Japanese in Ireland, some questions:)

martinstatic

Okay, I've just finished my JC, and am aiming to do Japanese LC, and the JLPT, hopefully moving there after school, visting Japan next year.

And although my self teaching is going great, and I have Japanese people helping/teachine me over MSN and Skype, I feel that taking Japanese classes is needed to become fluent.

But the problem is, I live a few miles outside Navan, Co Meath, and I can't make it to Dublin every week. And also, places teaching Japanese in Dublin can range up to €200 a week! (I'm not joking) And i don't really have hundreds of euro lying around, although I am dedicated to learning Japanese.

So does anyone know of places near where I am, that would teach Japanese at a not too ridiculous price?


I'm sorta on a downer at spendin 200 quid I don't have...

Any suggestions would be appreciated Thanks in advance

Dont be at yourself

I don't really know of anywhere outside Dublin. Most classes are aimed at conversational Japanese too, and written Japanese plays a significant part of the LC exam.

There are tonnes of both printed and online resources to help you study - though none are tailored for the Leaving Cert. Your first step would be to download the syllabus and take it from there. It will lay out all the vocabulary that you will need, and situations you will have to deal with.

For kanji and the kana, I recommend the book A Guide to Reading and Writing Japanese published by Tuttle. It's no-frills, but it gives you the readings, meanings and stroke order for all the daily use kanji. If you're serious about Japanese, this book will be invaluable for your studies. I'd advise staying away from 'gimmicky' books that use pictographics etc. to study kanji.

For grammar and vocabulary, I'm not sure what to recommend for the LC course. I used Minna No Nihongo for my studies, and I found it useful. There are beginner/intermediate/advanced books, so maybe you could start there. Genki Nihongo is also well regarded, though I have no personal experience in using it.

Finally, there are a few speakers who hang around this forum who will be glad to help you with any questions!

martinstatic

Ooh thanks for the reply

I am 'fluent' (if you could say that) in Hiragana, and am familliar with Katakana
I have ''Kodansha's Furigana Eng-Jp/Jp-Eng Dictionary'' which is handy!
I'll take your advice on the Kanji, and have already downloaded the Syllabus haha, great minds think alike eh?

So writing is going well, and talking is going okay, but people have said things like 'You couldn't take the LC without having proper classes' Which I didn't really believe, but just got me thinking ha.

Well thanks for the reply, and would I be able to find these study books in Easons, or would I need to have them ordered or bought online?

Thanks again

Dont be at yourself

You might find them in Easons, but I wouldn't be too hopeful. Hodges Figgis might be a better bet, and there's a bookstore around Dawson Street/Pearse Street that specialises in language books, so you may want to try there.

To be honest, the Leaving Cert Japanese course doesn't seem too difficult, and a good mark is achievable with self-study. The most important thing is getting feedback on your Japanese, and this is the advantage of having a class. You said that you are in contact with Japanese speakers on MSN and Skype, so they could be invaluable in improving your Japanese.

There are also some language-exchange websites on the internet, where you may get feedback. http://www.myhappyplanet.com is one I know of, though I've not really used it.

martinstatic

Thanks alot man!
Hows your Japanese?

Thanks for the advice, good help (I thanked you on your last post with the little thanks button ^^)

Dont be at yourself

I have a degree in Japanese, and am currently living out here in Okayama. Day-to-day Japanese is fine, but I need to brush up on my kanji.

I'll be sitting the JLPT 2nd Grade in December. From what I can see, the Leaving Cert course is somewhere between Level 3 and 4, so it might be worth a shot enrolling in Level 4 so you get an idea of the challenge, and of your Japanese level.

The JLPT is also a lot more recognised than a Leaving Cert qualification, so that's another route to pursue...

martinstatic

Oh I see!
Damnitall you lucky BEEP in Japan!
I might give this 'Genki Nihongo' a try, looks good, my 'friend' got 'his' hands on Rosetta Stone through torrents, and it doesnt seem to explain things as much about verbs or grammer etc, but every peice knowledge is knowledge I guess!

I read on Wikipedia, that the JLPT will be replaced in 2009 with 'N1 - N5' which is basically the same, but split into 5 difficulties rather than the JLPT's 4. (N1 being hardest, N5 being easiest)
Is there any age limit as far as you know about the JLPT?
I may be visiting London soon, and I'll be 17, mught go for a level 4, for tasters :S

Thanks again

edit: Im goin sleep now, so I'll get back later

muffinman

NekkidBibleMan wrote: »

There are tonnes of both printed and online resources to help you study - though none are tailored for the Leaving Cert. Your first step would be to download the syllabus and take it from there. It will lay out all the vocabulary that you will need, and situations you will have to deal with.

