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Video Episodes:

Happy Valentine’s D...
37 Views
08:35:22 03/02/10

Ohisashiburidesu! Sorry for not posting a video in so long, it's been a very busy few weeks. I hope all of you are doing well :) In this episode, I discuss how the...

Happy Valentine’s Day & White Day?

Added 03/02/10
37 Views

Happy Valentine’s Day & White Day?

[LESS INFO] 37 VIEWS | ADDED 08:35:22 03/02/10
Ohisashiburidesu! Sorry for not posting a video in so long, it's been a very busy few weeks. I hope all of you are doing well :) In this episode, I discuss how the Japanese celebrate Valentine's Day. It's a little different than you might be used to. Plus, I introduce a holiday called White Day and what it's all about. Kanpai, Kevin

Driving in Japan
47 Views
09:06:15 02/10/10

Hi everyone, I'm back with another episode! After going on a couple of road trips over the last few weeks, I thought it would be a good chance to talk about drivin...

Driving in Japan

Added 02/10/10
47 Views

Driving in Japan

[LESS INFO] 47 VIEWS | ADDED 09:06:15 02/10/10
Hi everyone, I'm back with another episode! After going on a couple of road trips over the last few weeks, I thought it would be a good chance to talk about driving in Japan. As a lot of you know, driving isn't the most popular way for travelers to Japan to get from point A to point B. Nevertheless, I still felt it would be worth discussing for those of you out there who are more adventurous and would like to travel somewhere (like to an onsen) that is only accessible by car, as well as for any of you planning to move here. There are definitely a few things to be aware of before getting behind the wheel so be sure to watch this video if you plan to drive in Japan. Kanpai, Kevin

Is Kevin OK? + Heal...
22 Views
08:47:40 01/26/10

Some of you caught wind of my little accident on the slopes and I started getting emails from viewers like yourself asking if I was OK. I really appreciate everyon...

Is Kevin OK? + Healthcare in Japan & a tip for memorizing voca...

Added 01/26/10
22 Views

Is Kevin OK? + Healthcare in Japan & a tip for memorizing vocabulary.

[LESS INFO] 22 VIEWS | ADDED 08:47:40 01/26/10
Some of you caught wind of my little accident on the slopes and I started getting emails from viewers like yourself asking if I was OK. I really appreciate everyone's concern and thought it'd be best to make a quick little video to let you all know I'm doing fine. I also thought this would be a perfect opportunity to talk about my experiences with health care in Japan as well as share a tip I have on learning vocabulary! Kanpai, Kevin

What’s New Years li...
19 Views
06:19:06 01/21/10

I know I'm a little late, but here's the latest video on New Year traditions in Japan. I think I've mentioned it many times already, but New Years here in Japan is...

What’s New Years like in Japan?

Added 01/21/10
19 Views

What’s New Years like in Japan?

[LESS INFO] 19 VIEWS | ADDED 06:19:06 01/21/10
I know I'm a little late, but here's the latest video on New Year traditions in Japan. I think I've mentioned it many times already, but New Years here in Japan is a really big deal. It's probably the biggest holiday of the year for the Japanese and it comes with a lot of traditions. In this episode, I thought I would pass along some of the traditions (both modern and traditional) that I've encountered in my experiences here in Japan. Enjoy! Kevin

2-minute topic: Rid...
8 Views
03:51:15 01/09/10

あけましておめでとうございます！ I know I'm a little late, but Happy New Year! Thanks for a great 2009 and all the best in 2010 :) Just the other day, I was in Tokyo and decided t...

