tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57626529133663027662009-10-28T21:27:00.844+01:00Benii-sanA blog about my interests in JapanSecurity4allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09433979568731690987noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762652913366302766.post-51147695653853545772009-10-28T21:21:00.002+01:002009-10-28T21:27:00.851+01:002009-10-28T21:27:00.851+01:005 Tips when you travel to Tokyo for the first timeSpotted these 5 tips on gotsaga.com that were not too bad. I'm leaving for Tokyo in a few days and might post a few tips of my own!!!Security4allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09433979568731690987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762652913366302766.post-84352392550053019672009-10-13T11:17:00.001+02:002009-10-13T11:17:00.233+02:002009-10-13T11:17:00.233+02:00Flea Markets in JapanA great tip from Steve Nagata:Flea Markets are becoming quite popular in Japan. In Akihabara, the Mottainai Flea market takes place about once a month outside the UDX building near Akiba station.Here you can find anything from used clothing to Gun-pura to old computers to figures. Sometimes the prices are kind of high, but usually things are reasonable. I found more information on this website:Security4allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09433979568731690987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762652913366302766.post-60195244826360416372009-10-12T15:47:00.001+02:002009-10-12T15:47:00.148+02:002009-10-12T15:47:00.148+02:0053 ways to explore Tokyo on footWhile preparing our trip to Tokyo, I found this resource.http://www.tourism.metro.tokyo.jp/english/tourists/guideservice/route/list.htmlI'm sure I'll try one or two of these routes if the weather is not too bad (or cold).(Photo under creative commons from jamesjustin's photostream)Security4allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09433979568731690987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762652913366302766.post-15445349287288265612009-10-11T12:36:00.005+02:002009-10-11T15:18:36.571+02:002009-10-11T15:18:36.571+02:00Japan Spring 2009Wauw, I'm a bit ashamed of not putting any updates on this blog. This is going to change!First of all, I finally managed to put all my pictures online of the trip. I put some descriptions in the titels but no details yet. Have a look at the 564 photos I uploaded. I hope to publish more detailed stories about our journey.So I passed my first year of にほんご and I started my second year. In three Security4allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09433979568731690987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762652913366302766.post-20169006603465405722009-03-15T13:06:00.005+01:002009-03-28T20:13:57.058+01:002009-03-28T20:13:57.058+01:00Picking up where I left off.It's been 14 September since my last blogpost. I underestimated some projects among other my Japanese class. So this meant I neglected this blog for far too long. What happened?I struggled through until my midterm exams of January. I wanted to pick up the slack during the xmas period but the flu sabotaged those plans. Luckily after cramming for 2 weekends, I still managed to get a 70% on the Security4allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09433979568731690987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762652913366302766.post-7029349413954703092008-09-14T20:02:00.005+02:002008-09-14T20:09:33.978+02:002008-09-14T20:09:33.978+02:00F.A.C.T.S. - A Belgian Anime Convention (and much much more)The 11th and 12th of October, it's time for F.A.C.T.S. An occasion any anime fan from the Benelux shouldn't miss. It isn't only about Anime but it's the biggest one we got.The F.A.C.T.S. convention is organized once a year by Con-Fuse bvba, an organisation promoting Science Fiction, Comics, Fantasy and Japanese animation. Con-Fuse bvba creates a forum for all fans of the "fantastic genre", givingSecurity4allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09433979568731690987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762652913366302766.post-54599398713533593342008-09-14T13:39:00.004+02:002008-09-14T13:54:51.450+02:002008-09-14T13:54:51.450+02:00A lot of resources for the Japanese languageThe following list of links might help people like me who are starting to learn Japanese.Character and Writing:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_wr iting_system - A Wiki article on historical development of Japanese writing systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoiku_kanj i - List of kanjis to be learnt in elementary school with the pronunciations and meanings.