Make an audio file from DVD or online video

I use this free software to make audio files from a DVD.
http://www.77freeware.com/freeproduct/ahd_free_dvd_converter.aspx?from=cc

To make an audio file from an online video (such as YouTube), I first
download the video by a Firefox add-on like this one:
http://www.flashvideodownloader.org/helpfirefox.php
and then convert the video file to an audio file, using a free
software like this one:
http://iskysoft-flv-converter.en.softonic.com/

To make an audio file directly from an online-video, use a website like this,
http://www.youtube-mp3.org/


Some of you asked, whether you should watch TV/Movies or listen to it. Which is better? I would say both are good. But I always watch the show first to understand the story (maybe more than once) and do listening after that, many times. One thing really good about listening is that you can do it anytime and anywhere you want, whereas watching requires you to sit in front of the TV or computer. I usually do listening when I walk to school, drive, cook, take a shower, go to sleep, anytime!

Lyrics Master

Download Lyrics Master, free software to automatically download the lyrics to all the songs in your iTunes library (so you can see the lyrics of a song right in front of you when you play the song in your iPhone, iPad, iPod-touch etc.)
http://www.kenichimaehashi.com/lyricsmaster/

Here are some words in the face of the software,
iTunes 連携 = Connect to iTunes
自動検索 = automatic search
連続モード = automatic progression mode


iKara: iTunes plug-in to show the song lyrics in the visualizer of iTunes.
http://nebo.seesaa.net/article/163959121.html

Kanji Vocab Sheet PDF

I made PDF versions of the Kanji Vocab Sheets.

Lesson 15
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/14406494/Kanji%20Vocab%20L15.pdf

Lesson 16
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/14406494/Kanji%20Vocab%20L16.pdf

Lesson 17
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/14406494/Kanji%20Vocab%20L17.pdf

Lesson 18
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/14406494/Kanji%20Vocab%20L18.pdf

Lesson 19
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/14406494/Kanji%20Vocab%20L19.pdf

Game Center CX

GameCenter CX - Episode 113 - Night of the Sickle Weasel （かまいたちの夜）
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIfNCdoa5e0

He spent 17 hours to beat Super Ghouls'n Ghosts （超魔界村） on SNES. It's really inspiring.
GameCenter CX - Episode 52 - Super Ghouls'n Ghosts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK34ZEvEo20

This is one of the best episode of Game Center CX. He plays a high school dating game on PS and He's hilarious doing that!
Game Center CX 13 Tokimeki Memorial　（ときめきメモリアル）
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ribn0ZHBj8U

Kanji Vocab Sheet for Genki Lesson 19

Feel free to download Kanji Vocab Sheet for Genki Lesson 19.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/14406494/Kanji%20Vocab%20L19.docx

Read out-of-print manga for free

In this website, you can read manga free. All the manga here are out of print so it's totally legal.
http://www.j-comi.jp/

Kanji Vocab for Lesson 18

Kanji Vocab for Genki Lesson 18 (Word file) has been completed. Feel free to download!

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/14406494/Kanji%20Vocab%20L18.docx

Funny TV Shows and Manzai

Here are the videos we watched in class today.

サンドウィッチマン　美容院
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaxPpUqgvCI

フットボールアワー　結婚記者会見
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiMelWE2ijo

ダウンタウン　万引き (subtitle)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqdASF1Mbyc


We love ダウンタウン!

ダウンタウン　甘口のカレーライス ？ (subtitle)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfHNvIUWMvI&feature=related

No Laughing in Yugawara (subtitle, 2 hours)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VftQGieEdOU&feature=related

24 hour Endurance Tag (subtitle, 2 hours)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJUZXfGVtEg&feature=relmfu


If you have hard time listening to Kansai dialect, here are some
manzai performances by non-Kansai duo.

ナイツ　（They talk about Miyazaki movies!）
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Afmfw-ufUuU&feature=relmfu

爆笑問題
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uF35y124ikk

さまぁ～ず
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7pnneyoT1U

アンタッチャブル
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvmqM0yq1ps&feature=related

たら（たなら）songs

Here are J-Pop songs whose title have たら

星になれたら　Mr.Children

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VzrWpy42QRM#!

恋におちたら　Crystal Kay
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhD7oHecLvM

There are tons of songs with たなら used the same way as たら.

やさしさに包まれたなら　荒井由実（松任谷由実）　Theme song of Kiki's Delivery Service
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQoGBG3CNNk

もっと強く抱きしめたなら　WANDS　
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN7Zu1-5OAA

僕じゃなかったなら　BONNIE PINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RipylOr57gU

もしもピアノが弾けたなら　西田敏行
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwEmyy_HAcM

Songs for review

For you counter word review.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3PjzsrFQi38

For your verb review
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pdDfyy9-cBs

Additional Kanji Vocab for Genki Lesson 17

Additional Kanji Vocab Sheet for Genki Lesson 17 is now downloadable.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/14406494/Kanji%20Vocab%20L17.docx

Tense in とき clause

I noticed many people are confused about what tense should be used in とき　clause. Apparently the textbook explanation is confusing. For now, I want to say only one thing I think you need to remind:
"present tense" in Japanese is not the same as present tense in English. In Japanese, it's mostly a future action. Sometimes it's habitual action. Please have this in mind and go over the example sentences in the textbook again. See if it does make sense now.

For example, if you say　おもしろい映画を見るとき笑います。　This sounds strange because it sounds like you laugh when you are about to watch a funny movie. It's because of the present tense that's saying a future action. おもしろい映画を見るとき　is referring to a point at which you did not start watching the movie yet. That makes me think why are you laughing before you watch it? Is it out of anticipation? It's weird. You should say 面白い映画を見たとき笑います。Or 面白い映画を見ているとき笑います。

More Doraemon Trivia

Doraemon is a cat-robot.

