Rating 5 Months of Japanese Language School vs. Self Study (Pimsleur)

After 5 Months of self-studying Japanese AND 5 months of Language school in Japan, here's a fun review of what Boomer learned and what worked best for him.
Boomer's Japanese Ep 1: • Speaking Japanese Afte...
5 Months of Self Study: • Speaking Japanese Afte...
Boomer's Japanese Ep 3: • Can he still SPEAK JAP...
- - - - - - - - S I M I L A R V I D E O S - - - - - - - -
"How I Moved to Japan " tinyurl.com/yb8yylch
"My 1st Japanese Company Interview" www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwxH8...
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- - - - - - - - F A Q - - - - - - - -
Hi! My name is Loretta, a girl from the U.S. who moved to Japan! I'm here on the MEXT scholarship program as a graduate student, studying to get a Masters in Business Administration. Here are some answers to common questions:
1. Do I Speak Japanese? Yep! I was taught formally in High School and have been speaking now for over 15 years.
2. What are you studying? I'm a student in a Japanese "Masters of Business Administration Program"
3. How old are you?: tinyurl.com/y7xqqse2
4. How did you get into Japanese school?: tinyurl.com/yb8yylch
5. What camera equipment do you use?: I film my videos with a Canon 60D using a 30mm Sigma Art Lens and I edit with Sony Vegas Pro 10 (with some help from photoshop).
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♪ "Cha Capella - KZbin Audio Library
♪ "Sunrise Drive" - KZbin Audio Library
♪ "Do Do Do" - KZbin Audio Library
#japanese #pimsleur #languageschool

[@AshleyKaulitz007]

Many public libraries have language learning resources (like Pimsleur CDs) available for free. Don't buy them without checking your local library first!

[@reireio-o]

I love Pimsleur!

[@nknownpodcast]

You're absolutely right! I have the Pimsleur CD's at my local library! Crazy.

[@nicoleraheem1195]

Truuuuue

[@hater3907]

Thanks a bunch!!

[@Themoment888]

Yeah and a lot of libraries have online audio books/ebooks. I got the online pimsleur audiobooks for korean from my public libraries online resources

[@elisajane9684]

Those dead eyes when you're so focused on listening that you forget to use the rest of your face ahahah

[@pencilonpaper1026]

lol

[@goddessOfThEniTe]

How you gunna call out our homeboy Boomer like this

[@dwaynenero535]

Haha, so true

[@Wdcrabby]

SO TRUE! still got dead eyes, and sadly i still have a blank moment in between their talking and my reply when i'm trying to understand everything said to me lol

[@ismailniyaz5167]

Boomer here is how I currently look like in my Japanese classes. It takes me a couple of seconds of intense concentration to figure out what the other person is saying haha.

[@MrRookitty]

I'm so jealous of Boomer! I wish I lived with someone I could practice Japanese with. If I talk to my cats in Japanese, they just side-eye me... Rightfully so I guess.

[@Yinyanchant]

Sinead B yep the 'neko' thinks we are crazy!

[@paulwalther5237]

I disagree. I think she just teases the hell out of him regarding his Japanese. I am pretty damn sure of this. 六本木 is a case in point.

[@SnowmansApartment]

I don‘t know about other people.. but studying by yourself is pretty easy, as the only thing holding you back is your motivation.. If you don‘t plan to get any certificates, i wouldn‘t bother with classes..

[@SnowmansApartment]

Guilain 08 10x better in what sense?You don‘t need a teacher to learn a language :) Just buy a good book and find friends.

[@ZuoCruz]

What studying resources would you recommend for self study?

[@SnowmansApartment]

ZuoCruz I used Genki 1 & 2. And Currently i study with „An integrated approach to intermediate Japanese“ I use the books for grammar and vocab. Most of my friends i found with the Hello Talk App. If you just want to travel Japan, Genki 1 and 2 are more than enough. After finishing the intermediate books, i think i‘ll be good enough to study just by talking a lot.. I would recommend visiting japan after Genki 1 and 2... Thats what i did :) It gives you a huge motivation boost and you learn so much!

[@ZuoCruz]

Cool thanks!

[@mybabyalulu]

Studying is easy. Committing is difficult.

[@checkerbearhair]

Boomers Japanese has improved so much! Also, if anyone is self-studying outside of Japan, it is imperative that they create an environment where they encounter Japanese regularly! This could be daily reading, listening to podcasts, etc... JapanesePod101 is good for this.

[@champ375]

But what about Lily's Japanese?

[@Eric-le3uu]

This is good advice. When you're on the train, bus, whatever, stop listening to English. Try and get as much Japanese in.

[@paulwalther5237]

Does watching anime count?

