Honen said...

Honen at 10:34 AM JST - 2nd May

Another thing: The "schoolmarm Japanese" extends all the way to how Japanese is tested. Anyone who thinks that translation should be a piece of cake after passing 1-kyuu really ought to read this book. For starters, real-world Japanese sentences are typically three times longer than any sentence in the 1-kyuu…

Posted in Read Real Japanese Essays at 10:34 AM JST - 2nd May
Honen at 10:30 AM JST - 2nd May

Fantastic idea. I have used Murakami's essays as a learning tool for myself in the past; it's a great idea, because for a learner, a short essay is much more digestible and therefore less discouraging than a full-length novel. I can attest that Murakami's essays are very engaging and insightful.…

Posted in Read Real Japanese Essays at 10:30 AM JST - 2nd May
Honen at 11:58 AM JST - 17th April

Dear Moderator:

Ah, yes, "produce". As in "produce by"? (that one is right up there with "coupling with" for single B-sides)

I imagine her input was doodling flowers onto a sketch of a Beetle with a set of colored pencils.

Posted in Model Moe Oshikiri designs new Volkswagen Beetle at 11:58 AM JST - 17th April
Honen at 10:44 AM JST - 17th April

"Designed"? Perhaps you mean "customized".

It's not as if the folken at Volkswagen have taken Miss Oshikiri on board as part of their product engineering team, after all. :)

I will concede, though, that her custom paint job does exhibit a touch of Fahrvergnügen.

Moderator: The Japanese word used at…

Posted in Model Moe Oshikiri designs new Volkswagen Beetle at 10:44 AM JST - 17th April
Honen at 03:18 PM JST - 26th March

Any cycle lane that actually gets built will be understood to be a parking lane by motorists.

I'm amazed that the author feels safer on the streets than on the sidewalk. Sure, the sidewalk can be perilous and frustrating, but it's nothing compared to the streets, where motorists are angry…

Posted in The two-wheel revolution at 03:18 PM JST - 26th March