Best way to get 24h/24 Japanese audio input?

ファブリス Administrator

From: Belgium Registered: 2006-06-14 Posts: 4021 Website

When I learned english it was so easy to get input : I'd just switch on BBC Radio.

Not so with Japanese

When I get home, or when I get up, any "down" time of the day, I need to be able to switch on Japanese audio at the flip of a switch. I still can't express some really simple things in Japanese and that is gettting really frustrating.

The next best thing I found so far is a DVD player loaded with a Japanese movie which conveniently remembers where it was after you switch it back on. Problem : it's always the same movie. Switching the movie in the DVD player requires switching on the TV, to access the menus etc. Too slow.

About half a year ago I also bought a cheap "worldwide" radio that handles MW, SW channels. Never managed to get Japanese on it. Apparently you can get NHK on SW but I had no luck, and there's a lot of noise.

Is there any hope?

I guess I could get into the habit of switching on the PC as soon as I get home, and get a shortcut on the desktop for a Japanese radio. I still haven't found a good Japanese radio something like BBC, conversation but not just news (which tend to be really boring on NHK).

How do you get constant audio input short of living in Japan?

PS: getting lots of video input wouldn't suck either, I was watching some TV programs for a while but they tend to loop and some are not even available in the afternoon (LFX etc).

Anyone managed to get Japanese programs on Miro ?

ruisu Member

From: New York Registered: 2007-09-04 Posts: 53 Website

How about Japanese podcasters? I subcribe to Sach's Say it Like a Movie Star on Tenjin FM. Each show she tries to teach a Japanese guy an expression in English. So it's got some English, but she uses Japanese to explain the English, which is good. BTW, her English has a Harlem accent...I think she must hang out in Harlem, NY a lot.

http://www.castella.jp/ is a Japanese podcast indexer.

Last edited by ruisu (2007 December 22, 6:29 pm)

charchy Member

Registered: 2006-11-19 Posts: 12

Fabrice,

I use crunchyroll and D-addicts a lot. Even if i'm doing something else, I put a drama or an anime on in the background and listen/watch as I work. Be warned though, everything takes a lot longer when you try to do two things at once

The other thing I do is, after I've watched an anime I transfer it to my ipod. Not to watch but to listen to on the way to work. Since I already know the story it is easy to imagine the situation and concentrate on just the words.

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ファブリス Administrator

From: Belgium Registered: 2006-06-14 Posts: 4021 Website

Thanks!

Ooooh get Miro, it rocks! I copy/pasted one of the RSS links from the podcast site you gave directly into Miro and it gives a list of all, subscribes and starts downloading right away

I don't have much experience with podcasts, iPod etc. Don't own an iPod either. I thought podcasts were just mp3's but it looks like you can subscribe to RSS feeds for audio AND videos (I'm such a newb ). Few months ago I looked into software to download podcasts but it seemed too complicated. Miro starts downloads in the background for all the "channels" so it looks at last like I've got a viable option for getting new audio on a regular basis.

forestsprite Member

From: Tokyo Registered: 2006-04-28 Posts: 10

http://www.nicovideo.jp/

Useful for streaming anime and other stuff, kind of like Youtube I suppose. You need an account to watch. Users are able to write comments across the screen (just like Japanese TV, sorta) so that can either be funny or distracting. Either way, really good easy way to watch the latest releases from Japan without torrents.

ファブリス Administrator

From: Belgium Registered: 2006-06-14 Posts: 4021 Website

Thanks guys,

has anyone managed to listen to real Japanese radio from within Europe? Satellite radio maybe?

Thing is, I rarely actively listen to Japanese, I'm looking for a solution to fill in the time when I'm away from the PC too.

Transtic Member

Registered: 2007-07-29 Posts: 201

ファブリス wrote:
Thanks!

I don't have much experience with podcasts, iPod etc. Don't own an iPod either. I thought podcasts were just mp3's but it looks like you can subscribe to RSS feeds for audio AND videos (I'm such a newb ).

Some of them even include a full transcription, for example
情熱大陸
and
Japanese Listening advanced (script)

By the way, has somebody tried out Lingq?

Last edited by Transtic (2007 December 22, 8:57 pm)

dilandau23 Member

From: Japan Registered: 2006-09-13 Posts: 330

ファブリス wrote:
I'm looking for a solution to fill in the time when I'm away from the PC too.

