Donald Ash is an Atlanta, Georgia-born, American expat who has been living in a Japanese time warp for the last eleven years. While in that time warp, he discovered that he absolutely loves writing, blogging, and sharing. Donald is the creator of thejapanguy.com blog. Wanna know more about this guy? Check out his "What's Your Story" page.
By Donald Ash | Japan Weird
Many a foreigner will confess that Japan can be a super easy place to live. For those who have been here for maybe two years or longer, you may start to experience that cycle. You told your family and friends that Japan was temporary, that you’d just be here for a year. One year becomes […]
By Donald Ash | Japanese Kanji
Kanji is one of those subjects that classroom Japanese students and Japanese self-study advocates alike struggle with. Believe me, I know first hand that studying kanji can be a rather sharp pain in the butt. Why is learning/studying kanji so damn hard? Well, for starters there are just so frickin’ many of them: they say […]
By Donald Ash | Genki One Textbook Review
Genki One is one of the most recognized, beginner Japanese textbooks for a reason. It’s extremely effective. For those of you who want to skip the Genki textbook review and grab the book now, you can click here. For everyone else, let’s dive in…If you’re an expat who didn’t major in Japanese during your college […]
By Donald Ash | Japanese Kanji
Today we’ll take an in-depth look at a a kanji-learning textbook in this Kodansha Kanji Learner’s Course Review. For those who want to skip the review and grab this book now, you can go here. For everyone else, let’s review…Do you remember when you started studying Japanese? There was a time when you thought, “This […]
By Donald Ash | Public Transportation In Japan
Yamanote. Hibiya. TX. Keihin-Tohoku. Chuo. Sobu. What do all of these words have in common? Are they the names of the newest hottest anime series from Shonen Jump? Nope, guess again. Are they the Japanese names of Donald’s six illegitimate Japanese children? NO! See?!? that’s how rumors get started! You know what, just forget it. […]
By Donald Ash | Japanese Textbook Reviews
“Mastering Manga” by Mark Crilley is a book that really enjoyed using! For those of you who want to skip the review and get your own copy, you can click here. For everyone else, let’s take a closer look at all of the ins and outs of this manga instruction guide. This is the Ultimate […]
By Donald Ash | Japanese Language Proficiency Test
For years the Japanese Language Proficiency Test has been the official yardstick that non-Japanese people to measure just how good their Japanese really is. Whether you’re taking level N5 or have the chutzpah to try for level N1, here are ten universal laws to keep in mind when preparing for exam. These rules are so […]