Call in Gmail for Free Through 2011

This year, Google added an extension of their Google Voice VOIP calling feature to the Gmail interface. Simply by logging into your Gmail account and typing in a phone number, you can call friends and family anywhere in the world.



To promote the service, Gmail promised to keep calls to numbers in the U.S. and Canada free throughout 2010. For U.S. and Canadian citizens abroad, this was great news, as it meant that keeping in touch with your family and friends was free and as easy as keeping a browsing tab open to your Gmail account.

(If you've never used Gmail's calling features, you can get an overview of the service here. The service requires a one-time plugin installation for your browser.)

But, and here's the reason for a news update: Last week the official Gmail blog announced that calls to the U.S. and Canada will remain free throughout 2011. So, you can enjoy your free Gmail calls throughout the new year!


By the way, another great feature of the Gmail calling is its simplicity. Google stressed this point in one of their holiday gift ideas: A tech support care package for parents, including a step-by-step video guide of how to make calls in Gmail. If your family has trouble keeping up with new software, check these videos out and consider sending an e-mail through the www.teachparentstech.org home page.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that for calls outside of the U.S. and Canada, Gmail doesn't necessarily offer the best rates. If you plan to place calls to other countries, it's worth making rate comparisons between Gmail and it's more well-known competitor Skype. For example, calls to mobile phones in Japan appear to be a bit cheaper per minute through Skype. Here are the complete rate tables for Skype and the rate tables for Gmail.

Worksheet Sunday: Scramble Scrabble (all grades 12 years +)

Different versions of this game are floating around ELT/ALT circles, but this one is wholly original to this site, and arguably much easier for kids to understand. So there!

Everyone knows Scrabble, right? Well this is a combination of that and a word scramble. Hence the name.

It can last up to the whole lesson with some classes, or you may want to set a time limit and see who has the most points after that.

Here's how to set it up and play.

You will need:
(Click to download, but as always bear in mind that Google Doc's will mess with the formatting. Download and open in Word to display properly.):

1. Scrabble board
2. Scoreboard
3. Scrambled words (see below)

Prep

1. Poster-print or blow-up the Scrabble board to stick on the blackboard.
2. Prepare lists of scrambled words from the appropriate vocab list. I usually make about 40 cards for each group.
• Pick the vocab depending on how far through the year you are. I can't give you sets for every eventuality, so best to just use this blank template and scramble them up yourself. Just for your convenience, here are sets for the start of second grade and the start of third grade.

Execution

1. Make groups of four students,
2. Use the big board to explain to the class how scrabble works,
3. Hand out the packs of scrambled words (one each group),
4. Give each group a game board and score board,
5. Have them unscramble one word each, and then write it on the game board,
6. After writing their word, they must use the key on the scoreboard to add up their score,
7. Highest score at the end of the game wins.

Please let me know what you think in the comments.

Merry Christmas from AccessJ

Merry Christmas, and thank you for following our site. Especially for December posts, we've concentrated on adding quality information on topics frequently asked about by our audience. Please take some time to browse our recent posts about getting a driver's license and working in Japan, and enjoy the holiday season.

Learning Japanese: The Japanese "R" Sound

Last year, Tofugu made an awesome post about how to pronounce the Japanese "r" sound. If you haven't already checked this out, you should. This is the first time I've seen the sound "explained" in a comprehensible manner.

(For the record, my long-standing useless explanation to others was "it sounds more like a 'd' than an 'r'.")

Here's the video:

Using an Amazon Kindle 3 Part 3: Japanese eBooks and Manga

Well, last article I went into some depth as to why I loved the new Kindle and why you should definitely buy one (UK link). We talked about using it for studying Japanese and how great it was at that.

However, it was clearly designed for reading standard books, and even though it isn't directly for sale in Japan (although you can import it from Amazon) it does support Japanese script.

So here's everything you need to know about getting (free, and modern) Japanese books onto your Kindle for study, pleasure, or whatever you want. I've also included a section on reading manga with it, which is a revolutionary experience!

