カタツムリの家

I was just exploring some music on youtube and I found an artist I like a lot called Snail's House. It turns out, they were born in Komae, Tokyo, Japan. Komae is in the western part of Tokyo. It is the smallest administratie city in Tokyo Metropolis both in area and population, whatever that means. I just stole that info from wikipedia.

Snail's House creates electronic music using a variety of different styles and samples. Some songs sound like they came straight from a video game, others use a lot of piano and "real" drum sounds, and a few sound similar to Porter Robinson, an artist I mentioned in a post a few weeks ago. There is quite a bit of variety, as I have described, but they all give off a "chill" vibe. Chill as in a casual feel, like you'd want to "just chill" while listening to the music, not chill as in slow and soft. There are no lyrical vocals, though a few samples feature voices.

I like the music a lot, it's great for spacing out while doing work or just lounging around a bit. Almost all of the songs are fun too, with very positive, upbeat melodies. I'll post a few songs, all of which will feature different sounds/styles.

The first, ラ・ム・ネ, was the first one I heard. It was in the recommended section as I was listening to another song. It surprised me quite a bit as it was incredibly different from what I was listening to. It is a medium paced song with a melancholy feel. Reminds me a bit of a lazy, late-summer day.


The second, Grape Soda, is the one I've heard the most, by chance. It's pretty upbeat and fast-paced. It also reminds me quite a bit of modern pixel-art video games. If anyone has heard of the game Undertale, it seems similar to the music in that game (though a bit too happy).



The third, Ma Chouchoute, is a very sample heavy song. It is reminiscent of the launchpad musical phase that went around youtube, largely popularized by Madeon. In terms of specific style, it reminded me of Shawn Wasabi and his song "Marble Soda", if any of y'all have heard that song. If you're unfamiliar with any of that garbage I just said, it's a very busy sounding song. Fast-paced and upbeat.



The fourth, Candy Dash, is a piano-based song. It has a pretty popular style, though I can't think of a good way to describe it. It's fast-paced and upbeat.

There are still plenty of other varieties that I haven't represented, but if you like any of these songs, I implore you to explore further. Youtube and SoundCloud are great places to look through Snail's House's music. SoundCloud is a bit unorganized but has plenty of songs.


Finally, on a largely unrelated note, there's this AMV I came across that I like quite a bit. Warning: it's very gorey, so keep that in mind. I think it's pretty intense and cool. It features a series that I like, the Monogatari Series, and that's how I came across it. I don't really like AMVs but this one caught my eye for whatever reason.

私のサンクスギビングの休みは楽しかったです。火曜日のばんニュージャージー州のうちにひこうきでかえりました。



水曜日レストランにともだちとあいにいきました。私はそこににじかんぐらいいました。あとで、ゆっくりして、はちじごろともだちともばんごはんをたべました。



木曜日たくさん私のかぞくの人はうちにたべにきました。私はたくさんたべものをたべてたくさんひるねしました。



金曜日私のりょうしんはパーティをしました、だからごじゅうご人はうちにきました。パーティはごごにじからじゅうじまでかかりました。そして、にぎあかで楽しかったです。



土曜日顧問(advisor)にメールをかきました。あとで、ひこうきで大学にかえりました。

週末

私は金曜日に授業にいって、あとで友達のへやであいました。楽しかったです。友達とたくさん話しました。

土曜日の朝じゅうじごろおきました。雪が降った(It snowed)！



ともだちのへやにいって、テールゲートにもいきました。私は嬉しいかったです。でも、私は寒かったです。あとで、スタジアムにいって、フットボールゲームをみました。大変ですね。そして、悲しかったですね。



日曜日しゅくだいをして、べんきょうしました。私は忙しかったです。つまらないですね。

oudda nowhere

There was an optional blog for Monday. I didn't write anything. The main reason being that I didn't really want to write in 日本語 because with how little we know it still feels very superficial to use the little vocab we do have or it takes several years to find each word I want to use and how to properly conjugate it and use it etc. etc. etc. I realized if it's an optional blog, I don't have to write in 日本語 so I won't. Sorry, not sorry. I'm sure most people don't want to hear about how my weekend was for the 300th time or whatever, so I don't have the remotest desire to write much in 日本語。