He used to have ears. But his ears were bitten off by a mouse-robot.

So he is scared of mice.

His favorite food is どら焼き（どらやき）
https://www.google.com/search?q=%E3%81%A9%E3%82%89%E7%84%BC%E3%81%8D&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=CuU&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=imvnse&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=5MBcUKijJ4LA8ASA6IGYAQ&ved=0CC8QsAQ&biw=1094&bih=649

His pocket is called 四次元ポケット（よじげんポケット） - four dimensional pocket.

どこでもドア works like this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=XMekcu9THMg#t=3145s
 
ドラ as in ドラえもん　is a cat's nickname. Other common nicknames of cats are クロ、トラ、ミケ　etc.

ドラえもん　is a pun for どざえもん, which means a drawn dead body.

How to draw ドラえもん

Here is how to draw Doraemon by a song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksCqV7J_PLE
The song is sung by the first voice actor of Doraemon (大山のぶ代) and the drawing was done by the original manga author (藤子・F・不二雄) who already passed. This is epic!

ドラえもん videos

Here is the link to download the Doraemon video we saw today.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/14406494/%E3%83%86%E3%82%B9%E3%83%88%E3%81%AB%E3%82%A2%E3%83%B3%E3%82%AD%E3%83%91%E3%83%B3.mp4

I just found the the same (Ankipan) episode of Doraemon, more recently made.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fz4Dnw06HA

Here is the trailer of the remade version of my favorite Doraemon movie. It's really really cool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oLPTdEqKA4

－てくれてありがとう。

We just learned how to say "Sorry for (doing something)." Here is how to say "Thank you for (doing something)" Similar to -てすみません, you can use te-form with ありがとう（ございます。）

For example,
宿題を手伝ってくれてありがとう。（Thank you for helping me with homework）
迎えに来てくれてありがとう。（Thank you for coming to pick me up）

As in the examples, most of the time you use -てくれてありがとう。 We learned -てくれる as one of grammar topic in the lesson.

Here is a song that contains a log of examples of てくれてありがとう。
井上陽水　奥田民生　－　ありがとう
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QiB5VxtMP4

悲しい時

Examples of ～時 expressions, for Genki Lesson 16.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wN6PzEDHNFk

－てあげる・くれる songs

Here are some songs whose titles are all examples of －てあげる・くれる, lesson 16 grammar.

さよならしてあげる　―　上田まり
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmj-SO195ZA&feature=player_embedded

お嫁さんになってあげないゾ　―　キテレツ大百科（TVアニメ）
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ww-Ir_WvFgw&feature=related

ユア メディスン～私があなたの薬になってあげる　―　一青 窈
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8fhZBRUYTo

あなたがいてくれたから　―　AKB48
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuimplPjA6s&feature=fvwrel

きれいだと言ってくれた　―　宇徳敬子
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKunPNWwTII&feature=related

守ってあげたい　―　松任谷由実
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbsjVANG8Zc

Kanji vocab for Genki Lesson 16

Kanji vocab file for Genki Lesson 16 is available to download:

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/14406494/Kanji%20Vocab%20L16.docx

Vocab with L15 Kanji

Please download the kanji vocab file for Lessson 15 of Genki II at the link below.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/14406494/Kanji%20Vocab%20L15.docx

5 Rangers

I know I showed this before but it is too good not to share, again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3J9vQC02pI&feature=related

You really should start learning Japanese outside of the textbook, as soon as possible.

たとえばの話

This song contains a lot of  かもしれない expressions and potential form expressions.

たとえばの話 ― BONNIE PINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDLZNoFaNJE

See the lyric here
http://j-lyric.net/artist/a0019b9/l00afba.html

Songs you might have seen before

PRIDE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laGU2JOdj8o&list=FLd-X4s4q7MA7Kj2cbYUjvFw&index=1&feature=plpp_video

月が近づけば少しはましだろう
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZOUSG2DI48&feature=related

Read and listen to story books for children

This is a very good learning resource for your listening and reading practice. You can read the story for children as the author read it out loud. Click the book cover on the top to start reading.
http://www.kageki.jp/

あげる songs

ロマンティックあげるよ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5xxIq3biq8

Rock you till the dawn　―　BONNIE PINK
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGarJf06P_A
「く れるならあげるわ」・「くれる人にあげるわ」・「くれるだけあげるわ」
(The collection of random anime in the video is totally unrelated to the song...)

さよならしてあげる　―　上田まり　
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmj-SO195ZA

あなたならどうする

What would you do if you got dumped.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVkqBiXuD4s 

She is giving you three options: cry, walk, or die?

Don't Talk to Britney Spears like this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdvpQRwV4-4

In this conversation (rude), they used a lot of grammar expression we have learned such as んです、し-ending、とか、ことがある、てみる、-てもらう etc.

傘がない

This song contains 「なくちゃ」 and 「だろう」 in the chorus.

傘がない　ｂｙ　井上陽水
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KroTX5chlA

井上陽水　is a very famous, respected singer of J-Pop and J-Folk.

貴方の恋人になりたいのです

This song by 阿部真央 contains many たい(I want to ...) expressions.

貴方の恋人になりたいのです (I want to be your girlfriend)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS90aE8_dUQ

Poetry reading in Japanese

This video is a poetry reading of 谷川俊太郎（たにかわしゅんたろう, my favorite Japanese poet） performed by 佐藤浩市（さとうこういち）
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7QU3AL6TDQ
The poem contains many "short form + と + いうこと" phrases.　と is a quote maker. いうこと is a "short form plus noun" format.
For example, 生きているということ means the fact I am alive.

Can you use タメ口 (same age speach) with elders?

Be careful for using informal short forms with elders.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIPDyI0EJvY