Resources from Japan

[hvgeering8133]

Hi everyone

Just joined Japanesepod101 this week and so far it seems to be a great place to hang out! I have online lessons once a week and hope that this website will enhance my learning!

I have a cousin who lives in Nagoya and he is visiting the UK (where I am) soon for a family do. I was going to ask him to bring a few bits and pieces to also aid my learning. However, the problem is I'm really not sure what these "bits and pieces" should be!

I am a beginner - I've been learning since last November with an average of be lesson every 7 to 10 days. I know hiragana and katakana but haven't touched on kanji at all yet. I'm thinking it would be good to perhaps get some children's books/DVDs or learning toys. Can anyone suggest a good series, I'm thinking along the lines of the UKs Topsy and Tim books (although you are talking the mid 1980s when these were popular, I don't know what kids use these days!)

Thanks in advance!

H

[mmmason8967]

Something like this Mukashi Banashi series might suit you:-

http://www.amazon.co.jp/s/ref=nb_sb_nos ... 5%E6%9C%AC

They are small, inexpensive story books designed for mother and child to read together. The vocabulary and grammar are reasonably easy--a little challenging for a beginner, maybe, but nothing you won't be able to understand with a dictionary and a bit of effort. The kanji have furigana--small hiragana that tells you how to read the kanji--so you won't get defeated by unfamiliar kanji. The stories are very traditional Japanese folktales that every Japanese person knows, so they well worth reading just for the cultural background they provide.

マイケル

[hvgeering8133]

Thank you so much, I will definitely mention these to my cousin, they sound just right!

[community.japanese]

hvgeering8133-san, マイケルsan,
kon'nichiwa! And welcome to JapanesePod101.com, hvgeering8133-san
Thank you for a great suggestion, マイケルsan!!


Natsuko(奈津子),
Team JapanesePod101.com