Archive for the ‘Interviews we’d like to do’ Category
One of my favourite story-tellers
On September 28, 2007 in Interviews we'd like to do, Suggestions Please
Firefly. @ yourjapan
This guy did a great series of posts on his life in Japan.
I’ve talkedwith him before. I’mplanning to contact him for aninterview.
He has worked in IT in Japan (and had a few crazy experiences with that) and he does martial arts. He also has a HILARIOUS post aboutone of hislanguage mistakes.
I think most of my questions are going to center around those topics. If you have any questions you are dying to ask him let us know in the comments below!
Know Cool Tools?
On September 27, 2007 in Interviews we'd like to do, Suggestions Please
As those whohave perused Nipponster’s official blog know, we want to make the web a better place for Japan-enthusiasts. That is why weLOVE innovatorswho make cool tools and resources for Japanese language students, especially free ones.
Know any good ones? We’d love to hear your suggestions!
Here are some that we like:
(We’ll be trying totalk to some of the people behind theseutilities soon.)
- RepeKanji
- NJstar
Already mentioned
- Rikai
- Rikai-chan
- Jim Breen’s Dictionary
I’m sure you guys can do a better job at a list. Let us hear your suggestions below! 
Daily J Wants You! - to suggest some interview questions
On September 26, 2007 in Interviews we'd like to do, Suggestions Please
Trying something new… letting you do the interview!
We are contacting two very interesting people for interviews:
Tyler McNiven (Kintaro Walks Japan)
And
Rich Pav (HerroFlomJapan)
And we want your help with extra questions. Here is your chance to as these guys the questions you’ve been dying to ask!
Here are the questions we have so far:
For Tyler -
What was the best part about walking Japan?
- Did you have any physical problems while walking? What kind of training did you do to prepare?
- Did you have a camera man or did you film the whole thing yourself?
- What is your favourite place in Japan and why?
- Do you still keep in touch with any of the friends you met on your trip?
- When people aren’t watching do you still dress up geisha?
- I know that your film has won some awards, can you tell us about that?
- Since KWJ you’ve been on amazing race and you did I Ran Iran, can you tell us a bit about that? And are there any other projects in the works?
For Rich -
- How did you come up with the name HerroFlomJapan?
- What motivated you to start blogging?
- Who would love your blog/podcasts/videocasts and why?
- What is the most interesting experience you’ve ever had in Japan?
- What is your favourite post/cast and why? (let me know the link so I can include it in the post)
- What would you say is the mission (serious or otherwise) of HFJ? What is your favourite subject to post about?
What do you think? I bet you guys can come up with better. Give it a go!
Walking Japan
On September 24, 2007 in Interviews we'd like to do
Our next post will be the last part of our interview with Turner from KeepingPaceInJapan.com and hopefully the first of many interviews related to outdoor activities in Japan.
I can’t think of a better way to introduce these post than with the next video:
Kintaro Walks Japan
(And, yes, we are contacting “Kintaro” for an interview )
Tell us about TV in Japan
On September 22, 2007 in Interviews we'd like to do
Japanese TV is one thing that we definitely hope to see more of online. Ok, a lot of it is probably mindless drivel. But at least it is mindless drivel in Japanese, which means a non-native can learn something from it.
That being the case, we would very much like to interview TVinJapan.com. Only one problem with that, we have yet to hear a reply from him. Either he is super busy, on a holiday, or he hates us despite our cute little puppy dog faces…
So if you want to read an exclusive interview with the site that brings you great Japanese tv clips (like the one below), then make yourself heard in the comments section. Then I will send him a link to this post. I bet he can’t resist all of our puppy dog faces
Interviews with websites offering free Japanese language lessons
On September 17, 2007 in Interviews we'd like to do, Uncategorized
Like we mentioned before we are working on interview series each focused on different topics.
One of the topics on the list was Japanese language lessons sites.
We have contacted two and are waiting for a reply.
http://www.guidetojapanese.org
and
learn-japanese-kanji-hiragana-katakana.com
The latter is one of many language sites that post short video lessons on youtube, which seems pretty commendable (we love it when people do things for free).
Japan Photo Blogs
On September 16, 2007 in Interviews we'd like to do
As mentioned the post about interviews we would like to do, one thing we want to do is interview websites that focus on photos of Japan.
Luckily I have a shoe-in when it comes to getting a photography interview. I went to school with the writer/photographer of Babibubebo.com.
Unless I’ve been a bad friend (which is likely…) we will be interviewing him soon.
But until then, I’ve found a neat (or nauseating) slideshow of Japan photos:
A J-list of our own… I hope we don’t get sued…
On September 15, 2007 in Interviews we'd like to do, Uncategorized
As mentioned in a previous post it was time for a list.
A J-list
But no, we are not going to be competing with Peter’s J-list.
That’s not what this is about. It is about an ongoing list of the topical websites that we want to interview (and ones you want us to interview).
The list is below. I mentioned the first two in previous posts. The rest are one’s we came up with after that. But, as you can see, we are not that smart or creative so we need your help. Please give us your suggestions in the comments! (topics and specific websites welcome)
English language teaching in Japan
Japanese language lessons
Japan Photo Blogs
Being a foreign student in Japan
Japan Travel Blogs
What do you think?
When I tried this I got fired…
On September 14, 2007 in Interviews we'd like to do, Uncategorized
(This post is kind of all over the place but bear with me…)
Over the next couple of days I plan to post short bits about some interview series that Daily J will feature.
But I am going to jump the gun a little and let you in on one of them now:
English Language Teaching in Japan.
Our next few interviewees will share some of their experiences about English teaching (but that is not the bulk of their interviews). I also was an English teacher while in university and I know that MANY foreigners in Japan have at least dabbled in language teaching at some point in their stay.
I “taught” English for two years and with three different companies, all part time. Actually, it was more like two companies and a random old Japanese lady who organised a “school” at a municipal center in Chiba. It was a dream! I was assigned to teach two fun groups of children and I was being paid 100USD an hour!
It lasted three weeks. 
Then she “Donald Trump-ed” me (for the Americans out there 
).
Why did I get fired? I did what these guys did…
I play games, I get fired. These guys play games and they get famous. Where’s the justice?! *urayamashii*
Contacting them for an interview,… now.
A short, incomplete, list of sites and people that would be fun to interview
On September 13, 2007 in Interviews we'd like to do, Uncategorized
the list. likely the first of many.
Add your own favourites in the comments section at the bottom!
- “Elizabeth” from Jref.com’s Help with Japanese forum thread. She has helped countless people with their Japanese. You go girl!
- Jim Breen - The head-hancho of Japanese language on the web. The keitai (mobile phone) accessible version of his dictionary was my best friend my during intensive Japanese courses at Jouchi University.
- The heavy contributors to the Japan-related pages of wikipedia
- The Wikibooks free Japanese textbook contributors
- The inventors of Rikai and Rikai-chan
These are just a few of the people and sites that we feel are making the web a better place for Japan-enthusiasts! Of course every J-site contributes too, in its own way and to its own degree.
Know some others? Let us know.
