What to do with too much time

droxpopuli Guest

So I'm chugging along RTK for the remainder of the school year (avoiding sentences since RTK is just nice and structured during this time of APs and finals), and then going to move over to nukemarine's pathway for over the summer and beyond. Even when I factor in good sleep, a part-time job, and my other hobbies, I am foreseeing a large amount of time to put towards working with Japanese.

So I'm just curious, after all the SRS and usual language exposure. What do I do if I still want to actively learn more stuff in a day? I obviously shouldn't do more reps since I wont stimulate my long terms so would it be probable to just add in more SRS/authentic material each day? Just kind of trying to get an idea of what I could do if it ever seems like I've done my daily routine and I still want more.

Lastly, just kind of curious of how far I can go with a rate like this. I already know the Kana along with a good lot of basic particles and grammar (I'd say almost all of Tae Kim Essential level of material). My big holes of knowledge are Kanji and general vocab. So just wondering how far I could got with 5+ hours a day for 2 1/2 months at being post-RTK LITE. (I know this is a stupid question to ask due to so many factors but I'd just kind of like to have a goal to look forward to)

Thank you,
droxpopuli

chamcham Member

Registered: 2005-11-11 Posts: 1444

You can try the Core 2000 or Core 6000 Anki decks.
For grammar, you can try Tae Kim and j-gram.org.

Also, you can watch Japanese news (www.fnn-news.com).
They have word-for-word transcripts of what the news casters are saying (for example, http://www.fnn-news.com/news/headlines/ … 22796.html).
So it's great for putting your RTK knowledge to practice. Keep in mind
that the Japanese used in TV news is very formal compared to daily conversation.

For daily conversation, you can download japanese TV dramas at www.d-addicts.com.
They have word-for-word Japanese subtitles (http://www.d-addicts.com/forum/subtitles.php#Japanese).

Really awesome for conversational Japanese since all the words in the script are being spoken by the actors. So you can pretty much guarantee that you can use the words/phrases in a real conversation.

Last edited by chamcham (2012 May 07, 2:50 pm)

Daichi Member

From: Washington Registered: 2009-02-04 Posts: 450

I think the simple answer is simply do something fun in the language. I suggest watching raw (or jsubbed) cartoons that are simple enough to understand without too much effort. I mostly mean kids shows (like Pretty Cure or Pokemon) where you can understand over 50% of the plot on mute. When you start working more on vocab, you'll have already heard some of these words before, even if you can't recall them directly, it helps a little.

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Merocor Member

From: Southern California Registered: 2011-12-06 Posts: 31

Another interesting and fun idea: Find local Japanese ramen/sushi shops and stop by there every now and then. It'll be a nice treat for yourself and you can practice reading the menu or other items around the shop. The one I go to (shin-sen-gumi) has Japanese newspapers I can pick up and peruse while waiting for my food.

Last edited by Merocor (2012 May 07, 5:55 pm)

Zgarbas Watchman

From: 名古屋 Registered: 2011-10-09 Posts: 1210 Website

If you feel that news/native material is too much to handle(I know I did; as soon as I'd see a page of nothing but Japanese I'd instantly grow tired), I like the surveys over at http://whatjapanthinks.com/

Each survey has an English translation and a link to the original Japanese survey, short sentences which are not linked to one another, and as a bonus it comes with all sorts of slang and "real" use of the language

kainzero Member

From: Los Angeles Registered: 2009-08-31 Posts: 945

i would just chill and try to find a balance between SRS and immersion. too much SRS and it's boring, too much immersion and you risk not learning (especially if said immersion is beyond your level and you can't comprehend anything, a pitfall that happens in the early stages).

@merocor: that's because you're in SoCal. the newspapers that they give out for free like サン and La-La-Land are local papers that serve LA.
(also, still shin-sen-gumi? there's been a boom of ramen places here recently and ssg has fallen off from a lot of the ramen heads's list here.)

chamcham Member

Registered: 2005-11-11 Posts: 1444

kainzero wrote:
i would just chill and try to find a balance between SRS and immersion. too much SRS and it's boring, too much immersion and you risk not learning (especially if said immersion is beyond your level and you can't comprehend anything, a pitfall that happens in the early stages).

@merocor: that's because you're in SoCal. the newspapers that they give out for free like サン and La-La-Land are local papers that serve LA.
(also, still shin-sen-gumi? there's been a boom of ramen places here recently and ssg has fallen off from a lot of the ramen heads's list here.)

"Ramen heads"......lol....reminds me of a J-drama called "CHANGE" with Kimura Takuya (maybe the most famous male Japanese drama actor of all time). The characters in
the show kept joking that his curly hair looked like ramen noodles.....

droxpopuli Guest

Thanks for the suggestions, seems the general gist is to add in a little more material each day and to find more cool sources of immersion. Thanks!

Jeffsls New member

From: Philadelphia Registered: 2012-05-14 Posts: 5

Looks like you have it all planned out, if "Kanji and general vocab" are your weak points I would improve on that, 5hrs a day seems overkill to me though.

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kainzero wrote: