How to Really Learn Japanese in Just Minutes a Day and Stick with it

The Myth

What if I told you mastering Japanese wasn’t that hard. That actually learning the language itself is not nearly as difficult as you may have heard. And that the problem to progressing is an age old one…failure to execute.

The Real Issue

Said another way, “People don’t progress ’cause they don’t do! If you don’t do the work, you won’t reach your goals.” Read the rest of this post »

Today I came across VidTweeter, by Kevin Sherman. This is an awesome idea that lets you watch YouTube, Vimeo and Dailymotion videos on Twitter’s website! Below is a snapshot of  our setup. Total time invested, 5 minutes.

Here is a quick tutorial. Hope it helps.

What you need: 

All you need is a Twitter account and a link to some content on YouTube, Vimeo, or DailyMotion.
We used content from our JapanesePod101 YouTube account and JapanesePod101 Twitter account.

Step 1. Go to VidTweeter

Step 2. Enter you Twitter Account Info, and select the Video site of the URL you will use. (We used YouTube)

Step 3. Paste in the URL you wish to share.

 Step 4. Get a preview of your page with the video on it by clicking “test it now” or get ready to tweet it by clicking “tweet it now.”
Click “test it now,” and the video you chose overlaid on your Twitter page.
Click “Tweet it Now,” and you go to Step 5.

Step 5. Press update, and share the video with the people following you. You can of course change the message before sharing.

What does it look like? Here is a visual of the previous post. Click here to see it action.

@NOTE: You must click the link to see the video. Without clicking the link, the video won’t appear.

Thank you to the creator Kevin Sherman. Follow him on Twitter here.

Today I came across VidTweeter, an awesome idea that let’s you watch YouTube, Vimeo and Dailymotion videos inside Twitter! Below is a snapshot of  our setup. Total time invested, 5 minutes.

How cool is this?

Actually, it’s pretty amazing.

First, it’s super easy. Seriously, a 2-minute tutorial follow up blog entry will explain.
Although, it’s really not needed.

All you need is a Twitter account and a link to some content on YouTube, Vimeo, or DailyMotion.
We used content from our JapanesePod101 YouTube account and JapanesePod101 Twitter account.

To get going, simply go to VidTweeter.com and follow the instructions.

Second, you can share any video, not just your own. So a Tweet like:
I’m watching a JapanesePod101.com video https://yttwt.com/ex2bt

Would take you to the screenshot above.

Third, coordinating tweets with rich videos can help you share a much more effective message.

@NOTE: You must click the link to see the video. Without clicking the link, the video won’t appear.

To see VidTweeter in action, check out our JapanesePod101 Twitter account (and Follow Us 🙂 )

Thank you to the creator Kevin Sherman. Follow him on Twitter here.
Okay, time to create the quick tutorial, and then it’s back to the VidTweeter Laboratory.

Welcome to the JapanesePod101.com blog, Feature Spotlight. Here we would like to periodically introduce some well known features as well as some not so well known features here at JapanesePod101.com. We want to make sure everyone knows about all the great features that you can use to master Japanese in just minutes a day.

Today we would like to introduce My Feed. This is a fully customizable RSS feed. What’s that mean? Well, for those that haven’t studied up on the latest Web 2.0 technology, that basically allows Premium members to decide exactly what lesson content they want on their Premium feed.

Here’s 3 simple steps on how you can use My Feed to really master Japanese:

1. You decide exactly what you want.
2. You download what you want with a single click of a button.
3. You master Japanese in minutes a day – in your own way.

It’s really that simple.

To learn more about My Feed check out the video below or if you’re a Premium member, click here to get started now.

(Sorry, the video’s a little outdated, but it still works perfectly for JapanesePod101.com!)

We have just added the AddThis button to our blog. Now you can share your favorite blog posts with your friends and colleagues via social bookmarking sites or by email. You can find the “Share” button at the bottom of each post.

We hope that you enjoy this convenient way to share our content and encourage you to do so.

Did you know that the lowest-scoring section of the JLPT Exam is the listening section?

Luckily, PlaySay’s JLPT 1-4 Vcabulary and Kanji Audio Downloads, now available in the JapanesePod101.com online store, are here to save the day!