2-minute topic: Riding the train in Japan

Added 01/09/10
8 Views

2-minute topic: Riding the train in Japan

[LESS INFO] 8 VIEWS | ADDED 03:51:15 01/09/10
あけましておめでとうございます！ I know I'm a little late, but Happy New Year! Thanks for a great 2009 and all the best in 2010 :) Just the other day, I was in Tokyo and decided to make this short video about how to ride the train in Japan...afterall it is the most popular form of public transportation. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough footage for a full-blown episode, but you can think of this as the first of many "2-minute topic" videos! Kanpai, Kevin

Ending the year, Ja...
8 Views
07:49:29 12/30/09

Hi everyone! We're back with another video, but for this episode we decided to take a short break from discussing my move to introduce some Japanese culture. Why? ...

Ending the year, Japanese style.

Added 12/30/09
8 Views

Ending the year, Japanese style.

[LESS INFO] 8 VIEWS | ADDED 07:49:29 12/30/09
Hi everyone! We're back with another video, but for this episode we decided to take a short break from discussing my move to introduce some Japanese culture. Why? Well, with the new year just around the corner, this is one of the busiest times for Japanese and Aaron and I thought this would be a great opportunity to tell you why. In this episode we cover the extremely popular forget-the-year parties, Christmas illuminations, end of the year cleaning, and gift-giving. Enjoy! -Kevin

So I got my Gaijin ...
11 Views
06:43:13 12/11/09

Hello again! A BIG thanks to everyone who emailed and commented on the first mini-series video. It seems like a lot of you are enjoying the content so I'm back wit...

So I got my Gaijin Card…now what?

Added 12/11/09
11 Views

So I got my Gaijin Card…now what?

[LESS INFO] 11 VIEWS | ADDED 06:43:13 12/11/09
Hello again! A BIG thanks to everyone who emailed and commented on the first mini-series video. It seems like a lot of you are enjoying the content so I'm back with part 2! I just recently got my Gaijin Card so I thought I would step through what I've done since getting my hands on that important piece of plastic. In this episode, I will talk a little bit about opening a bank account in Japan and getting a cell phone. I've received tons of great suggestions on future topics and will try to hit on as many of them as possible here in the upcoming weeks! Thanks again and keep the suggestions coming! Oh, and please be sure to check out our official facebook page that we just opened yesterday! Aaron and I figured this would be a great way to help our community meet each other and grow stronger. For now, we'll be uploading videos from our Happy Hour Japan archives but stay tuned because we also hope to add some new, fun content on our facebook page in the not-to-distant future! Hope to see you there! Kanpai, Kevin

We’ve got a Faceboo...
5 Views
01:55:35 12/11/09

Hey there! Long time no see. Kevin and I have been working on getting organized so that we can start posting some good videos again. In the meantime, we got our ac...

We’ve got a Facebook Page! Fan us?

Added 12/11/09
5 Views

We’ve got a Facebook Page! Fan us?

[LESS INFO] 5 VIEWS | ADDED 01:55:35 12/11/09
Hey there! Long time no see. Kevin and I have been working on getting organized so that we can start posting some good videos again. In the meantime, we got our act together and put up a Facebook page. If you're in the mood and you're on facebook, fan us! Talk with you soon! Kanpai! Aaron

Kevin in Japan Mini...
9 Views
06:49:59 11/28/09

Hi everyone! Ohisashiburidesu! I made it to Japan safely, and this is my first video from my new home! Aaron and I are still trying to figuring out what our next v...

Kevin in Japan Mini-Series! Getting Ready for Japan.

Added 11/28/09
9 Views

Kevin in Japan Mini-Series! Getting Ready for Japan.

[LESS INFO] 9 VIEWS | ADDED 06:49:59 11/28/09
Hi everyone! Ohisashiburidesu! I made it to Japan safely, and this is my first video from my new home! Aaron and I are still trying to figuring out what our next version of Happy Hour Japan will be like. So in the meantime, I've decided to try creating a simple mini-series about my move to Japan. I know this may not be as entertaining as our Happy Hour Japan videos, but I hope the information I provide will at least be somewhat useful to those of you out there who are planning to travel or move to Japan in the future. In this first video, I talk about preparing to go to Japan and what to do immediately after you arrive. Most of the things I introduce in this first video are fairly basic and obvious, but I plan to cover more interesting topics over time. And a special thanks to all of you out there who sent me messages wishing me luck and for all of you who have sent in your comments and suggestions regarding Happy Hour Japan. We really appreciate it! Until next time! Kanpai, Kevin

The HHJ Finale?! Bi...
11 Views
08:17:12 11/16/09

As the title of this post suggests, this is our last episode of Happy Hour Japan.. ...well, sort of. We will be coming out with an HHJ replacement soon, but with m...

