しろくまカフェ Vol 1: Absolute Beginner Book Club

[emucat]

Welcome to the しろくまカフェ Vol 1 Reading Group!

If your Japanese is absolute beginner level, you want to read a book but afraid of doing it alone, welcome to this book club!
This book is part of the Absolute Beginner Bookclub!

This manga consists in 4 Volumes. We may end up reading all 4, but for now we’re planning to read the first volume. You can find the book here: Amazon.jp here, Amazon US here, CD Japan here , and eBookJapan here .

The group will begin on March 13th, 2019.

Readers of e-books will probably not have page numbers that correspond to those of the physical books, so please follow along as best you can by simply seeing which sentences are currently under discussion. The group will have a regular pace and after time the pacing will be clear and easy to follow.

This group is ideal for absolute beginners and anyone new to reading in Japanese, and questions from beginners are vitally important. No question is stupid. But of course the group is open to all and will very much rely on the kindness and help of more advanced readers!

As with other reading groups, please try to stay on topic and stay with the pace of the group. The chapters currently being read will appear in the thread title. And, once we’ve started, please ensure you put the page number at the top of each post if you can.

Hoping to see lots of people here on March the 13th!

WARNING!! If you have the old version, you are missing chapters 24-28, these are in your 2nd book (the one with a panda on the cover)!!

Reading Schedule

Reading	Date	Jump To Discussion
Chapters 1-2	March 13th	Discussion
Chapters 3-4	March 20th	Discussion
Chapters 5-6	March 27th	Discussion
Chapters 7-8	April 3rd	Discussion
Chapters 9-10	April 10th	Discussion
Chapters 11-13	April 17th	Discussion
Chapter 14	April 24th	Discussion
Chapters 15-16	May 1st	Discussion
Chapters 17-18	May 8th	Discussion
Chapters 19-20	May 15th	Discussion
Chapters 21-23	May 22nd	Discussion
Chapter 24	May 29th	Discussion
Chapters 25-26	June 5th	Discussion
Chapters 27-28	June 12th	Discussion

Resources

• Google Docs vocab list
• Tae Kim’s Japanese Grammar Guide (pdf)

I’m going to try to start filling the Google Doc Vocab, so new people don’t feel super overwhelmed.
If someone wants to help, it will be greatly appreciated.

Also, new people , from my experience, at the beginning , any book seems very difficult. Once you read and understand (with help) a couple chapters, it gets much easier. Your Japanese reading skills are improving, you are getting used to the tone of the book (formal, casual, etc.), the vocabulary and grammar structures get repeated…

Just ask any question. Why is that particle here, what does that mean, why is not using that…

Joining in?

• Yes!!
• I’ll skip this one

[seanblue]

Dude, stop making polls where people can’t see the results.

[nbeck0212]

Ahhh I’m so excited! My first WK bookclub :D!

[Radish8]

I voted just so I could see

@emucat - I might change the wording of “there are 5 manga in the series, and perhaps we’ll read them all!” a bit so that people don’t assume you’ll definitely be reading all of them and then get disappointed (or buy all of them now mistakenly!).

Maybe “we may end up reading all 5 manga in the series, but for now we’re planning to read the first volume - links here etc. etc.”

[emucat]

There are 28 chapters in the first Volume, so we have to decide in a pace. The chapters are around 4 pages usually.

For the last option the idea would be:
2+2+2+3+3+3+3+3+3+3+3 = 11 weeks
or
2+2+2+4+4+4+4+4+4 = 9 weeks

Pace

• One chapter per week (28 weeks - Ending September 25th)
• Two chapters per week (14 weeks - Ending June 19th)
• Three Chapters per week (9-10 weeks - Ending 15th of May)
• Mix (We start with 2 Chapters per week and then me speed up) (Bethween 9 and 11 weeks)

[Leebo]

Dude, stop making polls where people can’t see the results.

(posts another poll)

Results will be shown on vote

Cold.

[seanblue]

It’s almost like @emucat wants me to start skewing the results.

[emucat]

Sorry sorry! I keep messing it up!

[jprspereira]

I might actually read along

[emucat]

You are welcome Mr famous guide

[jprspereira]

8 pages/week (2 chapters/week option) might be a good pace, as it’s basically 1 page/day. We can think about speeding up later if everyone participating feels able to. No need to decide it now.

[MissMisc]

smoothly rolls into book club

Ooo I’ve had all the volumes just waiting to be read, this is the perfect chance

よろしくね !

[cybershark]

I think 2chapters a week os a good start. I think we should start a vote here after the first two weeks to see if we can up the pace.
I think it‘s to early to decide to do more chapters later just yet.

Edit: and we need to compare the old version and the reprint.

[nbeck0212]

I love this gif. And yay for more people doing the book cluuuub!!

[MissMisc]

Book cluuuuuuuubs!

[Wiggle]

Well, I’m looking at the best place to order this and Chi’s Sweet Home. Excited to read this book, but daunted by shipping charges. Looks like my options are buying a ton of stuff to hit a free shipping limit or just eat the shipping. Has anyone had trouble with the really cheap SAL option?

[emucat]

I bought しろくまカフェ for $6.99 plus taxes in http://www.kinokuniya.com/
Chi’s Sweet home was $14.99 + taxes.

I’ve also seen the “old” print of しろくまカフェ in Amazon US for 7 something + $4 Shipment:

Shirokuma Cafe (Flower Comics Special)

Or the whole set for $34 + $4 shipment https://www.amazon.com/しろくまカフェ-コミック-1-5巻セット-フラワーコミックススペシャル/dp/B00ECL4IBU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1548691982&sr=8-2&keywords=shirokuma+café

From CD Japan should be 919 yen(US$ 8.40) to the US

[emucat]

Anyone wants to create the Google Doc for the vocab??

[nbeck0212]

Ahh if only the panda did a complete somersault off the bench

Also yaaassss book cluuuuuubs!!!

[irrelephant]

I’m looking forward to joining this club!

“Unfortunately” I will be in Japan in March and this is usually busy time (travel + work) so I might be more active in April.

5 manga in the series

There is also 2 newer “Today’s special” volumes

I’m hoping these two are identical (otherwise we will be running into issues because some people seem to have “Shirokuma Cafe” and others have “Shirokuma Cafe Bis”):
https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=24788
https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=114205

And these are the later two volumes. Just wanted to mention them for the sake of completeness. I accidentally had bought these first because I did not realize that they were not the original series and the first store where I was only had these.
https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=112599