2013: A Year in Hobbies

The most popular place in Tokyo to spend New Year's Eve--in Nanoblocks (fitting isn't it)

 

 

Despite what people might think, Christmas is not necessarily the greatest time for hobbyists.  Yes, Christmas brings the potential of much wanted presents for the hobbyist.  It might also bring a good boxing day sale (as it did in my case) but that doesn't mean there really is time to actually do anything.  Christmas is so full of stuff that the real hobby season may not begin until the start of the new year.

I know there are people out there who had planned and executed their Christmas shopping and preparation by September.  Those people probably have had lots of time to play with trains or build model cars.  Based on what people on my favourite train site are saying, there seems to have been lots of time to improve their models and run quite a few trains.

I have not been blessed with too many vacation days--yes, I am that guy.  They guy you see marching off to work like some lemming every morning while you are still in your PJs enjoying that first cup of coffee.  While this may sound like sour grapes (and at times it is) I was still better off than the people around here who didn't have power until Christmas day.  Even if those people had the day off, they couldn't have run trains or powered an airbrush.

 

The new year is upon us, and I should take stock of the --in terms of hobbies.  Life has been pretty full, but I'd rather focus on what this blog is supposed to focus on.

• I have enjoyed blogging and while this blog's readership has been growing slowly, the blog that I set up to help my students' English has done remarkably well.  I have even done a good job of preparing and working ahead, so I don't need to panic the day before a lesson is supposed to be published.

• I have reconnected with the Nscale.net website and have enjoyed their advice and stories as part of my effort to build my n scale train layout.

• I have built and painted several models, and can feel good about my improvement in these areas.

• I have spent time running trains and have reignited my passion in this area.

• I have come to love Nanoblocks, but hate that they aren't as readily available as their big brother Lego.  While they are popping up at toy stores, they soon sell out and restocking seems to take months.

• My passion for reading allowed me to read 44 novels this year.  While this is by no means a record for myself, I think it isn't too bad since for a quarter of the year I had my head buried in ESL methodology books.

• I found time to do a few Jigsaw puzzles, but wonder what to do with them after they are built.

• I have watched far too much YouTube, but I am happy that the few things I have posted have seemed popular.  Though, honestly, I am not sure why unboxing the Statue of Liberty Nanoblock kit is so popular.  Maybe one of you could watch it and let me know.

• It hasn't been a stellar year for practicing Japanese, but I still feel good about my ability.

In my next blog, I will look ahead to the coming year and what joy it may bring.   Thanks for reading.

 

 

A Japanese Moment

A Japanese Matsuri, or festival, was held in Toronto today.  Things Japanese took over the Yonge and Dundas Square.  As a fan of things Japanese, and lover of Japanese food (over the top five-star cuisine as well as homey festival food) I decided to partake of the event.

It was pleasant to walk around and hear the sounds of Japanese mixed with the tones of tourists asking questions.  It was nice to smell the wonderful cooking odours of takoyaki, and karage.  It took me back some seventeen years to festivals past. to parts of my life that seem so remote from now, but really aren't so far removed.

I think of Japanese festivals held down by the edges of rivers, hundreds of stalls (Toronto had maybe a dozen) selling all manner of grilled things, fireworks lighting up the night sky, children panning for goldfish, and people enjoying beer.  Sometimes I feel like I have come so far and other times I feel like I have gone so far.  Strange journey I have undertaken, which has, for this afternoon at least, left me melancholy.

Too Much vs Not Enough

 

 

If I didn't include the vast amount of "things Japanese" that I am interested in, I would have to say that building things (plastic models, nanoblocks, etc) is my hobby.  I built cars, motorcycles, trucks, military vehicles, planes, ships and even buildings.  I think model kits and the like are just fantastic.

I am wondering, though, what exactly is "enough".  I have watched some great TV programs (plamo tsukuro--a Japanese model program that you should be able to find on YouTube if they don't delete it, which is truly fantastic) and been to some shows to see the expert work of some people.  In the show I mentioned they labour for a long time over small details.  They spend vast sums of money on detail parts.  It is truly incredible.  As stated before, I have never completed a model I was truly satisfied with.  I have had one or two really good paint jobs, one or two good ideas, maybe even one or two of my decals has actually gone in the right place..... but never anything approaching expert level.