[@checkerbearhair]

paul walther I wouldn’t count it because the Japanese spoken in anime can be very dramatic and unrealistic. You’re better off listening to the news or watching something where natural conversations (about common topics) can be listened to. However, watching anime, along with my other suggestions would probably be effective.

[@paulwalther5237]

NO FREE CATNIP I think you’re right. But anime is pretty much my only reason for studying Japanese - I hate listening to the news in Japanese and I don’t know how to go about watching drama never mind good drama 😭. I suppose this explains why my Japanese progresses so slowly.

[@nabukuma]

He’s basically better than me in my first year of learning Japanese at uni xD

[@Saird]

I was thinking that as well...I'm sitting here with a year of schooling and he is already better. School is great at making sure you study. But like Boomer said, you never get to use what you learn. Then you are off to the next set of grammar that just stacks and stacks and you never really cement those in.

[@bmba]

I think the biggest thing is that he's in Japan, and he's literally surrounded by Japanese from everything he sees to even the background noise you zone out when in public. No matter how thoroughly you study a language, you're not going to really reinforce what you learn or fully absorb it unless you're constantly surrounded by it, which is why spending a week in Japan could do more for your Japanese than spending a month at an English uni. A really interesting thing a French teacher of mine once said is that you'll never be fluent unless you fully immerse yourself in the language, and that what really makes-or-breaks you is when you're absolutely forced to use it. She had done a student exchange program when she was younger where she lived in a very small and out-of-the-way French town, where not even a single person understood the languages she knew, and no matter how badly she wanted to try to communicate or get by, she literally couldn't unless she could articulate herself in French. This is how she became fluent, and it gave her more than any studying she could have ever done before then, the caveat being that you could easily learn nothing in that situation if you're not actively trying to learn.

[@moyga]

​@@bmba Being in Japan really doesn't help that much unless you already have a decent foundation in Japanese and you go out of your way to mainly make Japanese friends and use Japanese, especially if you are in Tokyo its easy to get by without ever really needing to use much Japanese. Not being in Japan is no excuse, you should be spending half your study time immersing in native Japanese content, that means reading manga/books (not graded readers or content made for language learners) and watching Japanese shows without subtitles. There is a huge gap between textbook Japanese and everyday Japanese. A Japanese 10 year old knows about 10,000 words and you need to know about 10,000 words for N1, but N1 requires a lot of vocab that 10 year olds don't know, so what are all those other words the 10 year old knows that the N1 person doesnt? More important words and things that aren't in textbooks.

[@kiiturii]

im at like 3 weeks of self study and I knew half the kanji that was shown and understood probably half the words that were said (hard to estimate) I havent done that much grammar yet tho so understanding is a bit hard. I feel like going to school is useless compared to self study as long as you have enough motivation and self control to do it every single day

[@sambeawesome]

School for me was great, definitely helped with a foundation, but I didn't retain anything. It was like he said, you're basically studying for a test, not studying to actually utilize. Self study for me has been slower at times, given my schedule, but I remember a lot more and am using it. I'm sure it depends on the person though, for which route works best. If you're on your own, you only have yourself to motivate you, which can be draining or difficult at times. Both have pluses and minuses.

[@theresemorrow33]

I agree it depends on the person. I retained a lot more in self study then I did in class. I use the hello talk app and Japanese pod101 to make friends and listen to Japanese as much as possible

[@Lady-V]

What you said here "you're basically studying for a test, not studying to actually utilize" is more of a mindset that people have. A language class despite being called a class is something that I see as nothing more than a supplement, and practically useless on its own (I think a lot of people make the mistake of thinking a language class is enough). For my Spanish for example I'm sure I would've retained a lot less from my Spanish classes in college if I didn't actually watch KZbin, Netflix and listen to music in Spanish. Obviously my Spanish classes weren't necessary, but they did help by giving structure to learning the language. I also happened to have a really good instructor who used Spanish almost exclusively, so that helped. What helped the most were the resources outside of class really. My instructor made us have conversations with native speaker's every week to improve our speaking skills, and made it abundantly clear that if we didn't speak we weren't going to become fluent. So I think the main thing a class offers is structure, and accountability. However a determined person can still do these things on their own, so as you said it depends on the person.

[@ThinkForward0]

what is your routine for studying Japanese? i first learned hiragana and katakana and then bought Japanese from zero book and am almost done with the first one , its super slow paced but it stick to your head . What is your way of studying ?

[@sambeawesome]

@@ThinkForward0 ​ It's changed here and there over the years, but right now it's WaniKani and Bunpro daily as a minimum. From there, it's random. Reading some, listening some, writing some, Italki, etc. This might give you some more specifics: sta.sh/016fyab7aj4x Just a list of resources I've used or collected.

