Yokohama Navy Exchange was where?

I'm hearing that northeast US is freezing, please take a warm to all !!

I was just informed of a musical skit developed by NHK TV in Japan called "Japanglish."
It's really funny and reminded me of our neighbors' attempts at speaking English in the years we lived there.

Hi everyone, This is funny movie,
https://youtu.be/zhGnuWwpNxI

Flu is going around. My daughter, too. Please be careful.

Watched it..kinda wacco, but if you have been there its ery funny.
On the same you tube page there are several others, worth a brouse.

Having lied in a Japanese apartment, it afforded me the perfect oppertunity to develop Japanese language skills very fast, and I always carried my dictionary everywhere I went. Also I watched TV a little and that gave me the '' feel'' of the language. Somehow the Japanese people had a keen sense as to how much I could understand.

Reading Kanji on the other hand was impossible even after a few lessons. I regret that there were probably many signs that were informative but lost on me.

OK a question.. Is it easier for a Japanese to learn english or an english speaker to learn Japanese..ie which is the easier language?

Another '' trick'' that I used was to sit down the night before a trip or event..or even every day
and go over what words or phrases I might need for the next day. I started by writing them down but soon I didnt have to do that. When walking to work I would repeat these works or phrases and try to incorporate words that I already knew. At first I didnt try to get the grammar perfect but it was my goal to try and get it as closely as I could. It worked, and within a year I was able to get around and exchange some ideas and plesantries with confidence. It seemed amazing that I spoke some phrase to a Japanese person and they actually knew what I was talking about !
I was at Center Pier at the end of the day and the Jeep picked up our food inspection team.
I spoke to the Japanese driver asking him to proceed and a few polite phrases. The other guys looked at me as if I had made this up..untill the driver got on his way and the looks changed to
wonder...''how did you learn this"..one asked...''Faked it'' i said, ..nice moment...

I think it is easier for Japanese people to learn English a little. English is wonderful pronunciation language easy to understand.

However, Japanese education in the postwar period was bad, because it was inadequate education about conversation and pronunciation, mainly teaching grammar and words to Jr. and high school students. I was born at that time.
It seems to be different now, elementary school students teach English conversation and words.

I could not understand cool slang of NYC well. And I often hear many foreigners learning Japanese is the difficulty of Kanji, Hiragana and Katakana. I usually use a computer, so I sometimes forget difficult kanji.

Re Kanji...ect
One day I had several Japanese guys up to my apartment. We drank beer and whiskey and I asked them to teach me Kanji. They were beautiful at it.
When I tried I didnt know about strokes...so I just copied the kanji as I could..not knowing about the proper strokes. I was awful at it as you might expect.
When they saw how I was writing they howled with laughter....yea I goofed...but I was trying..
I showed them the alphabet...and showed how words were consructed. They really couldnt believe that ALL of english is done with 26 letters.
One guy said..but how can you use the same letter twice ! you already used it....as if you use it once and its used up...what a wonderful experience...
My little contribution to cross cultural understanding.
BEER.. use the ''e'' twice..got it

Re: Japanglish skit
Loved it. Thanks for the rink, Elic, I mean link, Eric. One useful Japanglish word is �gconbini ,�h short for convenience store. Seven Eleven, Lawson, etc. I was shocked to find out that I could not use my CITI bank card at the Yokohama Bank in Motomachi. I was directed to a conbini across the canal near Chinatown where I could indeed use my cash card at Seven Eleven. Since then, whenever I need yen from my card, I ask for the nearest Seven Eleven. They have delicious oden, too.

Karousan

In one of your posts you mentioned North Korea and their retarded leader who is very interested in firing missiles.

in 1950 I was in North Korea at the Chosin Reservior well above Pyongyaing. 15000 Marines fought their way through 200,000 Chinamen. We returned to South Korea and brought thousands of North Korean civilians with us. Most are living in South Korea today. They are separated from there families. Most people in North Korea today have no choice. They are ruled by a dictator.