Is it because I am not enough of a perfectionist?  As already demonstrated, I get bored easily, and quickly change to other hobbies and interests.  I don't really want to do the same thing for too long a period of time.  I have had a couple of models on my workbench, and I am thinking that I would rather just chuck them out, than complete them (though that won't happen, they may have to go back in the box for a while).

One of my friends is a perfectionist.  He will spend a lot of time on one model.  He has been working on one warhammer figure for a long time now. (I won't tell you how long, because in all fairness, I have no idea)  Needless to say, when he gets done, it will be fantastic--show worthy.  When I get done, I am not sure if it is even personal showcase worthy.  Sometimes, I just chalk them up to a "personal experiment."  Which is probably a euphemism for mistake.

Spending a lot of time and money on a hobby isn't really bad.  When you figure the dollar value versus the time you spent, there are certainly other interests that cost more.  An hour or two at the pub costs more than a model and paint.  Which one takes more time....well for me, the model will last months.

The question remains.  How far should you take it, and what are you willing to settle for?

Japanese Cargo Trains

 

 

I just wanted to put some shots of some of my other Japanese cargo trains.....in case there were some train fans out their reading this blog.

 

I think these mini tankers are kind of cool.  I don't know what they are called, but do like them.  The ones on the right are undecorated, but someone put the sticker numbers on them already.  I will have to paint over them and apply some new letters--sounds like a project.

 



An overhead view.

I am interested in Japanese cargo trains for a couple of reasons.  The first is that I seem to have an over exaggerated interest in anything Japanese.  If you've been reading this blog, you already know that.  The second is the sheer novelty of it.  These cargo trains are quite different from the ones we have in North America.  The third is that their way of doing things is different.  You don't need to have a bunch of different cars, just different cargo add- ons.  This is the same rail car as in previous shots, just with different card put on top.  Seems pretty cool to me, but I would love to hear from other N scale railroaders about their opinions.

Most of what I have seen in hobby shops around here are just Japanese bullet trains.  Nobody seems to have cargo trains.  It is too bad, because they are cool.

An Easy Place to Have a Conversation

I don't spend a lot of time talking to random people in public.  I am friendly, just not that outgoing.  I don't really want to bother people.  The funny thing is, that usually doesn't apply to visits to the hobby store.  In the hobby store, or at hobby shows, I find myself drawn into all kinds of conversations--sometimes not even about hobbies.

 

 

If I had to guess, I would say that there is something special about hobby shops.  The atmosphere lends itself to conversations that you might not otherwise have.  This is true of other hobby related shops as well.  I have had some rather interesting conversations at comic books stores...but since everyone has seen episodes of The Big Bang Theory, this is no longer a nerd only shared mystery.  Some people might think that the show is an exaggeration.....how wrong they would be.

The hobby shop, or comic book shop, or some other specialist shop, is an easy place to have a conversation.  Most people have too much knowledge to contain within themselves for too long, so they have to let it out.  Most of the time the advice I have received has been wonderful and amazing.  Some times I took it, and sometimes I didn't--sometimes that was a smart move, and sometimes I regret not taking it....such is life.

The most interesting of these times for me were in Japan.  Hobby nerd that I am --I wish I could say hobby professional, but until this blog is seen by thousands I day, I can't really do that..... but I digress.  Hobby nerd that I am, I have been to hobby shops in Japan.  I have been to model shops, train shops, electronic shops.  Yes, I have been to the nerd Mecca of Akihabara.  My Japanese is pretty good, but I always feel better when I can strike up a conversation in a hobby shop.  I come away feeling pretty good about my skills, and I have usually picked up quite a few words to add to my vocabulary.

For those of you who are even less outgoing than myself, but still want to strike up a conversation, I suggest wondering something out loud.  It should work like a charm.

