I personally played through Chulip all the way in Japanese and always lamented that it would likely never see the light of day in the US... I know it isn't the first time, but it's good to see the west finally wake up to what it's been missing (and what we here take for granted)
I am currently on my 4th year living in Japan and speak the language fluently.
I found that, unless you have Japanese friends in your home country willing to speak Japanese with you (not as easy to find as you might think) then your best bet is to approach the language through it's media. Movies, comics, games, etc.
My first introduction to Japan and it's culture was animation. I cut my teeth on Macross, Urusei Yatsura, and whatever other 3rd generation bootlegged VHS tapes happened to trickle in. These days, with the advent of the web and bittorrent, translations of new animations and comics are available all the time. Japanese music, TV commercials, and even dramas are only ever a google away.
Yes, everyone finds "anime-dorks" who say things like "KAWAAIIII" and "(^-^)" in their respective forums annoying... but putting a language to use - any use - is a step in the right direction.
After you get a solid base from formal classes, I recommend staying in Japan for no shorter than half-a-year. (opinions on time may vary) After staying on a small island with no other gaijin for miles around, I found myself pretty far along in my conversational Japanese.
The anime was a gateway drug for me - but the irony is now that I am here I have almost no interest in it at all.
I'm with the Europe folks on this one - This is really only news for Americans. Here in Japan, ATMs have had this sort of functionality via the Postal Savings system for years. That, and most ATMs at convenient stores can be used to pay utilities, purchase tickets, and a hoard of other services.
Maybe US banks just don't feel any pressure to innovate. Hell, in comparison to the rest of the world in terms of a user experience it's not even innovation - it's catch-up.
Shochu is not necessarily made with sweet potato. It can be distilled with anything from potatoes, sweet or otherwise, to rice and wheat. As one might imagine, the flavor differs greatly. Most "sweet" potato shochu is distilled from "Satsuma-imo" (Satsuma Potatoes) in Kagoshima in southern Kyushu. (though other distilleries exist in other prefectures)
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I personally played through Chulip all the way in Japanese and always lamented that it would likely never see the light of day in the US... I know it isn't the first time, but it's good to see the west finally wake up to what it's been missing (and what we here take for granted)
I am currently on my 4th year living in Japan and speak the language fluently. I found that, unless you have Japanese friends in your home country willing to speak Japanese with you (not as easy to find as you might think) then your best bet is to approach the language through it's media. Movies, comics, games, etc. My first introduction to Japan and it's culture was animation. I cut my teeth on Macross, Urusei Yatsura, and whatever other 3rd generation bootlegged VHS tapes happened to trickle in. These days, with the advent of the web and bittorrent, translations of new animations and comics are available all the time. Japanese music, TV commercials, and even dramas are only ever a google away. Yes, everyone finds "anime-dorks" who say things like "KAWAAIIII" and "(^-^)" in their respective forums annoying... but putting a language to use - any use - is a step in the right direction. After you get a solid base from formal classes, I recommend staying in Japan for no shorter than half-a-year. (opinions on time may vary) After staying on a small island with no other gaijin for miles around, I found myself pretty far along in my conversational Japanese. The anime was a gateway drug for me - but the irony is now that I am here I have almost no interest in it at all.
I'm with the Europe folks on this one - This is really only news for Americans. Here in Japan, ATMs have had this sort of functionality via the Postal Savings system for years. That, and most ATMs at convenient stores can be used to pay utilities, purchase tickets, and a hoard of other services. Maybe US banks just don't feel any pressure to innovate. Hell, in comparison to the rest of the world in terms of a user experience it's not even innovation - it's catch-up.
Shochu is not necessarily made with sweet potato. It can be distilled with anything from potatoes, sweet or otherwise, to rice and wheat. As one might imagine, the flavor differs greatly. Most "sweet" potato shochu is distilled from "Satsuma-imo" (Satsuma Potatoes) in Kagoshima in southern Kyushu. (though other distilleries exist in other prefectures)