Sounds like it's time to finally buy that iPod (or alternative). Then you can take it with you wherever you go.

revenantkioku Member

Registered: 2007-06-12 Posts: 103

I'd really suggest an iPod, maybe a touch if someone works to get some homebrew on it there'd be no reason you couldn't do your SRS on it. Which would be amazing.

Floatingweed5 Member

From: Scotland UK Registered: 2007-03-10 Posts: 120

I believe that apple are releasing a developer's kit for the iphone and ipod touch sometime in the spring.... so it's not unlikely that we'll see some interesting apps being produced in the near future. A synced SRS system would be fantastic and would really make this an essential purchase.

Mcjon01 Member

From: 大阪 Registered: 2007-04-09 Posts: 551

revenantkioku wrote:
I'd really suggest an iPod, maybe a touch if someone works to get some homebrew on it there'd be no reason you couldn't do your SRS on it. Which would be amazing.

Pretty unrelated to the topic, but I have to say that the iPhone is the only reason I've been making any headway on my Heisig reviews. I had a backlog of 350 reviews built up from completely abandoning my studies during the last part of my last school semester, and I could never seem to make any headway on them. It was like I had lost my ability to sit at my computer for hours doing reviews. So, when I got my iPhone, I just bookmarked the Reviewing the Kanji page and started doing reviews in all the little free moments throughout the day that would have been wasted before. I'm already down to 170 cards left to review, and the whole thing doesn't seem nearly as insurmountable as it did a few days ago.

ファブリス Administrator

From: Belgium Registered: 2006-06-14 Posts: 4021 Website

dilandau23 wrote:
Sounds like it's time to finally buy that iPod (or alternative). Then you can take it with you wherever you go.

Yes but the showstopper for me is that it takes time to find and collect the sound files.

Maybe you mean I could get an iPod plus the software, register on some channels, and then I can connect it and it will do its own thing and download all the new "episodes", clean up the older ones, all by itself ? So it becomes almost like radio? Can you just plug it in the USB cable when you're back home and it will update all the files, add new audio etc?

meolox Member

Registered: 2007-08-31 Posts: 386

Really I find the best way for 24hr japanese Audio is to download lots of files, doesn't matter what they are from D-addicts and listen to them on repeat, i feel its best to hear the same program a few times over as each time you pick up something you missed before.

Floatingweed5 Member

From: Scotland UK Registered: 2007-03-10 Posts: 120

ファブリス wrote:
Maybe you mean I could get an iPod plus the software, register on some channels, and then I can connect it and it will do its own thing and download all the new "episodes", clean up the older ones, all by itself ? So it becomes almost like radio? Can you just plug it in the USB cable when you're back home and it will update all the files, add new audio etc?

You can do that easily with an ipod and itunes. Subscribed podcasts can be set to automatically download and sync with the ipod. You can set your preferences to keep all of the podcasts or just the last few episodes etc. Also any audio or video stored in itunes can be synced with the ipod too. Personally, I find it very useful.

meolox Member

Registered: 2007-08-31 Posts: 386

Oh another way, join Japanese skypecasts

https://skypecasts.skype.com/skypecasts/home?setlang=ja

Join a skypecast and go to the "just listening" section, it's good because its real Japanese conversation and not scripted. When one ends just join another.

Piece of advice don't make it obvious by your name you're gaijin or they might be a little quiet

ファブリス Administrator

From: Belgium Registered: 2006-06-14 Posts: 4021 Website

I'll try that, thanks.

Any suggestions for a good iPod alternative?

Mcjon01 Member

From: 大阪 Registered: 2007-04-09 Posts: 551

ファブリス wrote:
I'll try that, thanks.

Any suggestions for a good iPod alternative?

That depends on what you're looking for. There are plenty of mp3 players that match or beat the iPod on a technical level, but the iPod is the undisputed king as far as ease of use goes. If you're looking for something that you can just plug into your computer and have it do all the work for you, you're probably only going to get that from Apple.

wrightak Member

From: Tokyo Registered: 2006-04-07 Posts: 873 Website

ファブリス wrote:
I'll try that, thanks.

Any suggestions for a good iPod alternative?

