Well, the last few days I haven't really been feeling up to studying in the traditional sense of the word (at my desk for hours, pouring over textbooks and lectures and workbooks, with my dictionary at my side for those tricky words or kanji that my brain just doesn't want to remember), so I have been doing something a little more fun instead. I have been watching anime in Japanese, which is a lot of fun, and a good way to ensure that I am exposed to the language as much as possible even when I am really not feeling 100% I always get excited when I recognise a word or phrase, and it is fun explaining little jokes that rely on the language to others (for example, the 'Shiroishi' joke in Lucky Star). I have been watching Lucky Star, Higurashi, and Usagi Drop mostly the last few days. Also, I am debating whether or not to pick up a 3DS LL while I am in Japan. Gaming is another one of my favourite past times, and being able to play games in Japanese would also be a fun way to try to learn some more of the language (also, there are a lot of Japanese games that just don't get released in Australia... sigh). If I can find one that isn't too expensive while I am over there next month, then maybe I will buy one. The only question now is, which design do I choose? I find myself partial to the Disney design (I am a massive fan), and the Triforce design. But, it all really comes down to price and availability. Blasted region locking... | |
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Despite the fact that my birthday is not until the 30th of July, yesterday my mum dropped by my apartment to gift me with a Japanese electronic dictionary. I cannot tell you how excited I was to receive it! Firstly, I was overly excited by the fact that it actually came from Japan, and that my parents paid for it in yen! The package that it came in was covered in Japanese stickers and forms, and the invoice is in Japanese too. I opened the box, and when I unwrapped the actual dictionary (which was wrapped in that foam sheeting), I was so happy. It looks absolutely gorgeous. Mum and dad got me the white model. It is sleek and a perfect size in my opinion. It feel wonderful in my hands, and it is really light, so portability is not an option. Interestingly, this dictionary takes 2 AA batteries. I was really expecting it to have it's own rechargeable battery. But, apparently a lot of Japanese batteries are illegal to export, so the battery situation makes sense. I like it really. It means that you don't have to constantly charge it, and AA batteries are relatively easy to locate here. The batteries are supposed to last for 130 hours, depending on voice and backlight use on the dictionary.
I have fiddled with it a little bit. I cannot read a lot of kanji, so it was tricky to find the English-Japanese and Japanese-English dictionaries, but I did eventually find them (amongst 150 or so dictionaries and books). As I only received it last night, I have not had a lot of time to really get a feel for it and it's usefulness, but when I have used it a little bit more, I will post another entry with more details, and most likely upload a video about it : ) |