Japanese books

Like the English sites mentioned last article (Project Gutenburg and Google Books, etc), you can download out-of-copyright Japanese books from Aozora Bunko. To get these books onto your Kindle there is a purpose-made site over at http://a2k.aill.org/. It's all in Japanese, but very, very simple.

To convert and retain any furigana:

1. Copy the link to the ruby version of the file (the one with ruby in the name) from Aozora Bunko,
   There may not be one of these. Copying another of the available links will work fine, minus furigana.
2. Paste it into the box on a2k,
3. Click the PDF button and it will download,
4. Copy to Kindle. That's it.

Right click the ruby version (if there is one) and copy link location

Paste the link in this box on a2k and click PDF. Download

The three options below the box, as you can see, are the size. The bigger one is not recommended unless you use the big DX version of the Kindle. Stick with default unless you have problems.

New Japanese books

As the Kindle isn't sold in Japan, there doesn't seem to be a way to get modern Japanese fiction specifically for it. However, as the Kindle can read PDFs, anything in that format can be copied onto it (and most other format can be converted with mobipocket anyway). Therefore, if you buy a Japanese ebook or manga from a Japanese ebook site (Google is your friend), you shouldn't have a problem reading them on your Kindle (but do remember to check what format the site is selling you, and that you can convert it properly). The Japanese ebook market is huge compared to the rest of the world, so you shouldn't have the kind of availability problems you may have faced in English.

Reading Manga on a Kindle

This is totally possible. In fact, some has even been specifically released for it.

No more carrying around a stack of tankoban for you! And no more hiding the cover of "Pretty Sammy Magical Princess" on the subway! With the power of Kindle you can forget all that inconvenience and embarrassment! Yeah! People will be curious to see what your device is, though, so maybe watch where you read your questionable manga.

I think that the Kindle screen is perfectly big enough to read regular-sized manga, but with the newest model you can rotate the screen. So if while vertically the manga print/furigana is too small to read, horizontally you shouldn't have a problem. 

If you have a manga you want to convert to kindle format, here's my guide to do that. The software you need to use is pretty simple, and available here.

Hiroki Endo's "Eden"

Reading Japanese articles/web pages

Although you can use the inbuilt browser for this, an easier way (there is no Japanese text input on the Kindle) is to use Instapaper to save news links from your computer and email them to your Kindle.

Japanese-English Dictionary

Try as I might, I haven't been able to find a legal copy of anything like this for the Kindle. What I want is a dictionary which integrates itself into the Kindle like the English-English dictionaries which come pre-installed. I have come across an English-Japanese one, but not the other way around. If you know of one, let me know.

__________________________________________________

AccessJ.com's 3-part Kindle guide series

1. Using a Kindle to Study Japanese
2. Converting and Adding Manga to a Kindle
3. Reading Japanese Books and Manga on a Kindle

__________________________________________________


And as always, if you have anything to add please drop it in the comments.

PT: Cold

Here's our first Photo Tuesday.

It's cold in Japan.

If you want tips on how to keep your Japanese house warm, I have just the article for you.

Getting a Japanese License: Foreign License Conversion

If you used to drive in your home country, you may be eligible to "convert" your license into a Japanese driver's license using a process called 外国免許切替 (gaikoku menkyo kirikae), often abbreviated to 外免切替. There are a lot of good guides about this online, which we highly recommend you check out.

But in addition to linking these resources, we've compiled our own bullet points and special tips regarding the 外免切替 process. To start off, here are some common questions and answers about the 外免切替 process:

Eligibility

• First of all, you need a driver's license issued by another country to complete this process. If you don't already have a driver's license in some country, you have to get your license the same way Japanese people do.
• Second, you must have lived in the country that issued your driver's license for at least 90 full days since the license was issued. This is to prevent Japanese people from getting a foreign license while on vacation, then returning to Japan and converting it.
• If you have had your license for at least 90 days, but actually have very little driving experience, you are still eligible to convert it. However, without driving experience, you may find it hard to pass the Japanese driving test if you are required to take it.
• Japan accepts 外免切替 applications for licenses from most countries around the world. But, licenses written in Arabic or Russian, or licenses issued by some countries, including the Republic of Korea, Kingdom of Thailand, or Union of Myanmar may be required to submit extra supporting documentation during the process.