Hi Soft Caramels (part 2)

I forgot to include some shots of what the actual product looks like.  I remember taking the picture, but don't know why I didn't include it.  I found it a few minutes ago, and thought that I had better put it up, so you (my loyal audience) could see what was inside.
Hope you enjoy it.

Hi Soft Caramels

Long time readers (I am allowed to say that now, aren't I? It has almost been a year) will know that I have more than a passing affinity for Japan.  I consider it my second home, and I try hard to maintain my connections to it.  When it comes to hobbies, Japan is Nirvana.  In no other place are you allowed, perhaps encouraged is a better word, to deeply develop your hobbies.

Today's entry isn't about hobbies in Japan, but rather just a shot of some caramels that I bought today.  I visited the Japanese grocery store to have some lunch and to see what kind of stuff they had for sale.  I don't get there as often as I used to, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.  Today, I picked up some candy.  Today I picked up one of my favourite candies.

When I was a kid Kraft used to sell toffee, or caramels.  I distinctly remember the pink or blue wrappers as well as the clear cellophane ones.  I googled, but couldn't find the coloured wrapper ones.  Maybe I am imagining it.

Back to the Japanese caramels.  I am not sure why I started buying them in Japan.  Perhaps the name attracted me.  Perhaps I was feeling like a daredevil (in Japan this can lead to wonderfully good surprises--coffee milkshakes, to super epic fails--fish and corn filled buns).  Perhaps I figured there would be chocolate in the box.  Whatever the reason, I have loved them ever since.  I have consumed many boxes of them.  I consumed them in Japan, and since coming back.

They used to have a small picture card inside the box.  I thought those days were gone, but the box that I bought had a picture of a cat from Shimane Prefecture.  Maybe they are reviving the tradition.  One day, like the phone cards, I will scan in my collection of these cards.

If you're ever in Japan, or in an Asian supermarket, be sure and try them out.  If you are interested in Japanese treats, there are some great blogs.  My favourite is by the same blogger who writes about the "things that she will and won't miss when leaving Japan."  You can find a link to it on the right hand side of this blog.

Japan and Things Japanese



 a collection of great Japanese magazines

I don't want people to think I have an unhealthy obsession with Japan.  However, after looking at my posts, I am forced to conclude that obsession is a pretty good word to describe the relationship between Japan and myself.

Before anyone starts jumping to conclusions, my obsession does not get anywhere near either cosplay or AKB48.  My obsession seems to take other forms...many other forms.



A fantastic (but sadly gone) magazine

Anyone who has been reading this blog had probably already concluded that Japan and things Japanese have a strong place in my life.  A lot of my hobbies and hobby equipment come from Japan.  This includes Tamiya and Fujimi model kits.  It also includes Japanese language learning materials.  On top of that, I love some Japanese sports like Sumo, or the Hanshin Tigers Baseball team.  Don't forget some of my trains and die-cast miniature cars.



This passion which borders on obsession has always been a big part of my life, and did not end with living there for several years.  It has survived at least five return visits and the whole plethora of experiences that go with them.  Though I don't live there, I keep several reminders of my time in Japan.



A list of the Sumo rankings

These reminders almost represent an inadvertent collection, but, in fact, aren't.  They represent a very conscious decision to keep these mementos around.  Some are classy, some are a little tacky, and some are just cardboard boxes that once had candy in them.  It is a collection whose only purpose is to make me smile at some fleeting memories.

I am sure I will continue to amass things from Japan (including the wonderful, wacky and weird) I only hope I can show some restraint.



delicious caramels

For the Love of Movies

 

I love movies.  I am not really sure how I came to fall in love with movies, but I really like them. When I was young, before we had so many channels, I loved staying up to watch the late movie on TV.  I remember staying up till four o'clock in the morning to watch The Great Escape for the first time.  Now, I can just call it up on demand.  While the task is less satisfying, at least the movie still holds its own.