There is a text book tailored for the Leaving Cert, published in early 2008 (I think, but maybe late 2007). My teacher got them for us, and I think it's possible to order online. We covered the full book in 6 months of 2 hour weekly classes, although we had already got through most of the course without the book before we got it.

It's called "Nihongo Kantan", written by Ursula Zimmerman, who is supposedly the Chief Examining Officer of Japanese, and who teaches the subject in Wexford. It's listed for sale here: http://www.authentik.ie/japan_nihongo.html but I have no experience with the site..

I would definitely recommend it. It covers the whole syllabus, focusing on all the necessary topics, including Culture sections, is very easy to follow, and is definitely the only book of its kind.

martinstatic

Thanks for that muffdude...I checked out the site, and it says audio cassetes have been discontinued, so I just ask, did you use them? Are they required for the bookm or are they not used for Nihongo Kantan?
Also, it says nothing about the leaving cert on the site, but I'll check it out nonetheless. Thanks!

muffinman

martinstatic wrote: »

Thanks for that muffdude...I checked out the site, and it says audio cassetes have been discontinued, so I just ask, did you use them? Are they required for the bookm or are they not used for Nihongo Kantan?
Also, it says nothing about the leaving cert on the site, but I'll check it out nonetheless. Thanks!

Sorry for not replying sooner.. Ehh no we rarely used the cds.. But I suppose they would come in handy for pronunciation if teaching oneself... No I know it doesn't say it on the site, but it is definitely 100% designed to cover the LC course..

From http://www.shiawase.co.uk/2008/01/12/irish-leaving-cert-japanese-nihongo-kantan/

Nihongo Kantan is the first Japanese textbook written in Ireland. It covers the Irish Leaving Cert syllabus. I feel this is at a level a little over JLPT4. But the Leaving Cert exam is slightly more demanding in that you would have to write a short essay, give written answers instead of multiple choice, and there is an oral exam as well. Also the exam covers Japanese culture, and this is a large component of this textbook.

martinstatic

muffinman wrote: »

Sorry for not replying sooner.. Ehh no we rarely used the cds.. But I suppose they would come in handy for pronunciation if teaching oneself... No I know it doesn't say it on the site, but it is definitely 100% designed to cover the LC course..

From http://www.shiawase.co.uk/2008/01/12/irish-leaving-cert-japanese-nihongo-kantan/

Nice, thanks for the reply
I've managed to get in contact with a teacher, but he's in Dublin ...there's always a dilemma eh?

Belton

martinstatic wrote: »

Is there any age limit as far as you know about the JLPT?
I may be visiting London soon,

There's no age limit that I know of for JLPT.
A friend of mine was quite intimidated by a 2nd generation Japanese 8 year old appearing girl who raced through the test in 20 minutes then sat there waiting for it to end! (if you leave early you're disqualified)
Unfortunately the nearest testing centre to Ireland is SOAS at UCL. From 2010, apparently it will be twice a year instead of the first Sunday in December however.

Modern Languages bookstore on Westland row down from Pearse Street station might be the best for Japanese textbooks but they don't have many. Easons had a few when I was last there, but they're mainly of the lingaphone type, teach yourself Japanese in a month etc.

Amazon might actually be your best bet.
Amazon.jp will ship outside Japan and you can see a lot of the site in English. After a certain amount of books the express shipping only cost is better than the inflated prices you'd have to pay in London.

If you're in London check out JP books in the Basement of Mitsukoshi department store on Lower Regent Street off Piccadilly Circus. It has many Japanese textbooks. Unfortunately quite expensive especially if you calculate the exchange rate. The Japan Centre across the road from Tower Records on Piccadilly, is worth a visit too. Again right off Piccadilly Circus.

Harder to find is Adanami Shobo on Brewer Street, again near Piccadilly. (yes Piccadilly area is sort of like a Japan town). This is a second hand Japanese book store with excellent prices. if you can read Japanese. They have lots of older manga. It doesn't have signage but is in an old Dry Cleaners called Deluxe Dry Cleaning, next to an MCP car park. (Brewer Street is on the edge of Soho and starting into dodgey looking shops, so if you have your parents or elderly aunts in tow be warned)

Also... Do you know about JapanesePod101? It's a really fantastic free source for learning Japanese via the web.
http://www.japanesepod101.com/

good luck in your studies. 頑張って下さい〜♪

clartharlear

JapanesePod is excellent, but I think it's more geared to Japanese in Japan. It's great for situations you encounter in Japan, but would it be good for Irish LC study? It's fun and practical, and you know, what does that have to do with the Leaving?
And doesn't it stop being free after a while??

FruitLover

clartharlear wrote: »

And doesn't it stop being free after a while??

Not exactly - certain lessons are only accessible to paying subscribers (as are things like transcripts, kanji guides, etc), but most general lessons are free.