New Version 1.2 Released!

PlaySay’s convenient audio download system will simply and practically enable you to achieve oral vocabulary competency – on the go, one word at a time, one minute at a time. Supplement your JapanesePod101.com studies, and turn your iPod or favorite mp3 player into a walking, talking, dynamic, and intelligent vocabulary flashcards study tool.

Shuffle and study all individual JLPT Core Vocabulary and Kanji with audio on your iPod or other mp3 Player!

• A Combined 16,104 Studio-Quality core vocabulary mp3 audio files for your iPod or any mp3 player
  [7,992 English to Japanese; 7,992 Japanese to English from PlaySay’s Professionally Translated JLPT 1 – 4 Vocabulary Lists]
• Shuffle vocabulary, create vocab/kanji playlists (move memorized vocab/kanji to a “memorized” playlist), and more!
• Mini vocab study playlists grouped by genre!
• Study JLPT 1-4 core vocabulary by listening (Japanese in right ear, English in left ear)!
• Study JLPT 1-4 core vocabulary with all kanji by simply looking at your mp3 player screen!
• Professionally translated JLPT Core Vocabulary
• Professional studio recordings from professional native voice artists
• Instant Download Satisfaction!

With the JLPT just around the corner, consider supplementing your studies with PlaySay’s proven on-the-go system!

• Starting for as little as $12.95
• Save even more by purchasing test bundles
• Use the convenient PayPal Buy Now button for instant download to your iPod or favorite mp3 player

Available for all JLPT Levels (Click on your level below for more details and instant download)

Mina-san,

When we first started JapanesePod101.com, we only had a few lessons and a few levels, so it was very easy to figure out how to use the site. But now with over 700 lessons and many different levels and series, a lot of people have asked us “Where should I start?” While there are many ways to use the site, we definitely have a few recommendations!

We grouped the lessons in 4 categories Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and Miscellaneous. Also we designated each level linear or non-linear. Then we listed descriptions of the each course and included the first and last lesson so you can better gauge which levels are perfect for you!

Check out the page here:
https://www.japanesepod101.com/help-center/the-courses/

Also, since it’s Golden Week, we’re running a special Promo to save you 33% on any Basic or Premium Subscription! Woo-hoo!

https://www.japanesepod101.com/golden-week/

We just rolled out a handy little feature that will make it possible for you to see the 5 most recent posts in this blog and our forum from the lessons page of the main site. Here’s a screen shot of the functionality. Let us know what you think.

Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

Some of you may have noticed that the “Contains” and “Ends with” search methods of the word dictionary in the Learningcenter are gone. We changed the way the dictionary works to improve performance, and to take a large step closer to providing you more accurate search results. Therefore it now returns results ordered by relevance. The order is not perfect, processing natural language with computers is difficult, but it should be much better than before 😉

Now I will explain by example how the remaining search methods work:

The default “Is” method will now also search inside English phrases. A search for “way” for example will still find “途中 – on the way, en route, midway”. It will also find “one-way traffic”, but will not find “always”.

The “Starts with” method works on top of the “Is” method, with the same behavior. Searching “way” with “Starts with” will add “道草 – (n,vs) wayside grass, loitering on the way, (P)” to the results for example.

We are always looking for new features to add to our site, or ways to improve existing features, and in most cases ideas for new features come from the feedback you provide. So please keep the feedback coming!

After weeks of development, we’re happy to announce the launch of the much anticipated My Feed. This fully customizable RSS feed lets Premium members decide exactly what lesson content they want on their Premium feed.

Setting up My Feed is a a simple 3 step process.

1. Choose the lesson types you want (e.g. Beginner, Newbie, Audio Blog, etc.)
2. Choose the type of content you want (e.g. Main Audio, Dialog Clip, Review Clip, PDF, Video Vocab, etc.)
3. Add My Feed to iTunes or other iTunes compatible feed readers like Juice, and just watch the content you want come rolling in.

To learn more about My Feed check out the video below or if you’re a Premium member, click here to get started now.

Thank you all for your continued support and feedback! Without it we simply could not do what we do. We hope you like this new feature and as always, if you encounter any issues with this new functionality or wish to see it enhanced in some way, please post a comment here or shoot us an email.