I like all kinds of movies and genres.  I love science fiction, drama, comedy and action.  I like war movies and kung-fu movies.  I don't care whether they are in colour or in black and white.  There is nothing better than sitting on the couch watching a well made film.

yes, I still have VHS tapes

I don't really have a favourite type of movie, but I am quite fond of Japanese movies. (I know,  big surprise)  When I say that most people think of animated movies (which are also good) like the ones by Hayao Miyazaki.  These movies are great, but they are not my at the top of my list.  I tend to either favour classic samurai movies, some Japanese film noire or modern avant-garde stuff.

Growing up in Canada, I was not exposed to many foreign films.  I had seen a few of the French New Wave films, but not much else.  I remember trying to get someone to go see Nikita with me, and failing miserably.  Most of my friends tastes did not extend to foreign cinema.  In fact, besides Godzilla, I don't think I saw a Japanese film until I had actually lived in Japan.  Once, a friend and I planned to go to a showing of the Seven Samurai, but gave up when we realized that the film would end far to late to catch the subway home.

Winona Ryder

In case you are jealous, rest assured, my Japanese, while pretty good,  does not afford me enough courage to turn off the subtitles.  I have watched lots of TV shows without translation, but movies require a lot of concentration for a far greater amount of time. 

The funniest incident happened to me when I rented Jim Jarmusch's Night on Earth while staying in Japan.  I really wanted to see the movie because Winona Ryder was in it.  I didn't realize, however, that the movie was in three other languages besides English.  This wouldn't have been a problem in Canada because I could have read the subtitles.  In Japan, that meant Japanese subtitles.  At least it seemed like a good movie.

If you've never seen a good Japanese film, I suggest doing a little research and trying one of two out.

YouTube, MeTube

Shortly the new fall TV season will be in full swing.  We will be deluged with soon forgotten, poorly conceived, badly acted and oddly contrived manifestations from Hollywood.    There will be a bunch of sitcoms, cop shows, and the odd drama.  Of course there will be a huge pile (and I use this word very knowingly) of unreal reality shows.  Through it all, even if I should somehow be caught up in the hype, I will never let it interfere with my two addictions--hockey and YouTube.

Of course the NHL may have beaten me to the punch and ruined the upcoming season.  I could start a rant--should start a rant--but I won't.  I am not sure blogger would really allow all the bad words that I would have to use for my anger to subside.

As for YouTube.... what's not to like about it...except that I seem to spend more time on it than most people would consider healthy.  I can't really complain, except that it takes time away from my other hobbies.

I started out on YouTube mostly looking at videos from Japan.  I have watched enough apartment tours to become a real estate agent.  After all those videos, I can only conclude that my Japanese apartment was slightly below average--of course that was a long time  ago, and my memory might be playing tricks on me.

These apartment tours led me to Jvloggers.  Jvloggers are an interesting group of people that make video blogs on Japan.  Most are funny, some are informative, and some are just weird.  I still watch a lot of them to this day, and I certainly encourage you to watch the likes of tokyocooney, the late rodgerswan, brotherannie, BusanKevin (and his other page jlandkev), nihonjenn and others.  If you have an interest in Japan, I think you should check them out.

At one time I really wanted to become a Jvlogger myself.  I have written down a bunch of ideas that I would have made vlogs about.  Of course, I don't live in Japan, and probably won't (at least for the foreseeable future) so this idea is on hold....probably a long hold.  In fact, one of the reasons I started this blog was because of some of the blogs that the above vloggers have.  There really isn't anything in my life that I would like to vlog about, but there seems to be quite a lot of stuff I am willing to blog about.

I also love YouTube because they have so many great videos about building models and model trains.  I have learned a lot by watching other people explain and build their models.  I even found a fantastic Japanese program with some truly incredible videos.  Fortunately for me my Japanese is good enough to follow these programs (though I wish it were better)

I also love it for the collection of weird stuff that's on it.  Where else could you find Japanese Spiderman (you've got to see it to believe it) or space janitors, or IKEA Heights, or the wacky Japan "english series", or the classic "will it blend?"  I even find the unboxing shows pretty cool.   If only they would put the travel in Japan series that Jane Seymour made onto it, it would be perfect.