This past weekend I started watching two new anime: 3月のライオン (hey, we can actually read that without having to look up kanji, おもしろいですね～) and うどんの国の金色毛鞠 (Udon no Kuni no Kin'iro Kemari)

I like them both a lot. They both sort of deal with internalized negative emotions and how they can affect your life as well as how the environment can change those emotions. 3月 is a bit harder to swallow and a lot more depressing. Largely because it has to do with painful loss and literal depression. It's also more "real" than the other anime; there are no fantastical elements. In the udon anime, there's a shapeshifting tanuki. I'm pretty sure those don't exist. I like 3月 more, but they're both pretty great. I recommend them to anyone interested.

うち！

日本の家とアメリカの家は主に類似(mainly similar)。日本の家はコンパクト。そして、日本のは異なる材料からなります(made of different material)。

Based off of the video, it seems as though, in essence, homes from both countries are similar, it is largely style and organization that differs drastically. Exceptions to this are mainly the mudroom and bathroom. I know many American houses have mudrooms, but they are usually in the back of the house and are used by the family of the house more than guests. So long as your shoes are not disgusting, most Americans do not mind if you wear shoes in their homes. In Japan, the mudroom is used by everyone and is the entrance to the home. I do not know this for sure, but based off of this difference, I assume Japanese people prefer to keep their house clean so that they do not need to clean up as often whereas Americans probably do whole house cleanings much more often. I know that my family cleans our house at least once a week. The bathrooms of Japanese homes are just radically different from American bathrooms in so many ways. Our baths go largely unused (if there are any). Our showers, baths, and toilets are all in the same room, but are separate entities. In Japan, the toilet has its own separate room and the shower and bath are a combined entity (at least more so than in America).

American homes are pretty diverse. Generally speaking, however, they all have a kitchen, office(s), dining room, living room(s), bedrooms, and bathrooms. The kitchens are similar to Japanese kitchens, though they are generally less compact and the appliances differ a bit. I know a surprising number of people with rice cookers, but you could generally say we do not have them in our homes. Depending on the size of the house, there are multiple "living" rooms for generally hanging out or socializing. They can have many different names like "play room", "family room", "media room", or just "living room". よく、リヴィングルムにテレビがあります。リヴィングルムは大きいへやです。 I did not notice any office-like rooms in the Japanese home, so I do not know exactly how to compare it. Essentially, it is just a room for doing work.　オフィスにコンピューターと机があります。そして、オフィスはちさいへやです。 Our bedrooms are our own personal rooms and differ greatly depending on the person and family.　ベッドルムにベッドと机とコンピューターがあります。

ハインドサイト

I forgot I had more to say in my previous post:

日本とアメリカの文化の間の接続は面白いです。たくさんのアメリカのミュージックは日本の影響力を持っています。クールですね。そして、いいです。
Because there's a decent amount of new kanji: The connection between Japanese and American cultures is interesting. A lot of American music has Japanese influence.

ミュージックビデオとスタッフ

日本のイヴェントにあまりいきませんでした。何時も(いつも)クラスや会議(meetings)やラボがありました。将来のイヴェントに行きたいです(I want to go to future events)。

私が好きな(I like)日本の影響を受けた(Japanese-influenced)ミュージックビデオがありま。
(I am trying to say that there are Japanese-influenced music videos that I like, not sure if it is
properly translated.)

これはポーターロビンソンの二ミュージックビデオです。

Trying to write this post really made me realize how little Japanese I know :(

We have definitely learned a lot in a very short period of time, but we still have a lot more material to cover. I could use the vocabulary that we know, but there is only so little to talk about if I do.

金曜日のごぜんにじにねませんでした。キャンパスの写真を撮りました。(I took pictures on campus).　それは楽しさ(fun)とリラックスします。

I thought of the pun "Staryen" because "bucks" can be interpreted as dollars, but that's not why it's called Starbucks so it doesn't really make sense... oh well.