The HHJ Finale?! Big Ideas on Learning Japanese.

Added 11/16/09
11 Views

The HHJ Finale?! Big Ideas on Learning Japanese.

[LESS INFO] 11 VIEWS | ADDED 08:17:12 11/16/09
As the title of this post suggests, this is our last episode of Happy Hour Japan.. ...well, sort of. We will be coming out with an HHJ replacement soon, but with me moving to Japan, Aaron and I quickly realized that we wouldn't be able to continue our video blog in its current format. In other words, we will still continue contributing to ispeakjapanese.net, but Happy Hour Japan (in its *current* format) will be coming to an end. What we desperately need from all of you are suggestions! What would you like to see in our next version of HHJ?? Please leave us your comments and we'll try to take all of your suggestions into consideration as we figure out what to do next. In the meantime, be sure to check out our archive of HHJ episodes and feel free to re-live past episodes here on our site. For our final episode (our longest ever!), we invited a few of our close friends to have one big final panel discussion about learning Japanese. We had a great time hanging out with them and really appreciate them coming on the show. They all have unique viewpoints and experiences with the Japanese language so it's a must-see for all of you out there who are interested in (or are currently learning) Japanese. Lastly, we want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have been following Happy Hour Japan! Although we will continue with a new format, Aaron and I figured this would a great opportunity to extend a big thank you to all of our supporters and viewers! So thank you & kanpai! Kevin

Toilets in Japan: T...
6 Views
02:51:03 10/26/09

Aaron and I are back with our latest episode of Happy Hour Japan. A couple of months ago, we received an email from one of our viewers asking us to do an HHJ episo...

Toilets in Japan: The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Added 10/26/09
6 Views

Toilets in Japan: The good, the bad, and the ugly.

[LESS INFO] 6 VIEWS | ADDED 02:51:03 10/26/09
Aaron and I are back with our latest episode of Happy Hour Japan. A couple of months ago, we received an email from one of our viewers asking us to do an HHJ episode on Japanese toilets. At first we thought it might be a little inappropriate, but we've since realized that it's a really important topic to cover...especially if you plan to visit or live in Japan. We'll talk about the high-tech 'washlet' toilets as well as the more traditional eastern-style toilets that have terrorized foreigners visitors to Japan for decades!

Going to Japan? Bri...
7 Views
07:03:16 10/04/09

Hi there, and thanks for stopping by! Every time I visit Japan, I inevitably learn or realize something new about the country and its culture. I recently got back ...

Going to Japan? Bring cash!!!

Added 10/04/09
7 Views

Going to Japan? Bring cash!!!

[LESS INFO] 7 VIEWS | ADDED 07:03:16 10/04/09
Hi there, and thanks for stopping by! Every time I visit Japan, I inevitably learn or realize something new about the country and its culture. I recently got back from a trip to Japan and this time around was certainly no exception. In fact, I ran into a very unexpected and unfortunate surprise when I ran out of cash while on my trip. Through this experience, I realized just how important cash is in Japan and the troubles visitors to the country often encounter when trying to access their bank accounts back home! If you have any future plans to visit the country, I highly recommend you watch this episode! Kanpai and until next time! Kevin

Have fun learning J...
4 Views
01:46:22 09/12/09

Trust me. We know it can be tough learning Japanese. We've been there. Lately, we've been getting a lot of emails from viewers asking us to give them advice on how...