Yes, I spend too much time on YouTube. that much is obvious.  There really isn't much I can do about it..... and I probably wouldn't even if I could.

Making Tools and Sweating Buckets

Being a hobbyist, more specifically a train hobbyist, has made me use more raw skills than any other hobby.  It involves all the skills of building plastic models--the prepping, the painting, the assembling, the disassembling, the repainting,  It involves a fair bit of math-- measuring angles, radii etc as well as re-measuring those same angles and radii.  It involves a bit of electronics--soldering, wiring, re-soldering, rewiring.  And it involves a bit of carpentry--constructing platforms to build the train on, backdrop holders, rebuilding those same things, quite possibly several times.

An example of the thick sprue channel

I am no carpentry whiz--as I mentioned before, that is my brother's department.  Nonetheless, I try not to bother him with things I should be able to handle.  I build my last train table myself and managed to do a fine job (though, I wish I hadn't taken the advice to build the thing on a hollow door--plywood would have been better and it would have been much easier to wire.)  Some friends even commented that I did a decent job (that is why you have friends by the way)  I managed all of this without a serious collection of power tools.  Hand saw, mitre box, and workbench can take you far.

Besides giving myself a virtual pat on the back and feeling smug about my self reliance, it does bring me to today's blog idea--making tools, or at least making do.

The cleaned up model I am working on--sanding still required

Today I started work on a DPM (Design Preservation Models) Hayes Hardware kit.  Having spent a lot of years building car models from the US, Japan, parts of Asia and Europe, I can say that car modellers have it way easier,  You clean up a bit of flash, fill some gaps and you're ready. With these kits I had to cut off a lot of extra material, (I have never seen such big sprue channels) and you aren't really provided with a nice tab system for keeping things together,  What really irked me was that I was told I had to "level the draft corners".  The building doesn't even come squared.  The edges are bevelled!  Why would they do it that way?  Granted I found no injection marks, but still!  I would like to see what a Japanese company like Tamiya could do on buildings. (I have a Japanese model of a convenience store but it came pre-built, so I can't really compare.)

The recommended rotating the model around a piece of sandpaper tacked to a piece of wood.  Sounds good, but wouldn't it be better to have the sandpaper glued to the wood?  Whether it is better or not, I do not know.  However, that is what I did.  I got a piece of wood, cut it to size with my trusty handsaw, and glued two pieces of sandpaper to it.  Now, I have what they asked for, built to my specifications.

The sanding tool I made

The negatives; it took me some time (finding the piece of wood, getting it down from its high storage area involved moving and setting up my not so light ladder, marking the cuts, cutting it, cleaning up, gluing and waiting for the glue to dry) and when the sandpaper is used up, I will have to make another one.

The positives; I feel very manly.  (in which case I feel entitled to a beer)  I feel self reliant.

All in all, I am confident that I can go to the next stage in the building process.

If anyone would like to comment on the outdated tools they use, or the tools that they have made, that would be wonderful.

Living Large

Today was a day of hobbies.  I went to the Japanese store to practice a little Nihongo and eat some Tonkatsu.  I followed that up with a financially draining visit to the train store, a complicated search for and tour of a  plastic model shop, and a quick visit to the store that sells the Nanoblocks.
Some would call it self indulgence, others would call it what I call it, a classic start to my vacation.  Living life to the fullest includes doing your hobbies.

Nanoblocks

I have already admitted (perhaps more than once) that I have been bitten by the Lego bug.  That is undeniably true.  What I failed to mention, or perhaps concealed from you, is that I found a way to stave off the call of Lego.  Not surprisingly, that way comes from Japan (my other home, and source of many of my hobbies.)

They are called Nanoblocks.  Basically it is Lego, only smaller.  When you think about it, it is no surprise that these blocks come from Japan.  They made everything else smaller, so why not make something that is similar to Lego, only smaller.