General FAQ

• Although this process is called "Foreign License Conversion" in Japanese, it doesn't require you to surrender the license issued in your home country. You won't lose your old license, and this process has nothing to do with your continued ability to drive at home.
• The 外免切替 process is handled by your regional driver's licensing authority. Be careful! This part is confusing at first. Check out a list of prefectural driving centers to find yours; it may be as much as three hours away from you by bus or train. But, licensing centers able to handle foreign license conversion are strictly regulated by the government. The JAF and your local police station can not convert your license!
• Yes, this process is necessary if you've lived in Japan more than one consecutive year.You can't indefinitely use an International Driving Permit in Japan.
• It might take you a while to get your license because of waiting lists or failed tests. So, don't wait until a few weeks before you'll need it. Start with at least two or three months in advance.
• Depending on the nationality of the license you're trying to convert, you may have to take a theory test and a driving test in Japan, or you may only have to take the theory test. The driving test is what most people are complaining about when they say it's tough to get a license in Japan.

Ready to go?

• If you've checked out the information on this page and are ready to go, check out the "Steps to Converting a Foreign License" post in our AccessJ Driving Guide.

Worksheet Sunday: What Time Is It? First Grade JHS (12-13yo)

Here's a simple activity for first grade JHS. You could use it with elementary too, but only with an advanced class which can read simple verbs - or you could edit the sheet to use pictures instead of text.

Estimated time: 20-25 minutes, but give a bit longer for under-motivated classes.

Those of you using New Crown will find this on page 64 - Chapter 6 Do It Talk 4.

The concept of this game is very simple, as is the execution:

1. First, download the character sheets, and draw hands on the clocks to make times (click here to download, but as always beware of Google Docs' preview - it will look fine when you download and open in Word),
2. Make groups of 4-6 students each,
3. Give each group one copy of the simple sheet to the right (click here to download),
4. Stick the characters around the room at random points, ideally far enough from each group that they can't just lean over and copy from them,
5. One at a time, students must go to the characters, read the clock and the activity next to it, remember it (they can't take the sheet with them), and report back to the group,
6. The group writes it down (e.g. Mr Dom plays the guitar at 4:30). The first group with all characters completed and checked by you is the winner. Give them some stickers or something.
7. Ask some "What time does Mr Dom play the guitar" type questions to the class to practice the "What time.." point.

Give it a try and let us know what you think in the comments below. This is yet another idea thought up by the Amazing Laura (my future wife), and made by me. We'd both like to know what you think.

Running Tokyo Marathon part 1

Well, it's too late to apply for this year's marathon. Entries have been closed, invitations issued and now reserves called.

But for those of you reading this blog in The Mystical Land of The Future, here is a collection of necessary information for applying and running.

You might be interested to read the .pdf of the 2011 Tokyo Marathon race guide here.

Application

First of all, the run is held in late February every year (27th for 2011). The application period is usually the month of August, with applicants being informed of their place/lack of in mid-October. Applicants have a month to pay the registration fee (12,000yen this year if you do it in English, 10,000 in Japanese) before their place is offered to reserve applicants.

Last year, almost 275,000 people applied, and only 32,000 ran. So you need some good luck to get on this one.

You do not need to have previously run a marathon to get on this one.

The Tokyo Marathon website will guide you through the application process when it's open. It's very simple, and in English. It asks a lot of questions about your experience level etc. I heard mixed opinions as to whether or not your answers make a difference to you chances (like if you are assigned to a group which makes up a certain percentage of racing individuals), though it may well be the case. I have also heard that there is a quota of gaijin runners to be accepted, but it's unclear if that makes your odds better or worse.

The Course

The 26 mile and 385 yard course starts at Tokyo Metropolitan Government building, driving straight through Shijuku and up to Iidabashi, turning South at the Imperial Palace to take a detour through Shinagawa, passing through Ginza and Nihonbashi on it's way up to and back down from Asakusa before regaining it's straight-line towards Tokyo Big Sight, where excited people wait to wrap you in tin-foil.

