Learn Japanese with Manga!

I have been working on a project for a while now called: Manga Option!
And I need your help.

Manga Option! is a game I made where you can learn Japanese with a manga/visual novel. When I was first learning Japanese I had always wanted something like this, so I make one for you guys! The format in the game right now will not stay the same. This is a test run I made using other people's images. I (and maybe you) will be drawing the rest.

I can't do this alone, I need everyone's help.
The whole point of this game is to teach Japanese, and Japanese culture all in one. So, when you guys help out with the story keep that in mind.

To play the demo please go to this page:
http://www.yoyogames.com/games/170974-manga-option

You have to download it, but it is not a big file. and I PROMISE there are NO viruses.

If you guys have anymore ideas for the story, or if you want to submit images, please comment below.

CONTEST!!! (in place of a bonus)
I am having a contest. Whoever draws the best Haruka and Aki (you can draw both or either) their image will be used in the final version of the game. I'll narrow it down, and then have everyone vote.
To enter, please e-mail your image to me at: japanaiblog@yahoo.com
Image MUST be original
If image is found to be unoriginal, you will be banned from the contest.
By submitting your image, I will have the rights to your image.

(don't be scared of that legal stuff, if you submit your image, and I don't use it, then you can 'have' all the rights to your image back. I won't hold it against you.) ; )
Thanks for reading!

***IMPORTANT UPDATE***
I just tryed to download it off of the site to make sure that it worked, but you might have trouble downloading it. If you have trouble downloading it, please use the following steps to play the game:

1. Download GameMaker 8 (NO VIRUS I PROMISE!)
http://www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker/try

2. go back to this page:
http://www.yoyogames.com/games/170974-manga-option
Click download

3. When file asks you to "find" or "save" click "save", and select the folder you want to put it in

4. When it's done, something should come up that says "open"
Click open
If nothing comes up, find the file and click on it

5. You will be presented with a screen that asks you what you want to open the file with.
Click Browse.
Select "Game Maker 8"

6. Open the file using game maker 8

7. Click on the small green arrow at the top of the screen

8. Enjoy the Game!


©Manga Option!

Anime IS important when learning about Japanese culture

When I first started this blog, my first post was that "this is not an anime otaku site", and it isn't - but Anime IS important. Most people who are trying to teach people about Japan intentionally leave out Anime, Manga, Japanese Pop Culture. Anime may not be the main thing to teach someone when teaching about Japanese culture, but it IS important.
Think about our American singers, actors, and everything we have. If you were teaching someone about American culture of course your going to have to mention Lady Gaga's new song or that new movie, "Black Swan". Why? Because if you had no idea what they were, people would become confused very quickly.
If people didn't teach anyone about Anime/Manga, they would go into a Japanese store and wonder what all the strange books, and weird movies were on the shelves.

Everything in a culture is there for a reason,
 "For people saying it doesn't affect the culture at all, they are right but wrong. Anime is part of Japanese culture. Entertainment such as animation, music and film is an important part of many cultures, including Japan. Also, it's not entertainment that affects culture, it's culture that effects entertainment (for the most part.)"
              - Unknown

BONUS!!!!!
Although, learning Japanese from Anime is NOT something you should try to do....
This video isn't mine, it was made by Koichi at Tofugu (http://www.tofugu.com/)

Thanks for reading!

Live Raditation Monitor in Toyko, Japan

 http://www.ustream.tv/channel/%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E4%B8%96%E7%94%B0%E8%B0%B7%E6%94%BE%E5%B0%84%E7%B7%9A%E3%83%AC%E3%83%99%E3%83%AB

http://gogonihon.com/en/tokyo-radiation-levels

Using the Playstation 3 to Study Japanese

Playastation 3... well... what can it do?

That's right... it only does everything.
Now it does everything plus 1, study Japanese!
If you have internet, then you can sign up for the Japanese Playstation Netowrk and download a lot of demos in Japanese. There is also something called "Playstation Home"

 It is a MMO that Playstation has created and you can interact with people in Japan on a daily basis. It also has a lot of things that coincide with the Japanese culture. This is probably more for people who are more advanced in Japanese, but I think anyone who is more advanced should do this because I've learned so many new words that I constantly aply over and over. You can also download videos for games and movies in Japanese. This also allows you to keep up with current Japanese culture. I have also had many oppurtunities to talk to native speakers about grammer and when to use certain things I wasn't 100% sure about when I should use.
The Platstation 3 is reigon free, so you can play Japanese games without having a Japanese Playstation 3.
You should definitly use the Playstation 3 to study Japanese!
The only downside to this is that there is barely any ふりがな (furigana) (the Japanese Alphabet written above Kanji)

More information:
http://playstationhome.jp/ (Japanese, but can be translated by Google)

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/27/irem-creates-japanese-festival-themed-home-space/

http://www.gameinformer.com/blogs/members/b/meta77_blog/archive/2009/12/24/is-it-just-me-or-is-the-japanes-home-better-than-the-us-version.aspx

BONUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Playstation Home cheats: http://gamrreview.vgchartz.com/cheats/17534/playstation-home/

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why you should learn Kanji meaning before the Reading.

