Of course, now I can read the pdfs! Anyway, thanks for thinking about all of us and our many needs!

I love the intro a lot. You all are really hardworking. This is really the best Japanese learning resource. You all have everything.

今回の変更を喜んでいる人たちがたくさんいてよかったです。
イントロは制約がほとんど無いので、作っている方は楽しいんだけど、、、

As a true Newbie/Beginner, Thank you for remembering that this is a basic level lesson program. If folks want more advanced conversation they should check out a higher level. There is plenty of challenge there. Many, many, many thanks for your very creative and user friendly enterprise.

Hi Peter. Just a quick question. You said “hisashiburi news yattenai desu ne” and got some chuckles from Naomi-sensei. I think you meant to say “shibaraku” instead of “hisashiburi”. But as a student of Japanese I can’t be sure. Perhaps this grammar point could be picked up in a future lesson?

Thanks for all of the great lessons!

Thank you, Nori-san That clears it up for me And thank you guys for all of your hard work. I look forward to your new lessons almost as much as I look forward to “Grey’s Anatomy” returning to TV. What’s that? The writer’s strike is over? Oh no, I hope my studies don’t fall by the wayside

Working every day? Even on Sunday? Boy, I hope all the staff have no other life.

I love the intros! they are so funny. I’ll be checking out the PDF’s soon.
Thanks for all these gret topics.