http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=OJ-ac-uVaFA (probably not safe for work) Absolutely hilarious, especially the practical part at the end. Thanks to GP for the link @gamengai.
You have any idea why those learn-xlanguage shows are so popular in Japan? We don't have a single one in TV, but when I was in Japan in once saw shows for French, English, German, Spanish and Indian on the same evening.
Because they love to look cleaver without actually knowing anything. Ever wondered why Japanese all go to night school? because normal schools teach you pretty much sod all or at least at elementary and junior school level. I'm always surprised by how much "Common knowledge" my wife and Japanese friends just have no idea about. Saying that, they could tell me some bizarre fact about some country I have no interest in :lol: Yakumo
That's one thing I really love about Japanese TV. Austria used to have these kinds of programmes in the early 90s and then canned them for some more generic crap. You could argue if they are actually useful with instructors using Japanese 90% of the time but they are accessible and can be a starting point to learn something about another culture. This is what state TV should be like. And they are a good way of learning Japanese too. Now there even is one programme aimed at teaching Japanese to non-Japanese speakers. I really wish this idea would be realized in the future in Europe. I think it would have a good effect on cultural awareness. Just imagine programmes for Turkish or Serbian (besides the "cooler" European languages) in countries like Germany or Austria.
We used to get Japanese for beginners stuff on BBC2 late at night (part of the BBC's 'Open University' range of programming). They were not bad, I think I taped a few!
I remember those BBC 2 shows. I used to watch them before I moved here. I remember one where the Japanese host asked a Japanese school boy if he liked English. He said no because it takes too long to write, :lol: Idiot. And Kanji doesn't? Yakumo
that it does but it looks sod all like the stuff they say it's based upon. Well, maybe a few do but the others must have been made up by some ancient Chinese guy spaced out of his head. So when he saw the moon he instantly thought it looked like a rectangle with a few lines in it :lol: Yakumo
The education system is a perfect example of awful ideas, culminating into a festering pile of horse shit. Everyone here knows I generally cringe at broad, sweeping statements. This one holds true though. The Japanese education system is fucked up on EVERY fucking level. For those that don't know, here's the low down: In the west, you go to school to get an education and ultimately a job. Makes sense that each level would be a preparation for the next, right? Apparently nobody thinks so in Japan. -Entry into schools is in large part based on your last school of attendance. This isn't just in higher levels, but trickles down all the way to the fucking nursery. You can effectively ruin your child's life by sending them to a bad day care. This retarded way of thinking will follow you all the way to the employer. Most hot shot Japanese companies only hire out of schools like Toudai*, and only give management positions to those people (despite the fact that the person might be a tool). So, all someone has to do to get into a good college is go to the right day care? Of course not, now you've got these stupid fucking juken tests that destroyed children's lives. There is no standardized test for university in Japan (US's ACT/SAT equivalent). So each school has their own. Some are weighted far different than others. The kicker is, High School doesn't even come close to preparing students for this fuck job of a test, so they go cram schools after REAL school 5 days a week. So, kids go to school from 8AM to 8PM. They must learn a lot. Well, yeah, if you consider reading off facts sheet of paper good, or perhaps some ridiculous math question. Real life situations though, and watch the deer hit the headlights. 12 hours of note taking a day is no substitute for an hour or two of structured discussion. It's this method of teaching that makes Japan's average English level laughable. I'd punch myself in the balls if I took foreign language lessons from grades 6 - 12 and couldn't spit a sentence out. Boy, that was rant, eh? I mean it's not all ham's and plaque in the US. The US has probably the best University system on the planet, and maybe the worst for High School. Their method of thinking isn't nearly as backwards as Japan though. *Toudai (Tokyo University). Japan's top rated university... which would rank somewhere around 500 in the US.
Gaijin Punch's rant was well needed. He hit the nail right on the head with that one. I'm no gunnies (nor some dumb ass) yet I know more about most pratical stuff needed for life than any of my Japanese friends apart from pointless stats to speed mathematics. My Japanese male friends can't even do simple car maintenance such as changing the battery or car oil. I nearly choked on my tea the first time one of them told me he pays a garage every time he changes his oil! From my 11 years here, to me the education system out side of school (since they do sweet F.A. in there) consists of cramming your brain full of stats and remembering them. Call me crazy but I thought the idea of learning was to be able figure something out then be able to use and adopt it depending on the situation. Yakumo
