6.2021

hiii ! i'm a big fan of your blog i've found it vv inspiring re. my studies :) just wondering what sort of DA things you do outside of your studies / academic things you do in your spare time that aren't necessary to your grades ??

hey! here’s a list of academic things i do outside of university.

if your question was about my non-academic activities that are reminiscent of the dark academia genre, lmk and i’ll make another post!

i read a lot of literary fiction and poetry

i write poetry and am always on the lookout for lit magazines and journals/independent presses to submit my work to. i’ve been published a few times, i don’t really talk to my friends or family about it because i worry they would think i’m arrogant for mentioning it

before the quarantine, i went to art galleries and museums several times a month (i have a free annual pass) and learned a lot from each visit

i do freelance journalism; i interned at a news outlet last summer

i watch international and experimental cinema on criterion collection. i also sometimes go to an independent theatre that airs niche documentaries. i think it’s really important to expose yourself to thought-provoking films

ive been to a few book awards ceremonies + literary events with my mom and her friends before. i’d like to do that more often, especially since many of the events are free

i spend a lot of time in secondhand bookstores looking for old crumbling hardcovers. my friends and i often buy the same book, read it separately, and then report back to each other with impromptu reviews

Do you know any Japanese Language tumblrs ?

Here are some!

@themoonwascrimson

@orenjisupeesu

@japaneselangblr

@mellolearnsjapanese

@nihongonogakusei

@japanese-langblr

@shubsx

@aidoku

@miro-yo

@twiguyslangblr

@travellingtojapan

@kohi-kumo

@study-stream

@jpnlangblr

@miuna-lngblr

@mango-learns-nihongo

@errgative

@keytoanothergalaxy

@strawblondiestudies

@bakadesu-studyblr

@learnjp

@esterse

x

🌻♡ love this spread!

↳ 05.20.19.

i always make my new weekly spread monday mornings, look how blissfully empty :’) currently annotating chinese textbook readings while watching “love is a bonus book” on netflix, i loooooove it so far ✨

dec 1st which means november memories （╹◡╹）♡

𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐬. journal spread 29|04

i'm not journaling as often as i used to and i'm really okay with it. i guess what i want to say is that you don't have to be creative when you don't feel like it. it's as simple as that. to be able to enjoy your journey, you have to listen to yourself and honor your process.

posting a spread from 2018 because why not???

bought some new stationery today and filmed a haul

Japanese Reading Resources for Absolute Beginners

A question I encounter often is "How much Japanese should I study before I can begin reading in Japanese?"

From my experience as a learner and reader myself and from managing a Japanese book club for other learners I can honestly say that you can start way earlier than you probably think!

There are many resources that only require knowing hiragana. Those texts usually teach vocabulary through pictures and only use basic grammar.

Some are even simpler than that: The Japan Foundation's Hiragana Books are great for those, who are still remembering hiragana characters. Every short book introduces only 1-2 new characters, so it's a great reading exercise for those who've just started.

The free graded reader 「どうぞ、どうも」 by the NPO Tagengo Tadoku only uses the words 「どうぞ」 and 「どうも」 to write an entire story. Again, this makes for a great exercise in reading hiragana and understanding context. Another "level 0" recommendation by the same NPO would definitely be 「しろい？くろい？」. This book uses the full range of hiragana characters but the grammar is simple and all used vocabulary is illustrated.

Another site with great resources for absolute beginners is Nihongo Tadoku Dōjō. If you have memorized both hiragana and katakana and know how the particles を and で work you will be able to read this text about stationary (ぶんぼうぐ) and understand everything by looking at the pictures!

The resources linked so far can all be accessed completely free on the linked websites. If you have the money to spare, please also have a look at the box 「スタート」 from the series reberubetsu nihongo tadoku raiburarī published by the NPO Tagengo Tadoku and ASK (affiliate link). This box includes 8 little books in very simple Japanese.

All these texts for absolute beginners will get you started reading in Japanese with very little knowledge of characters and vocabulary.

Reading in Japanese is a skill that requires practice. But once you get used to it, it can be such a valuable tool to reinforce new vocabulary and grammar. So please don't wait until you're "ready" before you start reading - start early at your own level!

my masterpost | my studygram | ask me anything

[click images for high quality]

[transcript under the cut]

Other advice posts that may be of interest:

How To Study When You Really Don’t Want To

Active Revision Techniques

How to Revise BIG Subjects

The OSCAR Revision Model

The Diffuse Mode of Thinking

Keep reading