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security4allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09433979568731690987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762652913366302766.post-37270186994201612902008-09-14T12:52:00.003+02:002008-09-14T13:36:12.027+02:002008-09-14T13:36:12.027+02:00Benii-san is alive !!!No, I'm not dead. I just neglected this blog somewhat. But that is going to change.I have subscribed myself at the Centrum voor Levende Talen to follow Japanese classes (finally) like I planned and I will blog about my progress.Although it's not Japanese, I tried out Tai Chi today. I have done Japanese martial arts for years but that was ages ago. Tai Chi seemed interesting to learn some Security4allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09433979568731690987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762652913366302766.post-63313838303768944822008-07-12T21:30:00.004+02:002008-12-09T02:36:52.569+01:002008-12-09T02:36:52.569+01:00The biggest Japanese garden in EuropeWell, it's not always possible to go often to Japan. So let's let Japan come to us.Better then a museum, a Japanese garden lets you meet with the rich culture from the land of the rising sun. Respect for nature, for the beauty of the environment, religions, philosophy, ... it's all weaven into the garden design.With a surface of about 25.000 m², the Japanese Garden in Hasselt is the largest Security4allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09433979568731690987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762652913366302766.post-67598847811007259002008-07-12T17:21:00.006+02:002008-12-09T02:36:52.733+01:002008-12-09T02:36:52.733+01:00Preparing for the JLPT examMy first goal is to pass the JLPT 4 exam. Abstract from wikipedia:The Japanese Language Proficiency Test (日本語能力試験, nihongo nōryoku shiken?), or JLPT, is a standardized test to evaluate and certify the language proficiency of non-native Japanese speakers. It is held once every year, on the first Sunday of December. The JLPT has four levels beginning at level 4 and progressing to level 1 - the mostSecurity4allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09433979568731690987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762652913366302766.post-87481829121763162062008-06-25T16:57:00.003+02:002008-12-09T02:36:52.836+01:002008-12-09T02:36:52.836+01:00Upcoming anime seriesNot having seen any new Anime for some time, I stumbled upon this image on a forum listing upcoming OVA series for the summer of 2008. One of them is a remake of an old manga series I know: Cobra. One of the series I knew from Club Dorothée from TF1. Click on the image for more details.A nice change from the still ongoing Naruto & Bleach. One of the latest Anime I have seen was Death Note. Also Security4allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09433979568731690987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762652913366302766.post-53631961893012987772008-06-25T13:29:00.004+02:002008-12-09T02:36:53.014+01:002008-12-09T02:36:53.014+01:00Looking for travel informationWell, I wanted to look up some travel information for the upcoming trip to Japan. Where could I find information about hotels, places to visit, local customs, restaurants, etc....?There are probably a lot of websites but I started with Virtualtourist.com. It's a site by and for travelers. You can make a profile and describe all the places you visited (or lived in) and provide useful Security4allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09433979568731690987noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762652913366302766.post-80218797825606721182008-06-24T19:42:00.003+02:002008-12-09T02:36:53.224+01:002008-12-09T02:36:53.224+01:00Back to schoolI'm planning to start evening classes next september. Since I live in Antwerp, I thought it would be best to take classes at the Centrum voor Volwassenenonderwijs LBC-NVK 'Borgerhout'.The curriculum for 2008-2009 [pdf] was already online and I had a look. There are four levels of languages from basic to advanced. The first year normally consists of 2 years. For Japanese, this is four Security4allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09433979568731690987noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5762652913366302766.post-46705451836640406192008-06-23T17:20:00.001+02:002008-12-09T02:36:53.339+01:002008-12-09T02:36:53.339+01:00Why Japan?People sometimes ask me: 'Why do you like Japan (or the Japanese culture) that much?It all started when my father started a Jiu-Jitsu club when I was around nine years old. Of course, I had to join from my father. In the beginning, it was somewhat against my will but I soon started enjoying it. I followed Jiu-Jitsu for about ten years till I went to the university. During the last years, I tried Security4allhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09433979568731690987noreply@blogger.com1