      クラスメートのなまえ：＿＿＿＿キム＿＿＿＿＿さんかいわ(dialogue)のタイトル：キムさん、日本はクール
キムさん：にほんに　なにが　ありますか。わたし：そうですね。むろどだいらがあります。そして銀河の滝もありますよ。　　

　  キムさん：むろどだいらはなんですか。

      わたし：溶岩台地(lava plateau)です。きれいですよ。

　  キムさん：むろどだいらになにがありますか。

　  わたし：山と風景と野生動物がありますよ。(Mountains, scenery, and wildlife)

 　 キムさん：そうですか。銀河の滝はなんですか。

　  わたし：滝(waterfall)ですよ。それもきれいです。

 　 キムさん：それはたかいですか。

　  わたし：はい、たかいですよ。

　  キムさん：そうですか。ありがとございます。

　  I don't really ever go to Starbucks, but from my general knowledge, there are many more types of coffee and other beverages on the Japanese website than you normally find in the US. I feel that, generally, there are more menu items for any chain that is based in the US in Japan. They seem to have more diverse options with unique flavors, the US sticks to a few basic flavors with slight twists on them. It's pretty cool.

Formatting not on point, I don't understand but that's okay, it has character.

The jurisdiction within which my permanent residence is located

ぼくは　ニュージャージーしゅうのワチュングから　きました。ワチュングは　小さいです。そして、たかいです。そして、きれいです。そして、りっぱです。そして、いいです。でも、ゆめいじゃありせん。そして、あたらしくありません。ぼくは　来週　ワチュングに　いいきます。

It's yaboi カーツ coming at you with some random words and phrases.

So I tried to think of a website I knew that was (partially) in Japanese and the first thing that came to mind was the Dark Souls official website so here are some words and phrases I stole from there.

デビュートレーラー
Debut Trailer


オープニングシネマティックトレーラー

Opening Cinematic Trailer

アパレル

Apparel


アルトリウス

Artorias (Character Name)

アートブック

Art Book


シチュエーション

Situation


シームレス

Seamless


プレイヤー

Player


キャラクターカスタマイズ

Character Customization

I might add more words in the next 24 hours, but I wouldn't bet on it.

And on a nearly unrelated note here is a video that I played in the background while I made this blog post.

こんしゅうまつ and HTML formatting is not my friend. We worked it out though

どようびの　あさ　シャワーを　あびました。そして　叔父の　パーティーに　いきました。後で　スタジアムで　フットボールの試合を　みました。でも　べんきょうを　しませんでした。　そして　しゅくだいを　しませんでした。後で　部屋で　パーティーを　しました。ごぜん　よじごろ　ねました。

今日の　あさ　じゅうじはんごろ　おきました。そして　あさごはんを　たべました。でも　べんきょうを　しませんでした。　そして　しゅくだいを　しませんでした。あとで　ひるごはんを　たべませんでした。こんばんの　じゅうじはんに　しゅくだいを　しました。いま　ごぜん　じゅうにじいっぷん。じゅうにじはんごろ　ねます。

A post with no theme. I just wrote what I wanted. This is a haiku.

こんばんわ？　おはようございます？　いまじゅにちじじゅはっぷん
Japanese is my favorite class this semester and I am having a lot of fun with it. That's not something I was expecting to say about a college course. I took Japanese on a whim, and I never had any of my friends or family actively support the decision; they either said, "oh, that's cool" or asked "why?" Despite this, I am very glad I decided to do so. I spent too long learning western languages and learning about western culture, so it seems the same to me. Obviously, there are differences in the details, but grammar rules and root words are all very similar as well as the cultural norms and beliefs. Learning about Japanese as a language and culture feels very fresh to me and it's certainly a positive.

One thing that really interests me is the connections between the United States and Japan, especially looking at how much each culture affects the other. So much of Japanese entertainment finds a market in the United States and seems to influence certain aspects of our own sub-cultures and industries. It's very interesting.

This was all sort of a stream of consciousness, but I've had these thoughts on my mind for a while. I'm glad I got around to writing them out. I feel like I should have written more in にほんご but I also don't want to copy and paste or just use words without applying them with what we've learned. I suppose that it will become easier as time passes and we get to learn more.