I found this article quite interesting. http://stephenfry.com/blog/?p=28 Don't know if you're familiar with the writer or not but he's quite famous in the UK.

Serge Member

From: Tokyo Registered: 2006-04-04 Posts: 275

????? wrote:
Ooooh get Miro, it rocks! I copy/pasted one of the RSS links from the podcast site you gave directly into Miro and it gives a list of all, subscribes and starts downloading right away

Wow, sounds like it's got some of the functionality of iTunes! :-))

On a serious note, I have found podcasts to be an excellent option for continuously playing in the background. I have a collection of subscriptions on various topics so it's never monotonous and most episodes are sufficiently lengthy so I don't have to be jumping up to start another one all the time.

erlog Member

From: Japan Registered: 2007-01-25 Posts: 633

meolox wrote:
Piece of advice don't make it obvious by your name you're gaijin or they might be a little quiet

Do you have tips on this? I'm having trouble hiding myself.

zazen666 Member

From: japan Registered: 2007-08-09 Posts: 667

Serge wrote:
????? wrote:
Ooooh get Miro, it rocks! I copy/pasted one of the RSS links from the podcast site you gave directly into Miro and it gives a list of all, subscribes and starts downloading right away
Wow, sounds like it's got some of the functionality of iTunes! :-))

On a serious note, I have found podcasts to be an excellent option for continuously playing in the background. I have a collection of subscriptions on various topics so it's never monotonous and most episodes are sufficiently lengthy so I don't have to be jumping up to start another one all the time.

Would you mind sharing some of the podcasts you have subscribed to?

thegeezer3 Member

From: manchester - uk Registered: 2005-11-05 Posts: 122

ipod alternatives... hmm i looked a lot last summer as i just didnt want to buy an ipod. The sad fact is apple has the best ui ever. I had a go of the itouch and it was amazing. i wouldn splash silly money on the iphone but the itouch seem reasonable enough.

Some of the bad points about apple though are the dire battery life and music protection that prevents you simply from dragging and dropping music files from one computer to another.

I eventually bought an iaudio 7 because i really wanted good sound quality. The iaudio is good to listen to but the UI is awful. But it has about 50hours tested battery life. I charge it about 1 every 2 weeks.

You can also drag and drop on this. Im always going round mates houses and simply copying over tunes so we can listen to.

there is also the iriver one that has a full screen and you push on its edges to select songs. Havent tried it but it looked good and has good reviews.

The next time ill buy a player ill probably look at the itouch but it depends on its battery life. hope that helps.

revenantkioku Member

Registered: 2007-06-12 Posts: 103

ファブリス wrote:
I'll try that, thanks.

Any suggestions for a good iPod alternative?

I'll quote my buddy on this one "After trying 8 different cheaper players, I might as well have just gotten an iPod or three in the first place."

Codexus Member

From: Switzerland Registered: 2007-11-27 Posts: 721

ファブリス wrote:
Any suggestions for a good iPod alternative?

The Archos players used to be the best mp3 players but I haven't really followed the evolution these past few years... I'm probably going to buy one soon.

The whole iPod thing highly irritates me. They weren't the first mp3 players, when they were first released they were clearly inferior to the competition products (things are not so clear now), they have always been awfully plagued with DRM and yet the Apple marketing machine has managed to turn them into one of the most successful product of these past few years. I just don't get it.

markl11 Member

Registered: 2007-07-24 Posts: 32

"...and yet the Apple marketing machine has managed to turn them into one of the most successful product of these past few years. I just don't get it."

Well, marketing is definitely part of it, but the bigger part is the user interface. While there may be some better media players out there from a technical perspective, the UI on the iPod just makes everything easy - definitely no need to read a manual :-)

Having said that, Apple's inability to write a reliable USB driver for Windows is driving me nuts - iTunes often reports that it can find my iPod or can't write to its disk. This bug is documented on the Apple website (no fix yet), and iPod remains the only product that I have ever bought that is unable to reliably talk to my PC via a USB interface. If you experience this problem, you have to unplug and plug into another USB port - slightly inconvenient for regular syncing, but when your iPod needs to be restored from backup, as mine did recently, playing unplug/plug back in more than 35 times during the restore is boring to say the least...

Mark

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