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<channel>
	<title>Beginning to learn Japanese</title>
	<link>http://japanese.nearlythere.com</link>
	<description>Notes from my self-study and my Japanese lessons</description>
	<pubDate>Sat, 16 Feb 2008 23:12:36 +0000</pubDate>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2</generator>
	<language>en</language>
			<item>
		<title>Ah! Wasureta!</title>
		<link>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2007/01/26/ah-wasureta</link>
		<comments>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2007/01/26/ah-wasureta#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Jan 2007 01:33:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
		
	<category>Personal</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2007/01/26/ah-wasureta</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[すみません！ I forgot to come back here and mention that when I started taking classes with my one-on-one tutor in Japan, I didn&#8217;t really need to use my blog as much. It&#8217;s here as a resource in case anyone had linked to it or asked questions about the things posted here&#8230; 
Looking back, having the [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRSS>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2007/01/26/ah-wasureta/feed/</wfw:commentRSS>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Mixxer language exchange- Japanese to English</title>
		<link>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/06/20/the-mixxer-language-exchange-japanese-to-english</link>
		<comments>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/06/20/the-mixxer-language-exchange-japanese-to-english#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Jun 2006 00:23:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
		
	<category> Audio &#038; Video</category>
	<category>Learning Methods</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/06/20/the-mixxer-language-exchange-japanese-to-english</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Practice with native speakers is probably the one most important component of language learning&#8230; but it&#8217;s really hard when you aren&#8217;t in the target country. That&#8217;s why a tool like the Mixxer is so great. To use it, you add The Mixxer&#8217;s contact information into your Skype acccount. Then other Mixxer subscribers can approach you [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRSS>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/06/20/the-mixxer-language-exchange-japanese-to-english/feed/</wfw:commentRSS>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>crafting in japanese</title>
		<link>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/03/14/crafting-in-japanese</link>
		<comments>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/03/14/crafting-in-japanese#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 14 Mar 2006 17:49:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
		
	<category>Vocabulary</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://japanese.nearlythere.com/?p=66</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[i fully believe in learning by doing. i was always one of those kids who would get frustrated when someone would be showing me something, i wanted to grab a hold, and say, &#8216;let me do it!&#8217; and i think learning while doing is important for language learning. that is the idea behind the japanese [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRSS>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/03/14/crafting-in-japanese/feed/</wfw:commentRSS>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>western cooking japanese cooking</title>
		<link>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/03/04/western-cooking-japanese-cooking</link>
		<comments>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/03/04/western-cooking-japanese-cooking#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 04 Mar 2006 04:13:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
		
	<category>Vocabulary</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/03/04/western-cooking-japanese-cooking</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[i have been writing japanese recipes over at Japanese! Japanese! &#8230; so far i have posted:
- gyoza
- handrolls
ronan is going to show how to make miso next&#8230;    if anyone reading this would like to learn how to make some kind japanese food, and learn the vocab for it, please leave a comment [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRSS>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/03/04/western-cooking-japanese-cooking/feed/</wfw:commentRSS>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>cross-dressing animals</title>
		<link>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/02/14/cross-dressing-animals</link>
		<comments>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/02/14/cross-dressing-animals#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 14 Feb 2006 19:34:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
		
	<category>History &#038; Culture</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/02/14/cross-dressing-animals</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I have to share this little bit of cultural information. Basically, animals dressing as other animals- is very popular as a theme in Japan. I&#8217;m sort of just giving myself over to the cute. I can&#8217;t help it. 
You often see stuffed toys (ぬいぐるみ) with head-coverings that make them look like other animals. 
I&#8217;m sure [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRSS>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/02/14/cross-dressing-animals/feed/</wfw:commentRSS>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>going 4 it</title>
		<link>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/02/07/going-4-it</link>
		<comments>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/02/07/going-4-it#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Feb 2006 05:44:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
		
	<category>Personal</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/02/07/going-4-it</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ok, cheesy title&#8230; but i decided after talking to my teacher last week that i&#8217;m going to aim for the JLPT level 4 (read:easiest!) test this december. 
and i got myself the very cool Basic Kanji Book Vol 1. she said that would be more than enough kanji for level 4. 
anyway, if i decide [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRSS>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/02/07/going-4-it/feed/</wfw:commentRSS>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>japanese craft terms</title>
		<link>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/01/23/japanese-craft-terms</link>
		<comments>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/01/23/japanese-craft-terms#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Jan 2006 00:57:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
		