[@ThinkForward0]

@@sambeawesome thanks a lot , those resources will definitely help

[@callmetheyo]

He was so much more comfortable when he started speaking English on camera lol. It blows my mind how far hes come from when i first saw him in your videos. Great job Boomer!! Keep it up!!

[@kamekomiyamora]

I studied 2 years by myself, using free websites and library study material. I then took one class at a local university, got an easy A cause I knew 70% beforehand (kana, some kanji, words, word structure, verb conjugations). It was the only time I got to practice speaking. Since I studied so passionately, I still retained quite a bit of the basics. If Im listening to music or watching an anime, I can recognize phrases and words. You can learn a lot by yourself. Classes are nice as it makes you learn more faster, and you also have a teacher to ask questions, but because it can be rushed, you may not remember much unless you choose to study outside of the course. I studied French for 5 years in school, but I don't remember anything now. School only thought us phrases, basic words (colours, school supplies), and a handful of verbs, I couldn't make a sentence to save my life, but I also just wasn't interested in anything French. Whereas Japanese, I was exposed to it for a few years before I decided to learn, and even after I stopped studying seriously, I'm still exposed to it. When I went to Japan this year, I was able to recall enough to ask questions and understand answers 😁 Unless you plan to live there, or plan to work in a place that deals with the Japanese, the basics is all you need

[@punkpoetry]

"Unless you plan to live there, or plan to work in a place that deals with the Japanese, the basics is all you need" - what if you want to read Japanese literature in the original, watch movies, have a real access to the culture? Why limit yourself to the basics if you like it so much...

[@kiiturii]

​@@punkpoetry i agree, also whats the point of knowing the basics if you're not going to be able to use them. I'd say that if you go on vacation to japan or something similar but otherwise dont care about the language then just the basics are good enough.

[@ruggsparch2787]

I’m not interested in animae or anything like that or even move to japan. My plan is to be able to travel there repeatedly as a holiday visiting different parts and off beaten paths of the country. So I guess N4 level will be sufficient?

[@kamekomiyamora]

@@punkpoetry KZbin didn't tell me I got a reply, sorry! If you love it, go for it! But the dedication level has to be really high. For shows and movies, dubs are usually available. Sometimes, it's hard even finding raw versions. Also, you may not have the patience to pause every few seconds to try to understand it if you really just wanted to watch the movie. Not to mention they always say Japanese in shows tend to be different than what they use in real life. I considered learning to read so I could understand books and such, but 1. Kanji is very difficult to memorize, and hard to look up everytime you come across a word you don't understand. Unless you're planning to read regularly, all the time you spent learning and memorizing could go to waste if you forget it. It's hard getting access to beginner books, but even then, and children books tend to have vocab you may never really need or use, like 'castle' or 'frog'. The point of my comment was more for those who thought about learning the language seriously just to visit. To really get a strong hold on Japanese, you would need to immerse yourself long term. It's easy to get discouraged or unmotivated, or even lazy when you don't have opportunities to apply it. Reading and writing can take years to master, so unless you do plan to practice and use it regularly, it may be somewhat of a waste if tiu spend 250+ hours learning just to stop and forget it. So unless you plan to live there, or plan to immerse yourself in it's culture and media, you may just be wasting your time. Not to say learning a language is a waste of time, I don't regret taking the time to learn and being able to understand more than most people, but you need to have your goals set. Know why you're learning Japanese, and be willing to pay to get the materials or people to practice on so you could make real progress that sticks long term.

[@mahounekoshoujo4]

Hi, Loretta! I don't know if you remember me but a few months ago, I told you I wanted to be a translator in Japan. This video really helped me see how both self study and language school are complimentary. Boomer has improved (lol). Thank you for always amazing content!

[@dwaynenero535]

OMG, I feel Boomer's pain. I don't know why there is such a fear of messing up. I feel like he looked, when you were talking so fast. Like we want to know and understand and speak but it's just so hard and takes time. We know we can get there because you are the proof, but the road to get there is such an uphill climb with rocks and loose gravel, and we are so afraid to slip even though the fall won't hurt us. Do you understand what I mean, or did you feel this in the beginning? Self -study has it's good and bad points, but in self-study there is less fear because no one is there to see you mess up. Ask Boomer if he agrees with this. Thank you always for your videos, keep it up.

[@cjohnson3836]

Messing up is important though. So there is that. Its learning opportunity. If something is worth doing, its worth doing poorly. You'll always be bad at something until you practice.

[@arielpace1156]

Pimsleur is the truth. Tried it for Spanish and my listening and speaking, and vocab learning soared!