I saw these things first either on Amazon.jp or on BusanKevin's YouTube page.  Yes, surprise surprise I do check out Amazon Japan often enough to spot what is new and happening in Japan.  Some family members call it an obsession, even a sickness.  Others think I was Japanese in a past life.  Either one might be true, but that doesn't really matter.  I like hobbies, and truth be told, Japan is a country which really caters to the hobbyist.

yes, they are that small

Back to Nanoblocks.  The upside is that they are small, and even a large box doesn't take up so much room when built.  I have built five pieces so far and they don't take up very much room.  In fact, the marketing for the ones that I have done (famous landmarks) is that you can have the whole world on your desk.  Looking at my photo you can see that is true.

Now, they are indeed small.  Even though I am into N scale trains (the second smallest scale) I found these things to be rather small.  This isn't such a big problem unless you

a) drop them on the carpet--in which case search and rescue could take some time

b) have slender nimble hands--which I don't

This is what comes in a typical box

c) have absolutely no patience--I have enough, fortunately

Of all of the ones I have built the castle was my favourite. It was a large, challenging, and came with a fantastic instruction book.  The instruction book set out how many of each type of piece was needed per step.  This was good because the box had more than 2000 pieces.  I enjoyed building it, but it took quite a bit of time.  I think the end result was a good model though.

This was the deluxe kit--and it was spectacular

Nanoblocks are readily available through amazon.com in the US (you lucky people) and here in Canada, Scholar's Choice sells a few (a few, my advice is to call before you drive there--I had to get them taken from one store to a closer one before I could go and pick them up)   As far as the price goes they are not horrendously expensive.  Granted, I did get the Castle (which is called Himeji Castle) sent from Japan--this is the deluxe one, a smaller one is available.

Once assembled, there are a few pieces left over.  I decided to organize mine in a Stanley organizer--perhaps it is not the best use of space.  I have done five and I could probably put what is left over into a small box.  Why on earth did I choose such a big organizer....I am thinking long term.  Someday I might have way too many of these tiles for even that huge organizer....someday.

okay, so I haven't reached storage capacity yet.

If you have some Japanese ability, you will be able to find some great examples of what artistic people can do on the Japanese homepage  diablock.co.jp/nanoblock   Typical of Japan, they hold yearly contests, and some of the work is unbelievable.

If you want to know more, check the English home page at mynanoblock.com

As an addition to my family of hobbies, it seems to fit right in.  It was creative, fun, challenging, and from Japan--see, perfect for me.

Random Encoutners and Random Reminders

I was riding the bus yesterday absentmindedly watching a woman flip through a book. She started out concentrating, but by the end she was just flipping through the book, not really looking at it. Because I was trying not to look, and because I wasn't wearing my glasses--who's kidding who? I was trying to look, but because my glasses were safely packed away in my bad I had to squint pretty badly, and I still couldn't make out what she was looking at.

I had a feeling, a sixth sense (without the dead people) that she was looking at a Japanese book. Maybe it was the layout of the book... I am not really sure. I squinted very hard, but I couldn't make it out.

When we neared our destination, she closed the book and I saw the cover had only two things written on it. It read N2. Aha (or as they say in Japanese Yappari!) it was a Japanese textbook, specifically for the second level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). Normally, or at least usually, I wouldn't try to bother people but I felt I had to ask her.

I asked "Are you studying for the Exam?"

She replied, (being somewhat surprised) "yes, but the test isn't' till December."

We only had a brief conversation about it, but I was feeling good about he coincidence. What struck me the most, and serves as a catalyst for this blog, is that she said it was her hobby.

It is also my hobby, but I have neglected it for a while. So many other things seem really important right now. I am not sure any of them really are, but that is just the way things are stacked up right now. This brief encounter has reminded me that I need to spend a little time working on my Japanese, if only not to become rusty, and prepare for one of the levels of the exam.

Cars, A Passion, Even in Miniature.



I was visiting  a friend for a bit of beer and movie fest kind of night.  I noted that his children had quite the collection of toys.  In fact, his son had a huge toy car case--it probably held 100 cars.  I checked out his collection of cars, and was impressed by the size and choice of his cars.  The fact that he still played with them, despite his love of his iTouch games was also commendable.