Because I was inspired by ウォーカーさん I'd like to end my post by leaving the opening song of an anime that I like:

まいにち せいかつ

わたしわ　おきます。　しゃわを　あびます。　あさごはんを　たべます。　がっこに　いきます。　うちに　かいります。　ひらごはんを　たべます。　がっこに　いきます。　うちに　かいります。　ばんごはんを　たべます。　しゅくだいを　します。　べんきょうします。　ねます。

Do I title this something boring like "Post 2" or should I try to be more creative? woah, meta

こんにちわ！
はじめまして。カーツです。
わたしわ　いちねんせえです。
せんこわ　すがくです。
どうぞ　よろしく。

There are many, many Japanese things that I find interesting. I mentioned this a bit in my previous post. I would talk about food since it is probably my favorite by far, but that's not too interesting. Most people have had Japanese food and it is easy to google. Instead, I'd rather talk about the video game series Dark Souls. I know not too many people would be that interested in the game from a "game perspective", so I'd rather talk about it in a way that would be interesting to the average person.

First, some basics. Dark Souls is a game that has many mythical and medieval influences. The player uses swords, shields, and the like to battle things like dragons and demons. It is famously known to be extremely difficult. There are two sequels in the series simply numbered 2 and 3.

I would say that it is an exceptionally profound game compared to the more commonly played games out there. There is this motif of light and dark prevalent at all times. The world started off gray, ruled by dragons. Then human-like gods discovered fire and used it to bring on an age of fire (light). But when the gods discovered their fiery souls, an insignificant being rose from the cinders of the fire and discovered a dark soul. I know this is really vague, but that's sort of the point. There is a lot of speculation as to how this is related to the player and the events of the game. I could write a ten page paper on the lore of this game, but I won't bore you. Essentially, there is this constant cycle between ages of fire and ages of dark. No matter what anyone does, the fire always fades to darkness and the embers left behind eventually reignite the fire. As the series progresses, the player goes from feeling a certain confidence in their actions, thinking that they understand what is "good" and "evil", to feeling helpless and confused. Sure, cliches would tell you that of course the light is good. These gods of fire, however, do nothing to help the player and his fellow humans. In fact, they often sacrifice and use the humans. The darkness is no better though, as the protagonist is left alone in a world of nothing. I think that this is a pretty profound metaphor for how some people must feel about the real world.

   

Sorry if you read this and found it pretty boring or confusing. It's something I'm pretty passionate about but have never had the chance to actually talk or write about. If you're interested, which might be a stretch, I can always tell you more through email or something. I don't know. You don't actually have to play the games to appreciate the story, there is so much to it that I would compare it to a series of novels. There is so much more that I would love to talk about but it would be a waste of time for me and anyone reading that wasn't interested.

Why I want to learn Japanese

こんばんわ。

I am ACMS major and first-year student John Kurtz, but everyone calls me Jack. If you're reading this, however, you probably won't use either of those names; rather, you will probably refer to me as カーツ.

I have a lot of reasons for wanting to take Japanese, and I will list them here in order of most important to least important. I think a list will prove to be more interesting and concise than a wall of text.

1. I want to visit Japan
   My friend from high school and I both agreed that we would visit Japan together one day. The problem, though, is that neither of us know Japanese. Simple enough. To be completely honest, the main reason I want to visit Japan is to eat a lot of food there.
      
2. I think that Japanese culture is very interesting
   It's a little hard for me to express, but there is something about the culture and history of Japan that I find really appealing and interesting. So that's that.
         
3. Video Games
   I like video games in general, but it seems the games that I like the most often come from Japan. I would say my favorite series of all time is the Dark Souls series published by Namco Bandai and directed and produced by Hidetaka Miyazaki. Knowing Japanese would help me learn a little more about these games and access some of them early if they come out in Japan first.
         
4. Anime
   I like some anime and watch it from time to time. I guess it'd be cool to be able to understand what is being said rather than reading subtitles.
            

I guess that's all I've got for now. Oh, yeah, one more thing. There's this pretty funny video about the history of Japan that I think is definitely worth watching. I'll warn you that it has some explicit language in case that's something that you want to avoid. I don't know if it's actually all that accurate, I just know that it made me laugh.