[@kemushichan]

Good job, Boomer!!! For those of you who missed it, here's what he looked like after 5 months of self-study: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2TbgX6oadN8edU

[@snowfoxxie]

I think it really depends on you and how well you can study by yourself too. I really failed hard at self study beyond a certain level of Japanese. I JUST COULDN'T SPEAK JAPANESE WELL!!!! I always forgot everything I learned since I wasn't using it, this gave me no confidence and got really frustrated and I wanted to quit Japanese. I then went to language school in Japan and it CHANGED MY LIFE!!!!! seriously! In 3 months I could speak Japanese or at least begin to say things I wanted to say. I was originally enrolled for 6 months, I extended this to a year because I was learning so much and enjoying it. I can honestly say even now, it was the best part of my life. It gave me a really good foundation. Now I am a self study chick- since language school helped me get past that big hurdle I was having. I live and work in Japan now at a Japanese company- Japanese is my passion and now I am studying it through my interactions at work and at cafes by myself when I have time =) i love interacting and talking to Japanese people! I am really grateful for my language school experience. If you ever get stuck, or feel ashamed when speaking in Japanese please give it a go! Once you have a strong foundation in Japanese, and can speak- even if its broken Japanese, you will learn so much. For me speaking is the most fun way to study Japanese-so once I could speak my learning improved like crazy!

[@GmTstudi0]

Interesting story! Can I ask you how long it took you to find a job after language school? Did you pass any Japanese test to get a certificate? And did you have a bachelor before going to language school? I'm interested in doing language school for a year and afterwards work in Japan for a while. It's quite a big chunk of money though 😅

[@user-fm1tg5rc1m]

Same i went to language school in Korea and was finally to get the highest level after 8 years of studying, and be able to finish :)

[@snowfoxxie]

강태빈 congratulations!!

[@snowfoxxie]

Peter Seijnhaeve not long at all.. I had one lined up before I finished. You should also take the opportunity of being in Japan to meet others and network.

[@dddaveism]

Hi there I was wondering if there was a particular Japanese school you would recommend? Hoping to move over once the covid thing ends 😂

[@nixelyte4136]

Personally, I self-studied Japanese for about 4 years by practicing my listening and speaking so now I understand a lot of what was being said. My only problem was that I wasn't very good at forming sentences and ensuring if the grammar was correct or not as well as knowing how to read.This year, I finally decided to enter myself into a Japanese language school near my place and I must say that it has helped a lot in re-confirming a lot of things as well as strengthening the foundations I had from self-studying. Of course, if you want it to last long-term, alongside attending the classes, you should do your own review after. I usually try to implement it in my everyday life.

[@nchristina]

Love your positivity and honesty about Japanese language learning. I am self-studying right now so I can get along easier on vacation. Love your videos!

[@LetsLanguageTogether]

That was so motivational to watch! I was thinking of doing a language school by wasn’t sure if it was a good idea or not. It’s nice to see the progress Boomer has made! Good job and good luck with your studies!

[@ARMORXV]

I had just watched recently Boomer's beginning videos of studying Japanese, and I can definitely tell that he's progressed a LOT! Great job! I miss studying Japanese in a classroom environment. I have to say, I was very blessed to have the opportunity in my rough city that my high school offered Japanese classes. My sensei was amazing too, she really pushed us and made us want to study harder. Keep going! You can do it!

[@jacobqwan]

After 3 months at Yoshida Japanese Language School near Waseda University. I feel like I can almost keep up with Boomer :D haha but Self study was more efficient in different ways. Too much text book study doesn't help normal conversation. I have a long ways to go :'( but がんばて　to me!

[@mayabewsher6987]

Great video. I am moving toTokyo for language school soon. I cannot wait! This was a good gauge to see how much progress can be made.

[@jienilim]

I’m wondering which language school did you go for? Assuming you’re done by now. Wondering how was your experience by now?

[@activelygemma]

I've thought about this a lot. I struggle with self-study and have considered taking classes, but knowing it's not much different, especially if you don't live there, is interesting. This motivates me to continue self-study and see how far I can go.

[@intogrey2038]

How is the studying going ?updates please.

[@anauli]

I moved to Japan like 4 days ago and I was wondering how you guys went about choosing the language school. I'm so impatient to learn Japanese but I feel like for me self study isn't enough.

[@sufamidan1006]

The best way to learn is through your day to day activities, socialising with friends, shopping etc. This message was 5 months ago so I'm sure you already know this by now!

