u/yumio-3

Hi everyone! I hope your language learning is going well.

I’ve been learning Japanese for about two years, and honestly, my speaking skills are still really basic probably not even solid N4 level.

What’s frustrating is that I can pass N2 easily now, and my reading and listening skills are both quite strong. I can watch Japanese content comfortably without subtitles and read light novels without much difficulty. But when I actually try to speak, I can barely express what’s in my head.

I either:

• throw out a bunch of vocabulary without being able to connect it naturally,
• focus too much on grammar while speaking,
• or get confused about which grammar is actually appropriate for what I want to say.

For those of you who have made really good progress with your speaking skills, what would you recommend?

Hi everyone! Is anyone here currently doing, or recently admitted to, a Master’s or PhD programme in Computer Science or Information and Communications Engineering at the Tokyo Institute of Technology (now Institute of Science Tokyo)?

I’m considering transferring there and would really appreciate some information about the application and admission process, especially from anyone who has already been admitted or is about to start.

If you’re in a similar situation, I’d be grateful if you could share your experience or send me a message. Thank you!

Some People are so weird and insufferable.

I recently met this guy through a group of mutual friends, so there's not much I can do because he's around whenever I hang out with them. We're both at N2 level in Japanese, and he's just so insufferable.

From the very first day, he pulled up a basic Japanese conversation video and insisted that I watch it with him. When it ended, he started chuckling at these nonexistent jokes in the video and then explained them to me. After that, he said, "Of course you understand why I'm explaining this to you," and I just laughed awkwardly because... what?

Another day, he showed me a picture of the kanji 夜 and asked, "Do you know how to read it? Do you know what it means?" in this really interrogative, almost quizzing tone. I was just thinking, "What is wrong with this guy?"

Then I was in the middle of a conversation with someone else when he interrupted us by shoving his phone in my face. He said the recent N2 reading section was difficult" if only you had taken it" (bitch, I took it too ). He told me he'd asked his Japanese friend how he could improve, and his friend had sent him a voice message. He played it on the spot. The advice was basically, "Just read more and choose things that genuinely interest you. That's how you'll naturally improve your reading."

As soon as the audio ended, he said, "Hearing Japanese people speak must still feel really new to you," and then followed it up with, "Why isn't your phone in Japanese?"

I swear I almost got nauseous. It went on for way too long.

Compatriotes djiboutiens, demain je passe l’examen de compétence en japonais à un niveau qu’à ma connaissance, aucun Djiboutien n’a encore osé tenter.

Dans cette salle remplie d’Asiatiques et d’autres candidats venus d’ailleurs, je vais leur rappeler qu’on ne vient peut-être pas du centre du monde… mais qu’on peut très bien en secouer les fondations

Hi everyone,

I have an lithium battery from my old laptop that I need to dispose, but I know I can’t just throw it in the regular trash.

I asked chatgpt and said to check electronics stores like for battery recycling boxes, but I’m not sure if laptop batteries are accepted there or if these boxes even exist or the procedure.

Has anyone here disposed of one before? Were you able to use those recycling boxes, or did you have to take it somewhere else?

Would really appreciate any advice. Thanks!

Can someone drop some exotic pals in my base as an early birthday gift? I still haven’t caught Frostallion or the other legendary pals yet 😭

Guys, I think I genuinely wouldn't mind DD diving me while wearing that skin 😭. OMG, it's making me think the most unhinged, completely unthinkable thoughts right now. Please dont use it!

I received a second electricity cut-off notice from Toho Gas today. My electricity will be cut off this week. (All of this got fucked up during the golden week istg)

When I received the first notice, I paid the amount immediately at a convenience store. But they still sent a second notice and apparently the cut-off is still happening.

The notice gives me two options:

Call a "jumper" supply (emergency fallback contract) to extend.

Enroll with a new electricity provider.

The problem is when I call the number it's just a long automated recording with instructions.

My situation:

I'm moving out this end June anyway I've e already paid the bill. But no idea how the june bill will be paid but im in automatic bank transfer.

My questions:

Should I even bother fixing this if I'm moving out in June?

If I leave it, will it affect my credit or rental record in Japan?

How's the termination happens is there anything I can do at least to leave clean without any issues.

Any guidance will be appreciated!

I main and have Hela championed, but I also play Scarlet and I’ll keep playing her no matter what people say. Whenever the enemy team runs heavy dive, I switch off Hela and go Wanda and we win. People love throwing negative comments around, but little do they know team composition matters more than ego picks at the end of the day.

This season has been rough for Hela because of the recent nerfs and the dive-heavy meta, so I’ve been running lobbies with Wanda instead. Just went on a 9-match win streak while people were flaming the whole time. Funny how quiet they get after the victory screen

M24. I mostly stick to Quick Play because comp just feels too mentally draining, and the matchmaking system always feels designed to force losses to keep people engaged. I really don’t have the time or energy for that anymore.

Just looking for some chill people to queue with, vibe, and maybe learn some new characters together. Right now I mainly play Namor, Hela, CnD, and Rocket, but I’m interested in trying out others too.

I’m based in Tokyo, so I usually play on Tokyo, Singapore, Sydney, and one NA server.

If you’re down for relaxed games and no sweaty comp mentality, feel free to DM me.

I Keep seeing more and more Japanese learning apps and endless hype around Anki, but is it actually working for u gang?

Gonna take N2 soon, and honestly the best thing I ever did was dropping Anki after reviewing like the first 60 words from an N5 deck 🤣

It just felt artificial and weird to me. Then I stopped and thought: “How did I become fluent in five languages already?” And the answer definitely wasn’t through some dumb flashcard app or overly artificial method.

It was through the raw, traditional way: books.

Stuff like Genki at first, then gradually moving beyond textbooks. I still read some JLPT advanced books because they teach useful technical things from the wild, but I also read novels, watch content, and do exercises so everything actually sinks in naturally.

That steady progression worked for me, thank God.

We re living in an era where we’re trying to digitalize every single thing and don’t get me wrong, technology is amazing (I literally have a double master’s in computer science) but not everything works best when turned into an app or optimized to death.

For anyone reading this: if you still don’t see real progress after six months of reviewing I-don’t-know-how-many cards… that’s probably your cue to close the app, open a damn raw book, grab a pencil, put Britney Spears in the background, and start hitting those notes!!!

Sometimes you need to be self-aware enough to understand how you actually learn. Good luck Papis!!

I was recently rejected from a job, and the reason seems to be my personality test result. To give some background, I’m currently in a country where personality tests are given a lot of weight, particularly for entry-level roles.

The position itself was perfectly aligned with my skills and field. I passed the document screening and the technical assessment without any issues. After that, they asked me to complete a “simple” personality test and sent me an MBTI link. I had taken the test years ago and already knew my type, but I figured there was no harm in taking it again in case it had changed.

As expected, my result came back as INTJ (Assertive), and I submitted it without much thought. The next day, I received a rejection email.

I’m honestly not sure how to process this. It seems like my personality result may have played a role in the decision, which is frustrating given that I was otherwise a strong fit for the role. Now I’m left wondering whether I should adapt my answers in future tests to match more “preferred” personality types. The whole situation feels like a waste of time for both sides, especially if decisions are being made based on something so questionable.

How are we feeling this season, fellow Namor mains? I mainly play Namor and Hela, both at Champion level, and I have been eating good so far this season! There are too many heavy dives, and they bully me when I start with Hela before switching to Namor, and boy, the amount of hate they give me lmao. He’s been very solid so far, and I love him regardless of them saying he’s an easy character.