	<category>Vocabulary</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://japanese.nearlythere.com/?p=60</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[makewrite.com has a great list of japanese craft terms, and shows how to use the terms for searching amazon.co.jp with a new booksearch tool. 
funny thing is, most japanese people don&#8217;t know these terms. one evening, i was crocheting a small bear, and a woman asked what i was doing. i told her あみぐるみ (amigurumi). [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRSS>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/01/23/japanese-craft-terms/feed/</wfw:commentRSS>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>learning should be fun</title>
		<link>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/01/19/learning-should-be-fun</link>
		<comments>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/01/19/learning-should-be-fun#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Jan 2006 06:47:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
		
	<category>Personal</category>
	<category>Learning Methods</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://japanese.nearlythere.com/?p=59</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[the other evening, i was struggling with my homework. i haven`t been in school in so long, i`m not used to it. i`m not used to have to actually practice practice practice. it&#8217;s not that it&#8217;s hard, practice is agonizingly boring. it&#8217;s painfully boring, it&#8217;s phenomenologically, massively, excruciatingly boring. boring-boring-boring.  ok. i`ll stop now!
i&#8217;m [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRSS>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/01/19/learning-should-be-fun/feed/</wfw:commentRSS>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>my sensei!</title>
		<link>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/01/07/my-sensei</link>
		<comments>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/01/07/my-sensei#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 Jan 2006 06:45:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
		
	<category>Personal</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/01/07/my-sensei</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[i have found a teacher!
this is very exciting, since i have been self-teaching for a while, and not sure if all the pieces are fitting in, and not sure what i know and don&#8217;t know. i got a trial lesson yesterday, for about 1.5 hours.
i think she was pretty much establishing what i knew and [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRSS>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/01/07/my-sensei/feed/</wfw:commentRSS>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>amigurumi crocheted stuffed animals</title>
		<link>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/01/05/amigurumi-crocheted-stuffed-animals</link>
		<comments>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/01/05/amigurumi-crocheted-stuffed-animals#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 05 Jan 2006 03:33:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
		
	<category>Vocabulary</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://japanese.nearlythere.com/?p=57</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[i&#8217;m loving japan. today&#8217;s reason is because of the preponderance of incredibly lovely crafts here. and they have a special word for making little animals out of balls of wool: 
あみぐるみが大好きです。
あみぐるみがだいすきです
amigurumi ga dai suki desu
i really like crocheted stuffed animals. 
amigurumi = crocheted stuffed animals, usually made in the round!
dai = BIG
suki desu =  [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRSS>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2006/01/05/amigurumi-crocheted-stuffed-animals/feed/</wfw:commentRSS>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>monkey</title>
		<link>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/12/30/monkey</link>
		<comments>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/12/30/monkey#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Dec 2005 03:40:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
		
	<category>Vocabulary</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/12/30/monkey</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[猿 \さる\ saru is monkey.
 
Yesterday we went to the Mt. Takasaki Monkey Land National Park. 
This is about the closest I have been to a monkey in my life. They were everywhere, and running around the whole place. We thought the monkeys would be way up in trees, or far away from the path. [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRSS>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/12/30/monkey/feed/</wfw:commentRSS>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>i&#8217;ve got wind, no i mean a cold.</title>
		<link>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/12/29/ive-got-wind-no-i-mean-a-cold</link>
		<comments>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/12/29/ive-got-wind-no-i-mean-a-cold#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Dec 2005 01:15:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
		
	<category>Vocabulary</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/12/29/ive-got-wind-no-i-mean-a-cold</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ok, 
i&#8217;ve been in Japan for a little over a week now. and upon arrival i developed the worst flu i&#8217;ve had in ages. i&#8217;ve been exhausted, and had a fever, and have been generally a poor tourist. but i must say they have some lovely things for you when you get sick. like this [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRSS>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/12/29/ive-got-wind-no-i-mean-a-cold/feed/</wfw:commentRSS>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>dropping hints in japanese</title>
		<link>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/11/28/dropping-hints-in-japanese</link>
		<comments>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/11/28/dropping-hints-in-japanese#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Nov 2005 13:50:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
		
	<category>Vocabulary</category>
	<category>Grammar</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/11/28/dropping-hints-in-japanese</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[i&#8217;m enjoying the &#8216;learning japanese&#8217; podcast. i think it&#8217;s interesting because, while it is easy to follow for the beginner, it apparently gives access to more complex forms. 
the free NHK japanese audio lessons are very highly crafted. forms are introduced slowly, and brought up again in subsequent lessons, with an ever-increasing complexity.  however, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRSS>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/11/28/dropping-hints-in-japanese/feed/</wfw:commentRSS>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>the madness in my method</title>
		<link>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/11/19/the-madness-in-my-method</link>
		<comments>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/11/19/the-madness-in-my-method#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 19 Nov 2005 22:10:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
		