Meaning before Reading.
I have found, when studying Kanji that knowing the meaning before the reading has helped me much more than just seeing this:　本 and then the computer or textbook says THIS MEANS HON! THIS CAN BE USED IN THIS AND THIS AND THAT AND THIS.... and so on.
It's intimidating.
Your brain works better when you can connect things, and if you learn the meaning before the reading, then your brain can connect it better to other things and you will remember it longer.
I recommend:
Remembering the Kanji by James W. Heisig
Vol 1.: http://www.amazon.com/Remembering-Kanji-Vol-Complete-Characters/dp/0824831659/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1302147088&sr=8-2
Vol 2.: http://www.amazon.com/Remembering-Kanji-Vol-Systematic-Characters/dp/0824831667/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b
Vol. 3: http://www.amazon.com/Remembering-Kanji-Characters-Upper-Level-Proficiency/dp/0824831675/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1302147215&sr=1-2

Kanji de Manga by Glenn Kardy and Chihiro Hattori
http://www.amazon.com/Kanji-Manga-Special-Box-Set/dp/492120506X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1302147252&sr=1-2

Kanji in Mangaland by Marc Bernabe, Veronica Calafell, Alberto Aldarabi, and Gea Cassinelo
http://www.amazon.com/Kanji-MangaLand-1-Marc-Bernabe/dp/4889962212/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1302147252&sr=1-11

BONUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (*sigh* once again... I try.... I think everyone who reads to the end should get a reward)
Remembering the KANA!
http://www.amazon.com/Remembering-Kana-Reading-Japanese-Syllabaries/dp/0824831640/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1302147525&sr=1-1

Hope this helped anyone who wants to learn Kanji, and... Kana!

TOFUGU TV!

For those of you who don't know I follow Koichi on Tofugu (http://tofugu.com/). He is my favorite 'Japanese blogger'. He has recently went to japan, and he created a documentary about Japan called 'Tofugu TV'. It;s like one of those things you see on the travel channel, but all about Japan. He posted the first episode a few days ago, and it's amazing! You guys shouls really keep up with it (and Tofugu).
Here's the first episode:

HAPPY WHITE DAY!

In light of what happened on Friday, Japan has some good news today!
"White Day (ホワイトデー, Howaito dē^?) is a day celebrated in Japan on March 14, one month after Valentine's Day. It is also observed in South Korea.

In Japan, Valentine's Day is observed by females who present chocolate gifts (either store-bought or handmade), usually to a male, as an expression of love, courtesy or social obligation. A handmade chocolate is usually preferred by the receiver, because it is a sign that the receiving male is the girl's "only one". On White Day, the converse happens: males who received a honmei-choco (本命チョコ^?, "chocolate of love") or giri-choco (義理チョコ^?, "courtesy chocolate") on Valentine's Day are expected to return the favor by giving gifts, usually more expensive. Traditionally, popular White Day gifts are cookies, jewellery, white chocolate, white lingerie and marshmallows.^[1] Sometimes the term sanbai gaeshi (三倍返し^?, literally, "triple the return") is used to describe the generally recited rule that the return gift should be two to three times the cost of the Valentine's gift.^[2]

White Day was first celebrated in 1978 in Japan. It was started by the National Confectionery Industry Association (全国飴菓子工業協同組合) as an "answer day" to Valentine's Day on the grounds that men should pay back the women who gave them chocolate and other gifts on Valentine's Day. In 1977, a Fukuoka-based confectionery company, Ishimura Manseido (石村萬盛堂), marketed marshmallows to men on March 14, calling it Marshmallow Day (マシュマロデー).^[4]
Soon thereafter, confectionery companies began marketing white chocolate. Now, men give both white and dark chocolate, as well as other edible and non-edible gifts, such as jewelry or objects of sentimental value, or white clothing like lingerie, to women from whom they received chocolate on Valentine's Day one month earlier. If the chocolate given to him was giri-choco, the man, likewise, may not be expressing actual romantic interest, but rather a social obligation."
                                             - Copied from Wikipdia because I feel no need to "reinvent the wheel"

In conclusion, white day is the opposite of Valentines day in Japan. On Valentines day, girls give guys stuff. On White day, guys give girls stuff. I like this idea, I wish we did it in America.

BONUS! (I try...)
This may not have anything to wth Japan, but I thought it was very intesting:
"Black Day (April 14) is a South Korean informal tradition for single people to get together and eat jajangmyeon (noodles with black bean sauce); sometimes a white sauce is mixed for those who did not celebrate White Day.
The idea is that those who did not give or receive gifts on Valentine's Day (February 14) or White Day (March 14) can get together and eat jajangmyeon, white Korean noodles with black bean sauce, to celebrate their singledom.
In Singapore, Black Day serves as a back up day for White Day, should couples decide to save money and skip Valentine's Day all together, as prices are usually heavily inflated on that day. This would mean that the girl gives chocolate on White Day, and the guy 'returns' on Black Day."
                                                  - Copied From Wikipedia

It's gonna be a sad white day in Sendai....