I think toy cars are cool.  I had a fun collection when I was a kid.  Most adults with a love of cars would tend to aim for the pricier, highly collectible large scale die cast cars that are ubiquitous these days.  I am not one of them.  I might like to build car models, but I only have one large scale die cast car--I got a Shelby Cobra as a gift one year.  I do love it, but I would rather have a Pocher kit of it to build.  When I think of it, I am sure part of the attraction is that most of us will never get to drive their "dream car."

cool subjects and box art

I enjoyed Hot Wheels and Dinky cars as a child, but I am not really into them as an adult.  I check them out from time to time when I am in a toy store, or a department store.  Nothing seems to grab me.  However, when I am visiting Japan, I always check out the Tomy brand of miniature die cast cars.  Of course, anyone who has read some of these blogs before knows I am a real mark for things Japanese.  However, I am not sure it is the Japaneseness of these products that really appeals to me, or just the overall exotic nature of them.

I love everything about them. 

Maybe it's the packaging.  I mean the box is cool.  I am not really a fan of the North American blister package.  The Tomy box has either a cool picture, or an artistic drawing.  If I were a collector ( by which I mean, looking to make a buck) the boxes themselves would be collector's items. I think it is much cooler opening that box than tearing the blister pack apart.

Maybe it is the subject matter.  Despite the widespread embrace of public transportation, there are a lot of cars in Japan.  Among them, there are a lot of cars which will not be seen outside of Japan.  That kind of uniqueness appeals to me.  Some of the subjects re odd,  but there is also a blade runneresque quality to some of these cars--science fiction come to life, that makes them cool.

a box, stickers, and a cool Lapin

Maybe it is my connection to Japan.  My collection is small.  I bought most of them at a Don Quixote discount store in Chiba.  The price was probably around 125 Yen--which means that these cars probably didn't appeal to Otaku culture in Japan.

a limited edition

A funny thing is that I have never heard of a group of people collecting these cars.  Maybe they do, but maybe this is one of those things that seems so much cooler by an outsider than someone in Japan.

this one is pretty cool, but the packaging?

I have seen some of these cars available at the Pacific Mall in Markham.  The price was a whopping $10 each.  Needless to say I didn't buy any of them.  I would love to expand my collection--I know a purchase service in Japan if I really want something, but I will probably wait until I visit Japan again to augment my collection.  Besides, as anyone can see, I have enough hobbies to tide me over until that vacation.

The Inadvertent Collection Part Two

Having written the first Inadvertent collection, I think I may have cursed myself.  Now, when I look around my house, I wonder if the things I am seeing are, in fact, part of my new inadvertent collection.  Before, I thought I just had stuff.  Now, I wonder if I have indeed collected stuff.  I changed my perspective and probably would have been better off if I hadn't.
I guess it is too late.

Just some of my dictionaries

Today, while looking for a book on one of my many bookshelves, I started to realize that I have way too many dictionaries.  Perhaps it is because I am an ESL teacher.  Perhaps it is because I have the dream of one day being a fluent Japanese speaker.  Perhaps it is because every kid in Canada who doesn't speak French is expected to study it.  Whatever the reason, I have more than 20 dictionaries.
Of course I have the English dictionary to help me with crosswords and codeword puzzles when I am completely stumped.  It also comes in handy when challenging someone in Scrabble.

Two hard working, well travelled and used books

I have The French-English Dictionary, and it's fraternal twin the English-French Dictionary.  I also bought a cool paperback French-French dictionary on the advice of my university French teacher.  Since I often tell my students to put away their smart phone translators and use a real English to English dictionary, I can't fault her logic.  It did make writing essays easier because example sentences reveal lots of patterns.
The bulk of my collection are Japanese dictionaries.  I have them in portable form, and large, backbreaking format.  I have them written in Kanji, and Romaji.  Of course, I have a dedicated Kanji dictionary (I will never complain about alphabetical order again)  I even have a dictionary of Japanese verbs.  In addition to all that I have moved into the 21st century.  I have a Japanese dictionary in the form of software for my Nintendo DS.  It's pretty cool.  When it is all said and done, I have a lot of reference material for studying.
One of my favourite dictionaries is my Japanese Loan Word Dictionary.  It contains words from other languages that are used in Japanese.  This is absolutely essential because foreign loadwords are written in the often hard to decipher Katakana, and thought by Japanese people to be easily understood by foreigners.  This is of course not true.  Most Japanese people think that they are all from English.  This is also untrue.  This was a great find.  And oddly enough, where I found it is remarkable.  It was on a discount table at a grocery store.  I got it for 2 or 3 dollars.
I may no longer look at my pile of stuff as just stuff, but at least I be able to find a definition when I need one.

