An Island in Japan

Solar Panels: Why aren't we using them

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Tue, 24 May 2011 08:44:00 +0000

There are a lot of solar panels for sale now. It used to be that you had to go through a solar company, but that is no longer the case. Even a quick search on e-bay or amazon shows that there are a lot of cheap solar panels for sale. So my question is why aren't we seeing more of them?

Now on the island I live on there is actually a small solar panel field currently being built, and we do have some wind turbines. However, considering we are an "eco island" we should have a lot more.

Even though the we get massive amounts of sun for a lot of the year, there are still very few solar panels. Being a renter myself it is kind of hard to invest in solar panels, but I would pay more for my rent if I could get rid of my electricity bill.

So why do you think we don't see more panels? Do you have them on your house or have you considered them?

Snorkeling and adventures in Miyakojima, Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 03:40:00 +0000

Visiting an undewater cave during low tide in Miyakojima, Japan.

One Year In Miyakojima, Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 13:48:00 +0000

2009 is officially over, so I thought I would post some pictures that I took through out the year. As you can see the majority are focused around Miyako's beautiful ocean. Let me know what you think.

Japanese Words List

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:47:00 +0000

A new words list has just been posted on Japanese words that contains over 1000 common Japanese words and Kanji. The great thing about it is that it is available for both Anki and Mnemosyne. You can find the link below.

Japanese Words List

Japanese Dictionaries

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 04:38:00 +0000

Yesterday, I listed a number of Japanese study tools I feel are very helpful for learning the Japanese language. Today I figured I would follow that up by another very important list, Japanese dictionaries.

Since we all spend so much time online, all the dictionaries I have listed are online dictionaries. My personal favorite is Denshi Jisho because of it's easy interface, and it's ability to look up words, sentences, and kanji. It is can also easily be accessed from cell phones.

For my non-online dictionary I use Kiten. Kiten is a free dictionary designed to run on linux and works excellent. However, I usually find myself going to Denshi Jisho to look up words.

Here is the list

Denshi Jisho- If I had to choose one dictionary, this would be it.
WWW.JDIC- Similar to Denshi Jisho, but a different interface.
ALC- Site in Japanese. Has some additional options.
Goo- Different dictionaries depending on what you are looking for.
Weblio- Another dictionary with a lot of search options.

Give them all a try and see which one works best for you. Sometimes, if you can't find a word in one, it will come up in another.

Helpful Tools for Learning Japanese Words

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 04:07:00 +0000

If you are learning Japanese then you need to know a certain amount of Japanese Words in order to communicate. The more words you know the easier and more fluent you will be able to speak Japanese (practicing using them is also important).

Learning all these words can seem like a difficult and never ending task. The problem with standard methods (flash cards, note books, words lists in books) of learning is that you will spend too much time reviewing words you already know and not enough for ones you don't. This not only slows down your progress, but limits the number of Japanese words you can study.

The tools I have listed below, help you learn faster and make studying easier by showing you the appropriate Japanese words or phrases at the appropriate times. They make studying Japanese easier and funner.

Anki- A flash card program designed specifically for Japanese that tracks which cards you know and shows you the right ones at the right time.
Smart FM- Similar to Anki, but with a more advanced algorithm and more pre-made materials available. Can only be used online.
Mnemosyne- A flash card program similar to Anki, but with a slightly different algorithm and interface (I personally perfer Anki).
Reviewing the Kanji- An website set up specifically to help you learn the kanji using Heisig's Remembering the Kanji book.
Read the Kanji- A website that helps you learn to read and type kanji. Since each kanji or word is in a sentence you will also learn grammar as well.
JapanesePod101- Learn Japanese words through actual conversation.

Typhoon in Southern Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 06:29:00 +0000

Over the last few days we have had a typhoon here in Miyakojima. Typhoon season for southern Japan usually start in August and runs through till about September. It wasn't a huge one (about 78mph), but it was certainly large enough to pull out trees and to knock fields of sugar cane (a very durable crop) on it's side.

The house that I am staying in held up without any problem. We did have water being forced in through some of the sliding windows, but that was about it.

The thing I didn't think of, or at least wouldn't have if friends didn't tell me, was how the food supply in stores disappears. Miyakojima is a small island of Okinawa, and while a lot of vegetables and fruits are grown here, most of the major stores carry stuff that comes from outside the island. Since it usually arrives via ship, and ships couldn't dock due to the typhoon, that meant almost no fresh vegetables and perishable goods.