[@kittyheart1432]

love this!! I also have studied Pimsleur on my own for several years, but I agree that its so hard to retain it if you aren't using it as often, or surrounded by it. Living in Japan is my dream, I really love all of your videos. Domo arigato gozaimasu

[@404md]

I have been taking Japanese courses at a language school headed by the Japanese embassy for 15 months. We study from Genki. The first 10 weeks is learning hiragana and katakana and then bam! Full on high speed grammar and vocab learning. In my opinion, language schools are far better than self study. Partly because you have to discipline yourself to actually study and prep for homework and exams. Accountability helps with retention. And shelling out your own $$ is a good motivator as well. However, my course focuses so much on grammar and vocabulary that I don’t feel like I spend enough time speaking and reading it. So I supplement classroom with weekly Skype lessons with a native speaker. For me the hard part is being a working adult, with a job, bills and responsibilities. You really need a fresh mind to concentrate on foreign language and I don’t always have that luxury. And it’s totally true what Boomer said about kanji. If you don’t see it all the time it’s hard to retain. Apps like Wanekane do help. Nothing beats courses supplemented by total immersion by living in Japan. All in all learning Japanese can be expensive, and even frustrating at times (omg the conjugations of adjectives, grrr!)! But it’s so rewarding once all the grammar and vocabulary click, and you can actually form complex sentences. It feels wonderful. And when you visit Japan and you can say small phrases and converse with locals...ahh.. its the best feeling in the world. Boomer will likely be pretty fluent in about a year.

[@Eric-le3uu]

You don't need a language school IMO, just discipline and a routine. If you're motivated, the language will come.

[@MrJct619]

I'm trying to learn Japanese myself and watching you two speak Japanese has motivated me. I would say boomer did well especially since he had been studying for 6 months

[@purelove43]

Girl, you became my inspiration

[@nataliyainmotion]

The benefits to self study is that you can move at your pace and adjust the lessons accordingly to what you are having a harder time picking up, but then Japanese class is good when you get into more of an intermediate phase because depending on where you live, you might not be able to develop all of your skills and it can stunt your growth since its harder to see progress at that phase. I've had experience with both. Im glad I tested out of the basic levels of Japanese because of my self-study, because I wouldn't have been able to deal with the pace that the classes were moving at just to learn hiragana and katakana. But for upper level grammar, especially with learning all the different formal levels it can get confusing and its good to have immediate correction from a teacher.

[@rayagancheva1927]

Amazing progress!!!!!

[@SamInTokyoo]

This was such a cute video, I laughed so much! Let’s meet again soon

[@essennagerry]

Sam In Tokyo Heeeey Sam! :D I'm so happy you could move back to Japan! ^^

[@elianafritz3389]

I was doing the kanji along with the video and I was so proud of myself that I was able to translate some of them before the answers came up!

[@iscreamcandy1161]

I finished a month of intense study in Japan about two weeks ago. It was so short but it did a lot to help with my grammar and speaking skills. Being in the country itself makes it easier to input the lessons into everyday situations. I now have to self-study again and I find myself forgetting a lot already :C But I will keep going so that I can have a full (basic) conversation in Japanese by the end of next year!

[@kristinamiya4140]

Hiiii! I want to know how much did cost and the duration of the course! Thanks!

[@W4ABN]

First video I've seen of this channel. Interesting getting a take on Pimsleur and comparing it to language school. I got a copy of the Japanese lessons that they put out for free when Japan had the nuclear disaster and tsunami several years ago. Been thinking about their regular offerings. I'm working on learning Japanese on my own, currently using wanikani for kanji studies. I also have Genki 1 and 2 books, the Tae Kim guide for grammar, and looking up other resources that may help me learn. I browsed through your video list and looks like some interesting topics so I went ahead and subscribed :D (just what I need, more distractions from studying. lol) ありがとうございます。

[@KirstieLush]

I loved this video! I have considered going from self-study to language school but it's so pricey and giving up working full time. But I'm progressing so slow with self-study it might be worth it lol

[@konstellacion]

Hi Loretta. I am from Indonesia. Currently I'm learning japanese too just like your boyfriend and I found your channel is so motivating. I am impressed with your japanese skill. Thank you for inspiring me 😀

[@elisekate1754]

It's nice to see how much he's improved ! :)

[@kimberlycantillas4394]

私、９ヶ月で日本語学校で勉強しました。When I got to the intermediate (中級) level in my school, it was such a huge jump. We went from みんあの日本語‐初級 to N2 grammar. The teaching style also drastically changed from studying one chapter for 2 days, to just cramming 3-5 grammar patterns everyday. I'm not sure, but it seemed as though our school was still experimenting with the curriculum. Anyway, for me it was definitely much faster learning in a language school. Living with Japanese people in a sharehouse was also helpful. You pick up words just from listening to them talk. And they're also very helpful when you need examples or explanations. It was also fun meeting people from different countries. 英語がわからない人とバラバラな日本語で話しても、みんなだいたい分かります。それはめっちゃ面白かったです〜