Have fun learning Japanese? + a BIG announcement!

Added 09/12/09
4 Views

Have fun learning Japanese? + a BIG announcement!

[LESS INFO] 4 VIEWS | ADDED 01:46:22 09/12/09
Trust me. We know it can be tough learning Japanese. We've been there. Lately, we've been getting a lot of emails from viewers asking us to give them advice on how to learn Japanese effectively. In this episode, Aaron and I will talk a little bit about our own experiences learning Japanese and what we've discovered along the way. Hopefully this information will help some of you out there who are struggling with the language and get you back on the right track! Plus, we have a big announcement! Kanpai, Kevin

Sun in Seattle? + C...
19 Views
18:51:54 08/13/09

You may not realize it, but you're probably using a lot of Japanese words in day-to-day life. With the rising popularity of Japanese culture, food, and ideas, we E...

Sun in Seattle? + Commonly mispronounced Japanese words.

Added 08/13/09
19 Views

Sun in Seattle? + Commonly mispronounced Japanese words.

[LESS INFO] 19 VIEWS | ADDED 18:51:54 08/13/09
You may not realize it, but you're probably using a lot of Japanese words in day-to-day life. With the rising popularity of Japanese culture, food, and ideas, we English-speakers are getting more and more exposure to the Japanese language. Don't believe me? How about the words "sake," "samurai," "mottainai," "kaizen," "kimono," "anime"....I'm sure you've used or heard at least a couple of these words recently. Unfortunately, many of these Japanese words are mispronounced by English-speakers :( In this episode, Aaron and I cover just a few of these commonly mispronounced words and go over how they should be pronounced. Although it's not 100% necessary to pronounce Japanese words "authentically" all the time, we figured that it would be good information to pass along to anyone learning Japanese and to those who want to travel to Japan in the future. Enjoy & Kanpai! Kevin

The Japanese langua...
5 Views
03:48:14 07/29/09

Hey everyone and welcome back to another episode of Happy Hour Japan! In this episode, Aaron and I discuss how the Japanese language is always changing. If you're ...

The Japanese language is always changing!

Added 07/29/09
5 Views

The Japanese language is always changing!

[LESS INFO] 5 VIEWS | ADDED 03:48:14 07/29/09
Hey everyone and welcome back to another episode of Happy Hour Japan! In this episode, Aaron and I discuss how the Japanese language is always changing. If you're learning to speak Japanese and decide to travel to Japan, you'll quickly realize there are lots of words and phrases that you've never seen or heard of before. That's because the Japanese language isn't set in stone, but rather evolving (just like English and every other language). Sounds pretty obvious, but we thought it was worth mentioning and discussing with all of you. Also, in this episode we talk about...HHJ logo wear! Kanpai! Kevin

Meet Elliott & Tom ...
8 Views
02:35:21 07/16/09

Here is the second half of our interview with Elliott and Tom! In case you didn't see our previous update, be sure to check out part 1 first ;) Thanks again to Ell...

Meet Elliott & Tom - Part 2!

Added 07/16/09
8 Views

Meet Elliott & Tom - Part 2!

[LESS INFO] 8 VIEWS | ADDED 02:35:21 07/16/09
Here is the second half of our interview with Elliott and Tom! In case you didn't see our previous update, be sure to check out part 1 first ;) Thanks again to Elliott and Tom for agreeing to join us on Happy Hour Japan and best of luck to them as they head off to teach English in Japan! Cheers, Kevin

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Happy Valentine’s Day & White Day?

Show: I Speak Japanese

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Happy Valentine’s Day & White Day?
03/02/10

Ohisashiburidesu! Sorry for not posting a video in so long, it's been a very busy few weeks. I hope all of you are doing well :) In this episode, I discuss how the Japanese celebrate Valentine's Day. It's a little different than you might be used to. Plus, I introduce a holiday called White Day and what it's all about. Kanpai, Kevin