Below are some of the pictures I took today when visiting the super market.

This was the milk shelf. Only the local brands and the "fake milk" was left.

Not much left on the rest of the dairy shelves either.

Or on the cold shelf at all!

So if you are every in an area where you have natural disasters then be sure to think ahead and be prepared. For those who plan on traveling to Japan or living here, it is important to be aware of the different types of disasters that can happen. Earthquakes and typhoons don't happen everyday, but they are also not rare so it is best to be prepared with food and water.

Hard To Believe This Is Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 03:22:00 +0000

Here is Miyakojima we are finally coming out of Rainy season and the weather has been sunny and warm...er..hot. Great weather combined with friends coming to visit from the mainland has meant that we have been getting outside quite a bit.

Probably the most common comment I constantly hear from friends is that they can't believe this is Japan. And if you have ever been to the mainland (especially somewhere like Tokyo) then this really doesn't seem like Hawaii. In fact, the culture of Miyakojima, a small island of Okinawa is a bit different. The Japanese language is spoken here, but there is also a very strong dialect spoken by the older generation. There are also some Japanese characters not used in the regular Japanese alphabet. If I had to explain the culture I would say it is a mix between Japanese and Chinese.

Anyways, here are some pics to backup this claim.

At Maehama Beach in front of Kurimajima Bridge

Sanshin (traditional three string instrument of Okinawa) live

Ikemajima at low tide

Nemo (formely known as the clown fish) enjoying it's home

Sunset at the pier nearest to my house.

Underwater pictures of Miyakojima, Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Sat, 23 May 2009 12:31:00 +0000

I have been pretty busy here in Miyakojima. The weather has been absolutely beautiful (even though we are technically in rainy season) and I have been trying to get to the beach as often as possible. In addition, I have started learning the sanshin and am also reviewing what looks to be a great book for learning kanji (more on that in a future post). Today is all about pictures.

My digital camera of three years broke a couple of months ago, and today it's replacement arrived, a Pentax Optio W60. I looked at a lot of cameras, but this was the only one that had all of the features I wanted. (or at least as close as I could get with one camera). It is waterproof up to 12 feet, has a 5x zoom that is operable while shooting video, a decent macro setting, shoots HD quality video. Basically all the things I wish the last camera have.

Today I put it to the test by taking it snorkeling at Nagamahama on the small island of Kurimajima. Now I don't know that much about cameras, so I can't give you a lot of details. What I can say is that it worked flawless for what I bought it for. It's amazing what a $200 camera can do!

Anyways, on to the pictures. Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Nagama Beach

As you can see we hit it at low tide

Once we got past the Reef it got a little deeper

The local group of clown fish

Little closer shot using the zoom

Here is the video I took. I noticed afterwords there was an underwater video setting. Oh well, next time.

I was surprised how well the camera was able to get good shots of small fish

I think I used the macro for this coral shot, but honestly can't remember

This shot of a hermit crab is using the macro

Fresh flowers at the local cafe

More vegetation at the cafe

Pink hibiscus

There's even papayas

Carmel Vanilla Sundae

Yup, I don't think it gets much better than this

After I got back home, I took a walk to the nearest port and there were fisherman practicing rowing for an upcoming matsuri (festival)

A great sunset (actually it was a bit cloudy) to a great day!

Let me know what you think!

Pictures of Miyakojima, Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Fri, 08 May 2009 09:09:00 +0000

I have been here in Miyakojima for about 7 months now and am pretty well settled in. The weather is getting much better now that we are hitting mid May and the ocean is gorgeous. My Camera broke about a month ago due to the number of times it was accidentally dropped, so I haven't been taking a ton of pictures lately. I am still looking for a good replacement that will shoot decent shots and has a good zoom. I am also looking at models that will allow me to take it into the water and also ones that have hd video available. If you have any recommendations please let me know.

In the meantime, I started taking a few shots with my cell phone. It doesn't have a zoom and the megapixels aren't that high, but for small shots it actually does pretty good. Anyways, here are some of the photos I have taken in the last months.

I have also posted some videos of some traditional Okinawan songs and taiko as well as hula dancing that was performed at Tokyu resort hotel on Japanese Words. You can find the the videos as the link below.

Okinawan Dancing and Hula Music

Maehama beach at Sunset

Candle lit dinner at Maehama beach

Maguro-don lunch at Tanto

Sunayama Beach

Official opening of the ocean day. It was kind of funny, because they basically closed it off to open it.