[@bude8234]

I am going to the Shibuya language school in the fall to take some private lessons along with my vacation there!! Can't wait! ドキドキだよ！

[@pattmahiney]

First of all, he's really handsome. But omg, I love how shocked he looks for *the entire video*. Literally all of it. Lol good job, Boomer. I love this quiz style, Loretta. Very nice mix of activities, and you're just so encouraging (:

[@Shoopalexia]

You did awesome Boomer!! You make me want to learn!

[@paulwalther5237]

That reminds me of myself back when I was taking Japanese 101 at community college after work. Learning Japanese has been super slow and hard. It took me five years to pass the N2. I had a good teacher and classmates which made me -want- to study and I therefore learned the 1st and 2nd year Japanese grammar very well. But that was only 1 course per semester for 3 semesters (I actually self studied and skipped the first semester). Everything else has been on my own and it involved a lot of Anki and the "Core" deck. If you don't know it, it's basically the same material that's on iknow.jp. I recommend it. It's basically the best self study for Japanese that I have found to increase your vocabulary past the genki books up to 8 or 9000 or whatever it goes up to. But it's no substitute for tadoku. I studied German back in college and just did tons of tadoku and it stuck so well. I haven't found a way to duplicate that with Japanese because the writing system is so difficult. I feel like you're stuck with gimmicky solutions like apps or what not instead of real Japanese because of the damn writing system. That said, Kemushichan's Japanese is so good - I love her pronunciation. I am guessing being a young, smart, friendly, outgoing college student in Japan is the best way to learn Japanese fast. (I don't meet those qualifications so I'm stuck with tadoku and the never ending war against the kanji..)

[@ThatsEunice]

You are an amazing teacher. Great job Boomer.

[@masayama1618]

ブーちゃんって、もっと静かな人だと思ってた。 こんなに しゃべる人 だったんだ！ しかも、ちょっと おもしろいことも 言ってる。 ぜったい、友達が ふえるよ。 友達ふえたら、日本語も うまくなるよ。

[@triniman020]

I was smiling the whole time. Good progress Boomer, good tutelage Loretta.

[@seaofbutterflies]

loved this video it helped with learning

[@MrHighwaysg]

Such a beautiful language!!!!!

[@carolinegionet6769]

Boomer’s face is how I feel in my Japanese uni class all the time XD　Just *forgets everything* pls look at someone else "日本語をはなせません..." brain glitch sequence initiated

[@kemushichan]

😂😂😂😂

[@Sjochumsen]

I was studying at a Japanese language school, and it was great. For me it is hard to study myself. It is just important to find the right school with the right tempo for yourself 👍🏻

[@fagbowsa]

レベルアップしましたイェイ!!!おめでとうボーマさん。応援してますわ、みんな!

[@takashii1656]

漢字をいっぱい読めるんだね、素晴らしい👏✌️

[@dustinthebeau2788]

Awsome video and props boomer thats great progress in a short time! Ive been self studying for about 6 months mostly Rosetta stone but i feel i forget everything except when im using the app😒 so im plannin to enroll in a class here in tokyo. Any recommendations?? Thanks!

[@SakuraMikan1]

It’s actually really interesting to see how different Self Study and then School Study was for Boomer, yes he was doing excessively well on his own, but he also had the problem of not being able to enforce it constantly and often forgot what he had learned, as you had mentioned Loretta, while for school he is being made to enforce what he has learned because he _needs_ to. But I do want to say that regardless if one is learning self-study or studying in a classroom, either way, when I watch these videos of Boomer learning and his progress in Japanese, it does motivate me a lot to get back into studying 😂

[@SyrianSoaper]

I am curious Loretta what you did to help you combat the lack of Kanji everywhere when you weren't in Japan. Did you just label everything in your house? I know some do that. You may have mentioned it in another video before.

[@Eric-le3uu]

Self studying is perfectly fine for reading and listening. Speaking, you can do either via Skype or at a meetup. There's no need to go to school to learn a language. In fact, most of the people I know who ended up speaking 2-10 languages did it on their own with the help of some friends for conversation purposes.

[@Venik75]

I don’t know how he is besides videos and if it’s because he’s uncomfortable with camera or different language but he seems so kind 😭

[@Ariel__Ariel]

日本語とってもお上手です😍

[@dezzydsdojo]

Keep at it Boomer! You'll crush it homie! Loretta you're so legit, love this video!