Learning Japanese Part two--Kanji

If you're going to learn Japanese you should probably know some kanji.  By kanji I mean those Chinese characters which were integrated into Japanese a long long time ago.  You could learn Japanese and not learn them.  They are not vital, unless of course you want to use an ATM, know the price at the cinema, get the half-priced sushi at the supermarket, or at the very least not look like a complete knob because you consistently push when you should pull and pull when you should push trying to get through the door.  Of course most doors in Japanese big cities are automatic, but do you really want to take that chance. 

push

pull

this means this sushi in on sale for half-price



Understand this?  Then Kanji will be no problem

Friends and family always ask how anyone can memorize all of them.  First of all, we live with lots of symbols in our daily lives.  The instrument panel in any car is a good example of this.  Other examples include road signs, logos, and computer icons.  Once you get over that, it really isn't much of a stretch beyond that.  If you're in Japan, they're everywhere.  Put in a little bit of study and a little bit of intuition and you'll quickly learn small, large, push, pull, exit, entrance, bank and half priced sushi.

When it comes to studying kanji I think flashcards are best.  You can flip through them on the train, before turning in, and in line to buy half priced sushi.  The other option is to get some inexpensive elementary school books from the 100 yen store.

Learning Japanese (part one--Corn is con)

For people who are good at spotting things through pictures, or have a good sense of intuition, they can tell that Japan and things Japanese play a significant part in this blog.  To call learning Japanese a hobby is probably not correct.  Japan has played an important part in my life.  It has been my home, has provided me with an income, and has stoked my imagination and affected what I watch, what I read, and countless other parts of my life.  Together with all this is my ambition to learn Japanese fluently.

I started studying Japanese in 1993--which, coincidentally, is the year I started living in Japan.  Basically I was thrown into the deep end of the pool, and had to start swimming.  I don't regret this because it was an effective way to make me study.

I learned Hiragana first, and the following book was helpful in this regard.  It is simply laid out, and its pictographic representations are brilliant.

I waited until I took actual Japanese classes to learn katakana--and I paid for this mistake one night at a pizza place and couldn't decipher the menu--so yes, the tales are true, corn does indeed come on pizza in Japan (and other parts of Asia as well)

Hiragana is not an alphabet, but a syllabic alphabet.  It represents vowels and consonant vowel clusters like ka, ki, ku ke ko and one simple consonant n.  Unfortunately learning hiragana doesn't allow you to read anything other than a child's reader, and you can't read any words that are borrowed from a foreign language (that is the job of katakana) you can still find it useful, and recognize it wherever you go.

I learned katakana when my Japanese course started.  Actually I learned it the day before the course started (yes, the book is that good) It is probably more useful than hiragana because more complete words that litter the Japanese neon landscape are presented in katakana.  These include shop, bus, toilet, convenience store, and of course corn.  Japanese people tend to think that katakana is easier than hiragana and often wonder why foreigners things otherwise.  The basic truth is that while they are simpler, they are more confusing and because of their plainness tend to resemble each other. 

I mentioned before that they are mainly used to represent foreign loanwords.  While this is true, it doesn't necessarily make them easy to understand.  Combini is convenience store, toire is toilet, and of course con is corn.

While I joke about it, I do love the Japanese language, and have attained a level of proficiency that can both get me in and out of trouble.  I would love to be incredibly fluent and I continue to study and practice to this day.

These cards are a cool, and inexpensive way to organize your vocabulary,