Korea today would be one country if it weren't for Mac Arthur and his obsession with the Chinese. The reason the Chinese entered the Korean war was because they feared that the war in Korea was going to spread into China. That is why Truman fired Mac Arthur and I think he was totally right.

Richard san,

I have same opinion. Thank you. You fought bravely. That is the pride of USMC.

Now, under a mad leader, 200,000 citizens are hungry, and 50,000 people or more are dying.

I know that MacArthur advised the dropping of atomic bomb. But it may have worsened the Cold War era. I don't understand well about it. I think that the bad politics will end by a coup d'etat or assassination.

The Chosin battle was one if not the most horrable events of modern times. My God. A true horror story. Richard, you have my heartfelt gratitude.
I have read a lot about the secrecy surrounding the Matthatan project. I have never heard that MacAuthur was involved in that decision. Perhaps when asked afterword, he voiced his approval. Even then Vice President Truman did not know about it until he became president.

Phil let us down again today..6 more weeks of winter.

I think the young leader's true heart does not attack missiles against Guam and US. He will be recognized as leader, and the goal is to get oil and foods just as it was in the past. He looks like an ambitious boy. If he launches a missile he knows enough that the country be burned to ashes.

But we always have preparation for warning of missile launch.

Kim is betting on another bail out from the West.
Food, oil, etc.

We've been here before.

Agree
Lil Kim is a dictator like his father and is probably very distant from the sufferings of his people. He does know how to kill people with cannons. He is stupid to think that he can get sanctions lifted with sending missles over Japan and aimed to guam. He would do better to compare the lives of NK to SK and see what is the better life for his people... but is he going to do that,..er..no..why ? because he would have to modify his high lifestyle. This kid is detached in his high lifestyle and probably does not give a rats a** for the sufferings and starvations of is people . He might even welcome a grand firestorm to vindiate his twisted ideas. Maybe the NK military can do the world a favor..hint hint...
Unify north and south. happened elsewhere. my question. why havent done this already ??

I believe near Bayside Courts where I lived 1965-68 as a teen. It's amazing to find this information online- wow!

Welcome to Japan Guide, Robbie.

Hello,

This week weather of Yokohama city is good and warm. The current temperature is 70F and the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. Especially there is beautifully in the Sankeien garden. Sankeien garden is visited by tourists of many foreigners.

Most good Cherry blossom viewing will this week.

Sankeien Gardens was one of my favorite places to visit in Yokohama.

Hi everyone
I miss the cherry blossoms and Sankien Garden too.

And welcome Robbie.

As is ''normal'' the winter drags on here in New Hampshire. But there is word of some warming to come maybe in a couple of weeks. There is still much snow on the ground and the snowbanks are still at about 5 feet, mostly after the 27 inches we got last week. But most days are now above freezing.

Hope everyone is well.

I would like to take this opportunity to recognize a fellow Corpsman who served at the 106th Army General Hospital, Yokohama, Japan, 1967-1968. His name was Richard Koppe, most people called him Dick, but I called him Reggie because he came from an upper crust family. He worked for Dr. Jerome in the Ears, Eyes, Nose, and Throat Clinic, and lived at Hakuraku Mansion. Several Nurses and Corpsmen, including myself, lived at the Mansion, and it was party central! In the summer of 1967 several of us went to the beaches at Kamakura. Reggie and some of the guys rented boards and went surfing. One of the guys was not a very good swimmer and the undertow was carrying him out to sea. Reggie saw what was happening, swam to the guy, pulled him a long way back to land and up onto the beach, all by himself! Reggie was an excellent swimmer. Then he administered CPR. The rest of us ran over to help, but it was Reggie who had recognized that the guy was in trouble and saved his life! Reggie was never officially recognized for his heroic action that day. Sadly, I have recently learned that Richard Koppe passed away in 2011, in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Sayonara Reggie!