Learning Japanese through popular media

A hearty hello to all of you amazing Japanese learners. Today we are going to be talking all about learning Japanese through popular media. Everything from anime to music and beyond. Our mission is to give you some fantastic information around integrating things you already like to do with Japanese learning to help you improve your Japanese. We want to make sure these sources are accessible to all and also make sure that they are inexpensive to access too.

How to make Japanese learning a part of your enjoyable daily routine

We will be breaking down today’s lesson into the following segments:

• Learning Japanese through anime – Watch and learn through Japanese most loved media form
• Learning Japanese through drama – Dive into some interesting tv shows and learn how to learn best from them
• Learning Japanese through apps – Get out your phones, it’s time to learn how to benefit from your free time with Japanese apps.
• Learn Japanese through manga – For those bookworms it’s time to get reading and learn Japanese through manga
• Learn Japanese through music – Learn Japanese while on the move through the power of music.

If you find yourself drawn more towards a topic you prefer feel free to skip over to that. We do believe that all sections will provide a fantastic opportunity to learn new techniques however, so if you can please read the full thing.

So without further hesitation let’s jump right in and learn how to integrate Japanese learning into your life through modern media.

Learning Japanese through anime – Watch and learn through Japanese most loved media form

So anime … If you’re reading this article then you probably know a thing or two about it. From the ninja battles to the high school crushes there is a whole host to choose from.

People say that you can’t learn from anime because it’s too informal and can sometimes sound too dramatic and unnatural. That may be true in some cases but the majority of dialogue is really useful to know.

Anime is a great way to test your listening and comprehension ability. The best way to learn is to watch through with subtitles first then watch again without them. If you hear a word that you don’t understand and it interests you, write it down and check it out later. Most of all, have fun with it. One episode a day before bed can keep your Japanese mind switched on and alert too.

Sites like crunchy roll are a great place to watch anime on a subscription basis as their library is pretty endless. Big players like Netflix have also realised the rising demand for anime and also acted accordingly, as they now have 100s of different shows with various series that you can watch easily and inexpensively.

Learning Japanese through drama – Dive into some interesting tv shows and learn how to learn best from them

Much like anime dramas can also be found in the same places. Dramas use much more realistic language and have a slower pace most of the time.

There are dramas in all sorts of genres to suit your tastes too.

A great tip to integrate this into your everyday Japanese journey is to download the audio from an episode and listen to the same piece 3 – 4 time in a week. You can do this while on the move too so that is a really efficient way to learn.

Learning Japanese through apps – Get out your phones, it’s time to learn how to benefit from your free time with Japanese apps.

With the rise of technology nowadays apps are plentiful. Here are some of the most useful Japanese ones.

Satori Reader: Read Japanese stories and articles for all levels at the touch of a button

Hello Talk: Make friends and communicate with Japanese people who want to learn English. It’s the perfect exchange and you get to make friends and improve your speaking ability at the same time.

FluentU: Do fun daily Japanese activities to help with grammar

Wanikani: Become a kanji master with fun daily pictograms and spaced repetition learning.

Perfect time killer if you are travelling or stuck somewhere with nothing to do.

Learn Japanese through manga – For those bookworms it’s time to get reading and learn Japanese through manga

Now for all of those old school readers out there Manga is still very popular and accessible. However, to be able to buy it in Japanese form you are better off buying that from Japanese sites and shipping it over.

Settle down with a nice engaging manga and work on your reading skills.

Learn Japanese through music- Learn Japanese while on the move through the power of music.

Lastly, music is a real motivator for those low energy times. If you switch your music listening time to Japanese you will benefit from the unconscious learning effect. Start off with love songs at a slower pace as faster songs will most definitely discourage you. You can use apps like spotify or youtube to find recommendations for some great music.

Try and write the lyrics from your favourite songs as a great learning exercise to try at home next time you want to do something different.

Remember to actually implement these techniques guys, they are going to be really advantageous for your ongoing learning.

Well guys, there it is, another fantastic Japanese lesson checked off the list today. We hope that you have enjoyed today’s online Japanese article from Bondlingo and are now able to integrate modern media learning into your daily lifestyle. We do hope to see you again soon. You guys are doing really well with taking the initiative to go out of your own way to learn in your own time so we just want to give you a well deserved hug and a big round of applause. If you have any questions or suggestions on future content you would like us to talk about, please do get in touch. Until the next time, またね.