[@Kureiamisa]

He has improved a lot! I want to also go to a language school, but $$$

[@aoisora9104]

chuu berry Yeah T-T

[@Eric-le3uu]

You don't need language school to learn Japanese. I know many who are self taught.

[@Kureiamisa]

Eric Roberts I also teach myself but I struggle studying by myself but that's just me. :(

[@smartarse9705]

chuu berry the same here:( i'm more or less fine with understanding oral casual conversations but I cant properly speak, cant write (I was too lazy to be bothered with learning to write so many kanjis) and as a result struggle with reading😢 I lack discipline. Do you wanna team up to learn Japanese together?

[@emmataub2806]

I'm SO glad I found your channel, Kemushi-chan!. I love J-vloggers, but for whatever reason, haven't seen your channel until now! I've tried reaching out to a lot of other foreigners on youtube who I know are living abroad in Japan, but haven't had any luck... I know the chances of you reading this are small, but I could REALLY use some advice! I've decided (I decided a long time ago, actually) that my ultimate career goal is to move to Japan to teach English, but I know most contracts with the JET program end after about 3-4 years, at the most. Do you have any advice for someone who plans to live out there, permanently? And if not teaching, are there more stable, permanent positions that would allow me to live permanently in Japan? I'm starting my first year of college next week, and plan to take Japanese all 4 years, so at the point of getting my undergrad, I should be decent with my Japanese (hopefully!) I hope you read this... I love your videos, thank you Kemushi!

[@kemushichan]

Emma Taub If you can add at least a minor in a second field, especially if its in design or comp sci that'll translate easily into a broader range of jobs here. Teaching English is great because It'll get you here and set up, then once you're in Japan it'll be a lot easier to make new connections, too💕 Best of luck!

[@504sweetiepie]

I've done both and the end result that I have more passive vocab(words I recognize) than active(words I can actually use). Now that I dont have access to a language school at the moment, I am trying to build a good self-study plan that can help me retain info better and produce effective sentences and structures. Any tips?

[@masashimatsunaga5516]

2人ともめちゃかわいい。会ってみたいぐらい。今はもっと日本語が上手くなってペラペラになってるんだろうな

[@rockandrolldude22]

I prefer using memerise what do you guy think about that app? I use some lessons that are made by other people and it teachers you words and grammer it seems right. What do you think?

[@omglykmybffjill]

I had just turned off subtitles because it was hard to read when they were on top of each other and then they asked us to turn on subs TT

[@helloken]

I don't hear it being said as "nijyuu nana nichi" very often...it almost sounds wrong, just because I never hear it being said that way. But I don't think its wrong, just less common. Nana-ji and shichiji I hear both. Good going Boo-chan. Impressive!

[@TetukraBOA]

I think self study is good because it ranks up determination. Also if your self studying get a Japanese friend to help you retain what you learn by speaking with you. Also get a Kanji Practice list same as how Japanese kids learn Kanji and practice that on down time. surround yourself with it daily

[@nowgaku]

ブーちゃん、頑張って！

[@dopplegangersparklesplat576]

What language school did Boomer attend? Great video, very fun to watch!

[@MaSoisSoful]

That natural curly hair flow!

[@pekoeji]

this makes me want to transfer to university in japan.. i’m in a usa university learning japanese but i feel like i’d benefit more moving there and being immersed? ):

[@Markver1]

@KemushiChan ロレッタ さん、 I am convinced that ‘subway’ in Japanese is an onomatopoeia. What is the sound that you hear when the train is moving? 7:17 地下鉄、地下鉄、地下鉄、地下鉄、…

[@cutiepiedaina]

taking one semester of japanese in college allowed me to understand loretta almost fully!!1

[@Itsjazmynh]

Can I put captions in the video for you? I’m not fully good at Japanese but I know what could help me translate what I don’t know sense i only know things within N2.But it would be easier for your subs and watchers!

[@kemushichan]

I would love to but KZbin disabled community contributed captions last month. 😐

[@yoo0119]

I really want to learn a new language, so I thought I’d start with the harder ones namely Chinese or Japanese sense I’m young in age -16 to be specific- ( I’m leaning more towards Japanese though) I already speak very fluent English(as you can see) and Arabic( namely the Kuwaiti dialect). So my question is how and where do I start? Do I learn standard Japanese first, or jump right into one of the dialects ? ( in Arabic I’m more fluent in the casual dialect than the standard Arabic because the dialect and the standard-or fosha as its called- are pretty different from each other) And what dialect is most used and widely understood in Japan and has learning material available?

[@AnimeQuote]

The way Boomer concentrates and think of vocab and grammar to form out a sentence really looked like how I spoke to the locals there xD ... The worst part is when I only managed to form out half a sentence and then got loss for words!!

