Sometimes as I try to speak, I find myself trying to take an English sentence in my head and convert it verbatim to Japanese. At dinner one night, I wanted to say something to the effect of:
"The immigration issue in America is different (than Japan) because as polarized as it is, every single (Non-Native American) citizen came from somewhere else a few generations ago."

So while I have a month off I am focusing on preparation and review. In America, review (復習-fukushuu) is a common study method, of course. But here in Japan, equally ubiquitous is yoshuu (予習) or studying ahead. At first it seemed kind of strange to study lessons I hadn't worked on with the teacher, but it's become a necessary tool. At the rate we study, the only way I can survive is to come into class with a fair idea of what we are going to work on. If I have any questions, I can ask, but during the class, we practice the pronunciation and usage. The rules, etc. I work on at home.

I was talking to a couple of aquaintences, one of whom is an English (ESL) teacher.  I was telling the other about  the differences in  grammar. The English  teacher remarked that Japanese grammar is much easier than English. Now he doesn't speak Japanese, but does speak Spanish and teaches at a reputable school, so I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I am not so sure I agree.

Shinjuku is the heart of Tokyo. It's probably the first place people think of for nightlife, shopping, and dining, really without leaving the station proper, but make sure you walk around. Take the Kabukicho exit out of the station and walk around the that area.

Advise.

If you live in Tokyo for more than a month, you have probably learned the shuffle/waddle you use to navigate the crowds. It's amazing how this wears me out. If you come to Akihabara, and want to enjoy the atmosphere, by all means come here on a weekend and waddle around. If you want to shop for video games, manga, computer parts, anything electronic basically, I was here on a Monday at about 11:00 am and it was cheez-whiz.

I got back the end of the semester test and I did really well, 6th in the class! It's probably the best I have done on a test this semester. Today was the Kanji test, I think I did ok, but it was hard. I stayed up till 2 last night studying, and got up at 6 this morning to study more. Still I hope I break 80. Not too sure...

Lately I ask my girlfriend to read to me. When I listen to her read, it helps me with my pronunciation and flow. Also it reminds me of how pretty Japanese sounds coming from a native speaker, as opposed to the oral butchering it receives from me:)

The Foreign words always stick out to me. My teacher says that they sound cool to Japanese. I can do without them.

I hate proofreading. Anything I write, I never want to read again, I am immediately embarrassed by it. I wonder what that means, I've been like that my whole life. Lately, I have forced myself to confront this phobia, but this blog is a rather large step for me.

I went to see an exhibit on Buddhist statues at The Tokyo National Museum this weekend. Yes, I am a putz for not having been to Ueno before now. The museum itself is sprawling with (I think) 3 buildings, a Japanese garden, a park built around it. It's like the Met in NYC, you will give up before you see eveything.

Afterwards, we went to a little shochu bar in Ueno. There is a big market where you can buy clothes, souvenirs, and food. They will bargain with you and the whole atmosphere is loud and lively. It really should be on everyone's list if they come here.

Once I was talking to my girlfriend about how much I love my little neigborhood, as we were walking through it. She kind of shrugged and commented on the ordinary-ness of it. Japan to me is full of places like this, nothing outstanding, until you get comfortable in them, like an old pair of jeans.