Hi all,

So I'm done with RTK1 and I've been venturing into vocabulary for the last month or so. I keep a constant rate of new words/day (maybe one of the coolest thing RTK has brought: a strict learning routine). Anyway, I'm in the vocab from JLPT5 and planning to go on up till 1. I thought it'd be cool to give myself small gifts for every level reached. Do you do that too?

Now... I know I want a BOOK after JLPT1, but I know it would be useless and possibly even demotivating to get one too early. I don't like buying DVDs and CDs (sad but true... I'd have to convert my newly-bought CD into mp3 anyway...) So... got any ideas? What did you guys treat yourselves with, Japan(ese)wise?

Have you bought a dictionary app or the like yet?

I plan to treat myself with the dictionary of Japanese Grammar of the next level. And after JLPT1, I don't know.
My small treat is usually slacking (with Japanese media if possible).

Save your money and treat yourself to a trip to Japan =)

(When I think about it, that's actually what I've done. Mid-RTK was a Japan trip, Mid-KO2001 was a Japan trip, after taking JLPT N2 was a Japan trip...)

Those are great ideas! Taking a break with some Japanese media is certainly a must, Eratik, you're right!

Not sure about a trip to Japan lol, I'd prefer to be a tad better before going there, in the wild~ You really were ridiculously (jk) often in Japan, kainzero XD

To add to the list, I might treat myself with translations of Japanese novels. I only know Murakami, what else is there in the page turners category?

I can't recommend any novels because I haven't had the patience to finish any (-_-) but I definitely can recommend a few manga that I think would suit the level you're at now. Have you seen 日本人の知らない日本語？ Well it's cool if you haven't because even though it's kind of a silly show, the manga is x100 better. I would recommend watching the dorama first because it's not THAT bad (okay in some parts) and you pick up some intermediate/advanced-ish expressions along the way.

That being said, if you're more into anime I'd definitely suggest both the anime and manga of NHKにようこうそ！ You get tons of interesting interaction between the characters and the plot is pretty non-typical so you won't feel like you're wasting your time watching the same carbon-copy anime. That being said, the manga is even better than the show and enjoyable to read. Definitely the first manga to make me laugh out loud even if I didn't understand all of the jokes.

Btw, if you're looking to get novels/manga without having to pay the ridiculously high shipping costs, I definitely recommend http://www.densika.com. You can buy used books from Amazon/Rakuten/BookOff and have it scanned for like 300 yen. Not only that, you can have your scan OCR'd so you can lift sentences from it fairly easily, though I will say that vertical text plus furigana kind of janks it up. Every Japanese book I've gotten through this site has cost me less than $10 so it's definitely worth it I'd say.

well, even when you think you're good/better, when you go there, you get a reality check so it's useful.

i am jlpt n2 yet i can't hold a conversation for my life.
plus it's fun.

Buy a bus ticket to a nearby book off and buy a ton of manga for 2$ ea.

I agree with kainzero. Set a high goal with a trip to Japan as the reward. Put aside some money whenever you can, double it when you hit a goal. (Sounds weird, but the main goal is the Big Trip.)

I went 5 years ago to get an idea of how bad my Japanese had become (very bad), and spent the next 4 years getting better in my spare time.

Last fall, I went back and patched up my speaking ability pretty well, learned a ton, and generally had a great time talking to all kinds of random people. Talking to cabbies and cashiers IRL is better practice than 5000 flashcards, IMO. (Although I still do my Anki on a regular basis...) And the experience I got having to go to the hospital (twice) was invaluable as a language activity, even if I did feel like crap both times.

If you don't feel like tackling an entire Japanese novel, I can recommend "Read Real Japanese" (http://www.amazon.com/Read-Real-Japanese...4770030584). It's a collection of short stories by contemporary Japanese writers and has a lot of vocab/annotations in the back that you can use as needed. This makes it quite accessible, and an extra bonus is that you get to know some Japanese authors and see which ones you like.

Melamelachan Wrote:If you don't feel like tackling an entire Japanese novel, I can recommend "Read Real Japanese" (http://www.amazon.com/Read-Real-Japanese...4770030584). It's a collection of short stories by contemporary Japanese writers and has a lot of vocab/annotations in the back that you can use as needed. This makes it quite accessible, and an extra bonus is that you get to know some Japanese authors and see which ones you like.

Oh, that's a very good idea! I'll definitely buy that! (This "extra bonus" is indeed really cool!)