Belton

clartharlear wrote: »

JapanesePod is excellent, but I think it's more geared to Japanese in Japan. It's great for situations you encounter in Japan, but would it be good for Irish LC study?

Well pretty much Japanese is only really useful in talking to Japanese people who tend to live or have lived in Japan. There really is only the "Japanese in Japan".

There's a wider world than the Leaving Cert. I remember the scrabble for points but learning a language is much more useful and will take longer than studying for a Leaving Cert paper. You really have to love it and if you love it you'll find everything about it interesting or useful. (I've forgotten almost all the French and Irish I learnt at school and my self motivated Japanese is much more fluent than they ever were)
(Someone might correct me but I believe undergraduate degrees in Japanese have no requirement to know any Japanese, they teach you it from scratch. Not that having a head start won't help.)

Having a different approach like jPod101 might give you a larger vocabulary which will get you better scores in the writing sections and in the orals. Listening to Japanese will make the aurals easier.
Any wider exposure to the language will reinforce what you've already learnt and improve it. If you improve it you ought to get a higher score.

And to look at it another way I haven't come across a learn "Japanese for the Leaving Cert" site yet.

King Ludvig

martinstatic wrote: »

Okay, I've just finished my JC, and am aiming to do Japanese LC, and the JLPT, hopefully moving there after school, visting Japan next year.

And although my self teaching is going great, and I have Japanese people helping/teachine me over MSN and Skype, I feel that taking Japanese classes is needed to become fluent.

But the problem is, I live a few miles outside Navan, Co Meath, and I can't make it to Dublin every week. And also, places teaching Japanese in Dublin can range up to €200 a week! (I'm not joking) And i don't really have hundreds of euro lying around, although I am dedicated to learning Japanese.

So does anyone know of places near where I am, that would teach Japanese at a not too ridiculous price?


I'm sorta on a downer at spendin 200 quid I don't have...

Any suggestions would be appreciated Thanks in advance

Ashbourne Community School (in Ashbourne ) do Japanese. Its done as a subject for 4th/5th/6th years, and there is also classes put on after school hours for people who do it as a 7th/8th subject. You should give them a ring. I did Japanese there for my LC. The teacher is brillant!!

www.ashcom.ie

BigBenRoeth

Ya you should get a copy of "Nihongo Kantan" and then if you want to you should get "Katakana Kantan" and "Hiragana Kantan".
My Japanese teacher in Gorey Community School wrote that and it takes a really easy approach,definately recommended!

E=McHammer

lol martin i saw the title of this thread and I said to myself "how much do ya bet that's martin" LOLOLOLOLOLOL
it's ryan btw XD

ehraz

Genki 1 and 2 are very good for self study. There is a workbook for each and also CDs.

http://www.amazon.co.jp/GENKI-Integrated-Elementary-Japanese-%E5%88%9D%E7%B4%9A%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E8%AA%9E%E3%81%92%E3%82%93%E3%81%8DI/dp/4789009637/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228632683&sr=8-1

pervertedcoffee

Belton wrote: »

And to look at it another way I haven't come across a learn "Japanese for the Leaving Cert" site yet.

Sorry to bump this thread - I know it's a few years old! I noticed this problem too so I've set up a website to fill this gap:

http://pervertedcoffee.webs.com

I've only just set it up so it still needs a lot of work! But keep an eye on it. I'm trying upload a new 'lesson' everyday.

Hope this helps anyone interested in taking the LC Japanese Exam!

FruitLover

いらっしゃいません　＝＞　いらっしゃいませ

Other than that, nice work.

You might mention the Heisig method in your kanji section though - although it's not necessary for the LC given the limited number of kanji required, it's really the only way to study kanji long-term IMO.

pervertedcoffee

Lol, thanks! I remember seeing いらっしゃいません　in a text book somewhere before...maybe my memory fails me.

In any case I think highly of the Heisig method too but I don't want to give any superfluous information and scare people off! :pac: I'll probably have some sort of 'further study' page eventually where I can include it.

FruitLover

Probably the two most important aspects of the Heisig method are:

a) Using imaginative memory to build a story using the components of a kanji (as opposed to visual memory or rote repetition), thus associating a meaning to the kanji
b) Learning the kanji in a particular order, meaning previously learnt kanji become components, and review of a complex kanji means simultaneous review of the simpler components

At the very least, part a) can effectively be applied to learning the LC kanji.

tmax

A good website:
http://infohost.nmt.edu/~armiller/japanese/japanese.htm

There's a good book by Henshall for kanji

just-joe

Hmmmm this may turn out to be completely useless, but if you check out couchsurfing.com, you might be able to find a conversation group or something similar. It would however most probably involve trips to Dublin though.

Its a travel/culture exchange site, and if you join the Dublin group you could find some Japanese people that would be up for language exchange.

In any case, it would be useful/fun for when ya make it to Japan!