Sowing the Seeds: Daily(or so) Drops of Info about Japan

One of the most important things I've learned about creating content for the online world is this: People(myself included) are given a torrent of new information every single day, and if you're not out there putting your best foot forward as often as you can, prepare to get lost in the tide. For me, this means giving people as constant a stream of valuable insight into the language and culture as I can without watering it down to match the standards everyone sets for their blog. With that, Sowing the Seeds was created, to help plant interesting new ideas about Japan and Japanese language while not bogging the pace down with getting longer form content just so. For your first taste of what's to come, here's an article interviewing Bilingual language teacher Kae Minami(from Japan Times). She discusses a good cross section of points about the country and it's language, including general pointers for those looking to pass their knowledge on(like myself), aspects of the language that make it unique-like the high level of context inherent in speaking it fluently-, and some advice for students/general life pointers. One of my favorites, and certainly full of info to help you on your way to building Your Japanese.

(special thanks to the article author, Judit Kawaguchi and the person who 1st tipped me off to it, Wendy Tokunaga)

Big Content Changes are a Comin'

Good to see you again! You may be wondering what big changes are coming, and to answer that, I would like to tell you a little bit about my experiences teaching Japanese and discovering what it means to teach well and with meaning. You know how they say nobody starts out perfect? That held very true for me when I first wrote my lessons up all those years, and didn't realize how patronizing and confusing they were until a few years and much more gained from my studies later. It hasn't been an easy road, and nothing worth while ever seems to be, but it taught me a lot about how to teach and presenting information in a manner easy to grasp. This is why you'll see some changes to the structure of the blog, such as lessons being categorized and little daily posts to shed some light on modern day Japanese culture. I'm certain they will help you strengthen your grasp on the language and culture, and perhaps show you a side of it you wanted to see more of, but didn't know it existed 'til now. Either way, stay tuned! You won't be disappointed, I assure you. In fact, here's a look at some of the subjects I'm doing research on for this overhaul:

Circle in the Square: Unstanding some of Japan's Inner-Cultural Workings

Sushi and Beyond: The Classic and Modern Flavors of Japanese Cuisine

A Divine Wind: The Japanese Role in Global Warfare

Everyday Magic: The Folklore and Fairytales of Japanese Culture

Wildstyle: An Introduction to Japan's Contemporary Culture

Naturythm: The History and Development of Japanese Entertainment

Slight of Hand: How to Speak Without Words

Across Oceans: Japan and it's Historical Intereactions with the World

Ordained by the Heavens: a Brief History of Feudal Japanese Society

Boys and Girls: Handling the Opposite Sex in Japan