	<category>Learning Methods</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://japanese.nearlythere.com/?p=52</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[wow! those GTD guys blow me away. i saw some hilarious cartoon of &#8220;your brain on multitasking&#8221; and it&#8217;s so true. 日本 a go-go write about it recently, about his own lesson plans, and what he does each day. and mike wrote about it before on  japanese! japanese!. i know GTD is going global [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRSS>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/11/19/the-madness-in-my-method/feed/</wfw:commentRSS>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>common questions you&#8217;ll get asked in japan</title>
		<link>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/11/19/common-questions-youll-get-asked-in-japan</link>
		<comments>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/11/19/common-questions-youll-get-asked-in-japan#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 19 Nov 2005 21:33:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
		
	<category>Personal</category>
	<category>Vocabulary</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://japanese.nearlythere.com/?p=51</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Exactly ONE MONTH before I arrive in Japan! get very excited/anxious. 
I&#8217;ve been asking friends of mine who have been in japan since the summer- what are the most common questions people will ask you in japan? i&#8217;ve started listing them below. these are both from adults and kids but i&#8217;m not sure which. 
Some [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRSS>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/11/19/common-questions-youll-get-asked-in-japan/feed/</wfw:commentRSS>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>who needs &#8216;e&#8217; anyway?</title>
		<link>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/11/15/who-needs-e-anyway</link>
		<comments>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/11/15/who-needs-e-anyway#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 Nov 2005 19:26:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
		
	<category>Vocabulary</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://japanese.nearlythere.com/?p=50</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[i found another blog for someone in ireland learning a language. he&#8217;s learning french and writes brief sentences. this inspires me to keep it short. 
i had a lesson today, and i actually learned something about the difference between &#8216;e&#8217; へ and &#8216;ni&#8217; に　particles. at least that へ is something you don&#8217;t really need to [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRSS>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/11/15/who-needs-e-anyway/feed/</wfw:commentRSS>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>perverts</title>
		<link>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/11/03/perverts</link>
		<comments>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/11/03/perverts#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 Nov 2005 18:17:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
		
	<category>Vocabulary</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/11/03/perverts</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[this is so stunning, irritating and horrible. but a good thing to add to the vocabulary list:
h: ちかん
r: Chikan
e: pervert　
ex:
あなたはちかんです！
anata-wa chikan desu!
YOU are a pervert!
which i learned from rich&#8217;s podcast story about how he responded and managed a situation where his wife was groped on a train. amazing how far he went to sort this [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRSS>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/11/03/perverts/feed/</wfw:commentRSS>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>the koto trick; yes you can</title>
		<link>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/11/02/the-koto-trick-yes-you-can</link>
		<comments>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/11/02/the-koto-trick-yes-you-can#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 Nov 2005 13:50:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
		
	<category>Vocabulary</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/11/02/the-koto-trick-yes-you-can</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[these are my notes from my fourth lesson with ronan. we did this today via webcam with angelo and peter. today&#8217;s themes were expressing ability and continuing on with coming/going from  last time. (i still need someone to check this out to see if it&#8217;s all kosher.)
part 1: the koto trick
i learned a trick [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRSS>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/11/02/the-koto-trick-yes-you-can/feed/</wfw:commentRSS>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>going to japan</title>
		<link>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/10/20/going-to-japan</link>
		<comments>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/10/20/going-to-japan#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 20 Oct 2005 21:17:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
		
	<category>Vocabulary</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://japanese.nearlythere.com/?p=46</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[i&#8217;ve decided, that while i&#8217;m going to participate in the group thing at Japanese! Japanese! i&#8217;m still going to keep notes here； after my japanese lessons or exchanges i&#8217;ll write down things i learn. 
so today we talked about going places. 
k: きょがっこにいきました。
r: kyo gakko ni ikimashita.
e: today i went to school
k: きょがっこにいきませんでした。
r: kyo gakko [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRSS>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/10/20/going-to-japan/feed/</wfw:commentRSS>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>I&#8217;ve Merged!</title>
		<link>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/10/05/ive-merged</link>
		<comments>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/10/05/ive-merged#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 05 Oct 2005 13:46:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
		
	<category>Personal</category>
	<category>Vocabulary</category>
	<category>History &#038; Culture</category>
	<category>Grammar</category>
	<category> Audio &#038; Video</category>
	<category>Learning Methods</category>
	<category>Kanji &#038; Kana</category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/10/05/ive-merged</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[i went over to japanesejapanese.com for real!
i merged my WP blog into mike’s, without any hairy database weirdness. 
i simply used the handy WPexport plugin, making sure to save the exported text into a UT8-encoded text file. 
then followed the import instructions.
bye bye!

]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRSS>http://japanese.nearlythere.com/2005/10/05/ive-merged/feed/</wfw:commentRSS>
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