A course-map is available as a .pdf at the Marathon website. Here's the 2011 one, though it never changes, and here is one on mapmyrun.com which is much more detailed as it uses google maps.

You have a 7-hour limit to complete the race.

Topography

Virtually entirely flat. So flat that the course map on mapmyrun.com doesn't even register any inclines. The Tokyo Marathon race guide .pdf offers this graphic (click to enlarge):

As you can see, it looks like a good chance for a PB for both 10k and the full marathon.

You can also watch a sped-up video of the whole course here.

The 10k race

For the up-and-coming/weaker runners, you can also opt to do the 10km race on the same day at the same time. You even get to run with the big boys until it finishes at Hibiya Park, just after the Imperial Palace. Entry is 6,000 yen. There's a 1 hour 40 minute limit on this race.

Wheelchair race

A (very) limited number of wheelchair applicants can also race. In 2010 only just over 20 people got to do this (out of 50-something applicants).


Others

Judging by the 2010 race, there are also similarly limited spaces for visually impaired and mentally impaired runners, as well as "transplant runners" on the 10k race only. Total numbers of successful applicants in these fields total just over 200.

Well, good luck if you decide to enter, and even better luck if you get to race. I'll be doing it in 2011 and will be sure to post a results entry about it. Until then I'll be pounding pavements in the mountains.

がんばってます！

Using an Amazon Kindle 3 Part 2: Reading Manga

Check the end of this blog for some troubleshooting tips.

The Kindle is fantastic for studying Japanese, as well as reading books. I think it's great, and take it with me everywhere. And get ready to be blown away - you can read manga on it. Yes indeed.

This will revolutionise the way you read manga. No more ripped plastic bag full of smelly tankoban on the subway for you! No more long flights watching Nicolas Cage "act".

I found a lot of barely legible/outdated guides to converting manga for your Kindle, so to go with my upcoming "Using a Kindle for reading Japanese books and manga" blog, here's the best guide currently available for converting and adding that manga to your Kindle:

1. Open your Kindle in Windows Explorer or My Computer
2. Create a new folder on your Kindle called "pictures"
   

3. Download and unzip the Mangle software to your computer (choose the windows executable version). NB: The Mangle website also has Linux and Mac versions,
4. Create a new folder on your desktop and put your downloaded/scanned manga in it. One folder per manga.
   Alternatively just leave your manga in the folder it's in and make a note of where it is,

5. Open Mangle and select Book > Add > Directory,
   

6. Find your manga folder on the desktop and select it,
   
   
7. Check all the files are in the correct order in the Mangle window,
8. Go to Book > Options and give your manga the title with which you want it to appear on your Kindle,
   
   
9. Go to Book > Export and find the "pictures" folder you created on your Kindle. Select that and export,
   

10. When Mangle is done exporting, eject your Kindle.

Job done. It'll show up in your book list just like anything else.

There are some cases where you don't need to use Mangle to convert your manga at all. Some image formats just work, and you can drag your manga folder into the new "pictures" folder on your Kindle.

However, for guaranteed uniform results I always stick with Mangle. Additionally, Mangle resizes the images to save disk space. This is a very good idea for page loading times, and especially when the Kindle is still at only 4GB capacity.



Troubleshooting

• "It's just that little bit too small!"

I hear you. If you haven't already done so, go to full screen mode. Pressing the "Menu" key will, not surprisingly, bring up the menu. Navigate to "Enable Full Screen Mode".

This will get rid of that useless bar at the top.

This may not be enough for something with extensive footnotes, like Ghost in the Shell. If you find that you do need to zoom in more on your manga, here are the hotkeys:

• First, press the "Aa" key and make sure it's set to "Actual size=No"
• Zoom: Q key
• Zoom out: W
• Actual size: C
• Full screen: F
• Pan: directions
• Rotate: R
• Reset zoom: E

• "The image gets all messed up when I restart."

This seems to happen to me pretty much every time - a section to the right of the page sticks on the page before, obscuring part of the current one. I can only assume this is a Kindle bug, which may be fixed with a firmware upgrade in the future.

Fix this by pressing the "Menu" button and selecting either "Use Partial Refresh" or "Use Full Refresh" (whichever is displayed).