[@dchen1010]

hello! i am trying to learn japanese on my own as well. I am wondering if you know of any resources that can help me learn japanese. More specifically, easy japanese coversation videos with english subtitles

[@hackptui]

How far can you get with Pimsleur? I'm at a JLPT N5 level, and I'm looking for something that can get me to N4 and N3, at least. Duolingo has been very effective for me, but I'm feeling like that's going to limit me eventually. Rosetta Stone has been abysmally bad.

[@Chocolategaijin]

I got all the kanji right :D Except for two 😎 still proud of myself

[@fa6805]

I’m self studying as I do not plan to get any certificates. Just being able to read the novels I love and watch raw animes in advance.

[@johannespretorius8365]

Great video :) thanks or it

[@hazziesof3360]

Good job Boomer! 頑張りましたね。

[@Ambie86]

BTW congrats to Boomer for learning so much; that's really impressive. After 3 years of high school French (even an advanced class) and going to France myself, I still haven't retained much at all…which is terrible. GO Team Boomer!

[@shoryusenkei3136]

If you're outside of Japan and wanna have good speaking practice use HelloTalk app it's very good and people actually talk back.

[@Ambie86]

Question for both of you: I have read that as you age, it's more difficult for your brain to learn/retain a new language. Did Boomer find difficulty learning Japanese (IK Loretta has been learning since high school)? Not saying Boomer is old LOL just wondering if his difficulty was increased learning past high school? Love ya'll's videos very much; this one made my day! XO -Ambie

[@boomlore73]

Ambie Doesn’t feel any different from learning French in High School. I feel like it may be easier this time around as I have a better idea of how I learn, but who knows.

[@xnij250]

Speaking from experience, it is not true that it'll be difficult to learn language (or any new kinds of training) as you age. But the thing is, when you're an adult, you'll have more responsibilities and things to do compared to when you're a student. Students have to study most of the time, so their body and brain get used to the habit of learning and memory retention every day. Oth, if you're an adult, unless you have to learn language for work, you need to plan it, schedule it, and have the intention of learning it (class or self-study). But if you make it your priority, it is easy. Set your intention and just be consistent about it because consistency is the hardest part about it.

[@LizzyHamilton]

When you are in school for learning japanese do they teach you the map of japan?

[@sh2bn]

独自だとやはり限度があるからねぇ、どの語学でも語学学校で少しでも習ってきた方が良いと思いますね。 Self learning has a limit , so if you want to speak and understand more accurately,you’d better to go to the language school. of course,even any other languages you do so...

[@crazykozik]

7はナナでいいよ 外国人の方もシチと発音しにくいだろうし日本人同士の会話でも聞き間違いがおきやすいからね

[@jacobqwan]

wanikani is great for kanji!

[@toramon1185]

Hi KemushiChan, Boomer, which language school at 1500 for 3 to 4 months?

[@skjaoataafnan4934]

She looks very cute talking in Japanese

[@vecnagreyhawk78]

I would choose the school option simply for the visa. ✌️😷

[@MythicGirl2210]

Which textbook did Boomer say he was using? I didn't catch that (I know it started with a t....)

[@Wdcrabby]

just wanna say, you 2 are insanely cute together. my face looks just like boomer's when trying to understand japanese being spoken to me, haha! he's way better than me tho. we'll get there!

[@norate2931]

Hello I really want to talk japanese and study by myself. But I Don't know which book is best for self-study learning japanese. Please, can you recommend me some? Thank you so much~

[@kemushichan]

Heres the latest video where we did that! : kzbin.info/www/bejne/fp3ShouLrLysrKc

[@Oo-vr2jn]

It's hardcore so not necessarily the best method for everyone but if you want to get fluent from self study (able to write 3000+ kanji, understand almost everything without subtitles) in a year and a half check out the AJATT method/MIA

[@dwaynenero535]

What is the AJATT method ?

[@Oo-vr2jn]

@@dwaynenero535 search matt vs Japan on youtube, he gives the best explanation for it probably

[@GrayeIra]

Boi. He got better.

[@rubykr]

Very cute video

[@scotthill8975]

Another reason nana is mostly used is because of the similarities shichi and shi have that sound like death... And no one likes death so it's best to avoid it, haha.

[@phillysky]

Ever since my exchange program in a Japanese school my casual Japanese became really good but now i speak it more than casual... and more than I should... oops

[@densy2oo8]

凄いですよ。

[@starscapes24]

Wow I can see how much more confident Boomer is!

[@huyenngoc6198]

ベトナムへいきたいでしょうか。すばらしいよ。。。