Okinawan taiko at Tokyu Resort

Looking at Maehama beach from Ikema island

Pond in the middle of the "compact" golf course at Tokyu resort.

Maehama beach in front of Tokyu Resort

Maehama beach on a sunny day

1000+ Japanese Words List with Kanji

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 05:53:00 +0000

For everyone learning Japanese, here the below link goes to a website containing a Japanese words list containing nearly 1300 mostly common Japanese words. Enjoy!

Japanese words list

Japanese video and audio lessons

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 02:13:00 +0000

Here are some Japanese videos and audio lessons available for free. The site also contains a number of other Japanese related websites and blogs.

http://www.thejapanesepage.com/

Cool Things In Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:59:00 +0000

I recently came across this article titled Best of Japan Series with a number of pictures and articles about Japan. Covering various items from vending machines to neon lights.

Driving in Japan-Getting Your License

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 05:20:00 +0000

For anyone who lives in a big city, this isn't really a necessity. However, there are a couple reasons you might want to obtain your drivers license. One is to use it as an ID (you should try to limit showing your foreigners registration card to official use only. It is also very helpful if you decide to go on a vacation. Some of the most beautiful spots in Japan have no public system at all. I finally had to take mine when I decided to move to Okinawa. To be honest it was a pain in the butt, but not as nearly as difficult as I thought it would be.

The below links are basically a how to get your Japanese driver's license I wrote after obtaining mine. They contain a number of helpful links and are hopefully help you pass your Japanese drivers test.

Driving In Japan Part 1 (Preparation And The Written Test)
Driving In Japan Part 2 (The Driving Test)

Please leave any comments or additional tips you have

Giant Jellies Attack Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:30:00 +0000

A 6ft jelly fish that weighs over 450 lbs is slowly invading the waters of Japan. I would have thought that larger animals such as this would be on the verge of extinction. And since fisherman are worried about the giant karage eating their fish, they may soon be. You can find the full story here.

Miyakojima in November

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:16:00 +0000

After moving to Miyakojima in the middle of October, I am settled in and Enjoying the weather. Here is a picture from a few days ago. You can also find my recent fishing trip in Miyakojima here.

The Scuba Island

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:18:00 +0000

I have been a scuba diver for over 10 years and worked in the industry for over 7. Since I will soon be moving to a tropical island, I decided to try and share some of the knowledge I have gained. I recently started a new scuba diving blog titled "The Scuba Island" in hopes that some of the information I have gained will come in handy to others. Check it out.

Culture through high school kids in Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:17:00 +0000

I am getting this blog out a bit late, but for anyone interested in learning more about Japanese international high school or more directly high school students, my friend has started a new blog titled The professional Student. He writes about various aspects in Japan and also about what he learns about being around students. He is also a big tech fans so it is a good place to check for new tech stuff (especially Mac).

Dirty City

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 00:48:00 +0000

Well It's been a while since I have last posted. I have been spending a lot of time studying various things and also working on other site simplistic thoughts. It takes more time than I thought

The weather has finally started to warm up here in Tokyo, though we just went through a cold rainy week. It's hard to believe it's June. Pretty soon the weather will be really warm and everyone will be wishing to go back to winter again.

The not so fun part about summer is that the city seems to be dirtier. With muggy air, lots of cigarette smoke, dirty river, and lots of people it can seem pretty bad some times. One of the disadvantages of living in a big city I guess. Though the amount of trash and cigarette butts that people simply throw on the ground is ridiculous. In part it is because of the lack of garbage cans, but still disheartening.

A pretty funny blog

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 02:54:00 +0000

Just a short post for those who want to practice their Japanese, while getting a little bit of entertainment. This blog http://www.wgxtk249.net/ is written mostly in Japanese (very casual Japanese) and has a lot of funny stories about living in Japan. The author is a second generation Japanese raised in America and currently living in the Yokohama area. he has quite a unique view. Check it out.

My First post

noreply@blogger.com (Nick) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 10:16:00 +0000

My name is Nick Lancaster. I am from California originally, but currently live in Tokyo, Japan. I started this blog about a month ago to discuss my experiences in Japan and with Japanese. The project got side-tracked by another site I started called simplistic thoughts. Please check it out and let me know what you think. Simplistic thoughts will be more dedicated to business, personal development, and alternative energy, and this blog will be more focused on Japan and my experiences here. よろしくお願いします。