Problem

Solution

Another programme which can do this is the versitile Calibre application.

If you've come across any other problems, let me know in the comments.

So, that's the power of the Kindle! You should definitely buy one (UK link)!

__________________________________________________

AccessJ.com's 3-part Kindle guide series

1. Using a Kindle to Study Japanese
2. Converting and Adding Manga to a Kindle
   
3. Reading Japanese Books and Manga on a Kindle

__________________________________________________



Next week we'll look at the Kindle for reading Japanese ebooks and newspapers.

Using an Amazon Kindle 3 Part 1: to Study Japanese

I just bought an Amazon Kindle and I love it. Nothing ever attracted me to ebook readers until I tried one, and now I can't see a reason not to immediately burn all physical books and start again.

This blog is about using your Kindle for studying Japanese. Next time I'll look at reading Japanese books and manga.

So, you should buy a Kindle (UK link). If you live in Japan you can get a 3G version delivered (from the USA) for around 18,000 yen, which is a bargain when you consider that you can use it to go on the internet, including using Google Maps like GPS, for free.

Books are usually cheaper than physical alternatives, and Amazon offers a huge range of pre-1923 novels for free. Not only that, but sites like Project Gutenburg and Google Books have TONS more.

If you have previously bought an ebook in an unsupported format, or have any other document you want to convert to view on your Kindle, use a program like mobipocket to switch to the .mobi file (.pdf also works on the newest version).

Anyway, end of sales pitch.

Japanese Study

So you have a textbook or some other resource on your computer which you want to view on your Kindle? If it's a .pdf just copy it straight over, and for anything else just use mobipocket to convert it to .mobi first. You can also use Amazon's free conversion service (scroll down a little), although it reportedly sometimes messes with the formatting, plus it takes a few minutes. Why wait?!

The newest Kindle (3) lets you rotate and zoom very easily, so you shouldn't have any problems with small text/furigana. You can also set up bookmarks so that you can flip between sections (e.g. dictionary entries, exercises). The only thing missing is a touchscreen and pen for practicing writing. Maybe next edition?

Japanese textbook in portrait mode

You can also study flashcards using the Kindle. The best way to do this, as pointed out by Minlawc in the comments, is to use Anki Online (you need to download and install it on a computer before the online feature is available). The third generation Kindle has built-in WiFi (there's also a 3G version), and using Anki this way couldn't be easier. Check it out.

One more great feature of the new Kindle is the audiobook function. This means you can (almost) use it as an mp3 player. Load up your Japanese lessons/podcasts and you have an all-in-one package which weighs almost nothing. I love it!

JapanesePod101 mp3 playing in internal speaker mode

Of course, another great way to study Japanese is to read books/stories in Japanese, which is the subject of the 3rd part of our series:

__________________________________________________

AccessJ.com's 3-part Kindle guide series

1. Using a Kindle to Study Japanese
2. Converting and Adding Manga to a Kindle
   
3. Reading Japanese Books and Manga on a Kindle

__________________________________________________

Job Spotlight: Shigaku.or.jp

For those of you who are interested in teaching English, but just want to escape the yearly-contract, no-bonus, no-pay-raise ALT quagmire, here's a site to keep an eye on.



Shigaku.or.jp maintains a daily updated page of private school positions up for grabs around the nation. The job advertisements are for teachers of all subjects, but many English teaching positions are advertised in each update,  and among them are listings (usually one every few weeks) for which only a native speaker is wanted.

Because the schools are private, some rules about teaching certification can be bent: A well-written resume and application coming from a foreigner will draw interest, and if you impress a school during an interview, you can bet they will find a way to hire you.

I highly recommend this site, as the positions are at prestigious, competitive schools, but they often go unadvertised among most of the foreign community. This is a chance to directly appeal to schools and get hired as a full member of staff, rather than as a dispatch or contract worker.

However, the leads on Shigaku's page are written in Japanese only, and many of the jobs themselves (even those intended for native English speakers) are often written in Japanese on the schools' websites. Conversational Japanese is a must here, and applicants with JLPT-2 or greater equivalency, coupled with teaching experience, are the ones who will have their pick of jobs.