Update 最新

Right... It's been way way too long since I posted on this blog properly, so just to let you know that I'm going to start again! これから日本語の勉強新たに始める！ほんとに！(このポストは日本語が終わった、ごめんね！　Apologies, that's it for the Japanese in this post, I have too much to write!)

I had a fantastic time in England with my family in August. It was very relaxing, but as usual, because it was so nice to see everyone, the time went by much too quickly. I also spent a couple of days in London so managed to see a few friends who live in or near London.

To my shame though, I've been far too lax with the blog, and yes, also with the study... It was a mixture of getting side-tracked with the holiday, bogged down with work when I got back, a little run-down, and discovering I could watch Australian soap operas on mobile youtube (should I really admit to that one...!) I've signed up to do the level 3 exam in December, but really am not very confident that I'll pass. I really need to knuckle down to studying again!

I'm now planning a new trip - I want to go back to Okinawa again for some sun and cycling, so probably planning to go there in December again. Probably the Yaeyama Islands again just because they're easiest to get to by plane and ferry and Ishigaki is cheap to stay on as a base. I have a real draw towards Okinawa, even more than the initial draw towards Japan. I think it's because it's so laid-back and unspoilt in many of the places that I've been. It's just a pity that it's too hot most of the year to live there! Planning a trip like this though makes me aware of how much my Japanese has improved over the last few years - still not that good, but it does at least enable me to Google for events, places, restaurants, hotels etc in Japanese - thereby actually getting useful results. But boy, can it mean sometimes that internet browsing takes a lot of time!

When I think about it, I do a lot of internet shopping (including booking hotels) these days in Japanese. When I get to the stage of not having more than a little smug grin at things actually arriving, I will know that my Japanese really has come on!

Talking of lengthy internet browsing in Japanese... I remember my last trip to Okinawa... My hairdresser lived in Naha for a couple of years and had a restaurant recommendation, I know... talking to my hairdresser... Actually, he is the first hairdresser to get me over my fear of hairdressers - I no longer feel that I'm sitting in an electric chair! Anyway, he recommended a restaurant on the outskirts of Naha City, it sounded really nice as it had a garden and the dishes sounded really nice too. But of course, he only knew the name of the restaurant, and it's impossible to search for a restaurant in Japan in English. Moreover, not only are there are many kanji for the same pronunciation, Okinawan Japanese has different pronunciation, so it took some considerable time to find the address of this restaurant on the internet. But, of course, once done, my phone's GPS could take over so that the friend that I went with and I could easily track it down...

Next time I go back to Naha City itself I want to go to this tree house restaurant in Naha that I found whilst 'stumbling'...
http://damncoolpics.blogspot.com/2008/05/tree-house-restaurant.html
In fact there are so many places I want to try or go back to...!

My study of Japanese Doraemon-style is coming on a treat - it's the one thing that I didn't give up over the holiday - but I am very aware that kiddy comic book Japanese somehow just isn't polite enough... I've also been watching Japanese films - not sure how much it really helps my Japanese, but I do get really into them and at least get the gist and feel as if I've understood it by the end...

Next time, more Japanese... ... ...