Tip's Notes & Plans

[tip]

4/30/2025

I’m going on vacation this week to Hawaii. Level 19 has 84 untouched vocabulary because I stopped doing lessons last week. The plan is to avoid skipping Wanikani daily. The review forecast looks manageable even with jet lag.
Level 20 unlocked 6/6 radicals 26/32 kanji 30/117 vocabulary. I’ll start those when I get back.

Vocabulary and Context

regularly 定期的
A break/rest休憩 WK 47きゅうけい
Abs 腹筋 27,33 ふっきん
Biceps 二頭筋 にとうきん
Muscle 筋肉 33きんにく

Sit-ups 腹筋運動
Push-ups 腕立て伏せ うでたてふせ
to turn over (face down) 伏せる 55ふせる
Posture 姿勢 22しせい compare 格好

Naked 裸 45 はだか
Burly たくましい

To change clothes 着替える 27 き が え る
Changing (locker) room 更衣室 23こういしつ
To train 鍛える 46(To Forge) き た え る compare 練習
Working out 体を鍛えるcompare 運動する

Strength 筋力 きんりょく
Sweat 汗 26 あせ 汗をかく to sweat
To stretch 伸ばす 38の ば すto reach out, to hold out
To relieve 和らげる やわらげる to soften, to moderate, to relieve 和らぐ やわらぐto soften, to calm down, to be eased
To paw/scratch 掻く WK09 かく

I forgot to bring a change of clothes. 着替えを持ってくるのを忘れた。

[Omun]

@tip

I’m going on vacation this week to Hawaii.

That sounds wonderful. I hope you have an amazing t(r)ip!

[tip]

2025-05-04T00:00:00Z
Mundane and rambling Hawaii notes.
Arrival Thursday May 1st. On the plane a woman kept asking for the time. Whatever the answer was, she would respond with “is that Hawaiian or the United States time?”.

Took TheBus from the airport to the hotel and witnessed a Hawaiian Karen incident. The driver had to intervene before we arrived at our destination. Hawaii is very much like the mainland with a twist. I’m used to bilingual signs EN and ES at home. Here it’s EN and JP. I wonder how “they” decide which signs should be bilingual or not.

I chose the hotel solely based on experience with the chain at home. It’s in an ideal location across from a mall on the main street.

At this point I needed something to offset the sugary foods served on the plane so I went to the food court in the mall. There was a real pub vibe with basketball playing on the many big tvs. The crowd seemed to be in favor of NY over Detroit based on the huge cheers that erupted with each score. My expectations for food were low at a mall.

Ramen and gyozo: noodles were thin spaghetti, gyozo were potstickers commonly found in the grocery freezer aisle. I’m embarrassed to say it was great…too hungry to be a snob.

While at the mall, I looked for toiletries because my suitcase was stuffed. Another noticeable twist: products common and abundant at home are locked behind glass cabinets here. The selection of presumably local brands was surprisingly ample for my skin/hair type. If I didn’t have limited luggage space, I would have bought several to try out. Must remember to go back for pictures to use for online shopping.

Re: japanese
I almost lost my Duolingo streak due to timezones. My WK apprentice count is 0.

The day that was almost scuffed May 2
Beach, Breakfast and Pearl Harbor was the plan. Since The Events that changed the world a few years ago, I have had a smidgen of anxiety which kept me from traveling anywhere. Hawaii seemed like an easy way back into it. … English, US dollars, no passport.

On TheBus, the windows are tinted obstructing the street view. The stops are sometimes skipped if no one requests off/on. The stops only get announced when the driver pulls over. All these factors stressed me out so much that I got off after about 20 minutes and started walking back to the hotel in a light rain. Along the way, I spied DonQuixote. Maybe it was my mood or just facts; the place was disgusting..fruit flies and an odor that did not signify freshness. While pondering the gatcha machine options, I realized that I was not even dressed correctly for Pearl Harbor. No bags are allowed… I had bags, a camera and a huge water bottle. Feeling less bad about myself, I finished the route to the hotel on TheBus.
How to salvage the day indoors? A museum. Back on TheBus without even going to my room. This time I told the driver my destination and she told me when to get off.

After the museum, I walked to a place serving Loco Moco. They allow pork to be subbed for beef and the eggs to be cooked hard. A long, long walk to a bus stop followed. Then I went to the zoo. Hawaiians are supposed to be stewards of nature. How bad could a seaside zoo be?

Redemption day May 3
Got up early for the Saturday farmer’s market. Eavesdropping on some ladies talking in Japanese helped me know which stop was better than the one suggested by Google maps.

After dropping my purchases at the room, I had breakfast at the bustop headed to Pearl Harbor. Passed many of the places I walked through yesterday.

Ended the day with the best meal so far.

Jetlag kicks in May 4
I slept in and decided to make this a beach day. My feet are so sore.
Had my second best meal. Street food for the win.

Re: Japanese
Started Duolingo 4:40 Fairy Tales, approaching 1000 Burns on WK.

[Shannon-8]

Wow, Tip
I’m happy that you are able to travel
Your notes and comments please me very much!
The Events and TheBus and so many of your comments and observations are humorous and interesting おもしろい to me. The only time I ever went to Hawaii was Before Japanese awareness for me, so your experience and observations are strikingly different!
Thank You so much for sharing

[Malinkal]

@tip

I’m used to bilingual signs EN and ES at home. Here it’s EN and JP

I didn’t know they went as far as having JP signs! It’s always interesting seeing what languages pop up in other places - when I’ve been in Northern Italy it was always Dutch, English, German and Russian on menus, even here in Japan in some places it’s Thai/viet/chinese/korean(/English) as the default second, depending on the place. One town near me here is entirely Japanese/Portuguese on absolutely everything (probably more portuguese than Japanese even) due to the huge ex-brazilian-japanese reimmigrant population.

Thank you for a sight into Hawaii!

[tip]

I am back home safe and sound. The rest of my time in Hawaii was wonderful. The question is when or if I will log my notes here. Because: new travel anxiety unlocked.

On the first leg of my return flight, a passenger died in the lavatory as the plane was preparing to land. Flight attendants pulled off the door and dragged the person into the aisle at my feet. They did CPR for more than 20 minutes and tried to defib but the machine kept asking for batteries. Paramedics boarded and gave epi twice but the passenger never reverted from asystole. My row of seats had to wait on board and watch this unfold until they declared it was over.

On my second leg of the flight home, a woman heavily perfumed with essential oils thought it would be good to strike up a conversation with me in the boarding area. She is a musician. One of her songs is about her dog entitled “The last bite of bacon”. Dreading to hear the story behind that title, I quickly changed the subject.

Meanwhile, I completely forgot to do WK reviews when it was yesterday’s time zone. This will be the only day missed since I reset sometime in May 2024.

[Shannon-8]

O.M.G.

That hidden thoughtfully hidden story was very sad and traumatic. My sympathies (such as they are, because I’ve never gotten close to such a tragedy) extend to you, Tipさん.
O.M.G.

[tip]

Sunday, May 11, 2025
started lessons today; level 19 vocabulary
kept my streak during vacation ; despite doing the bare minimum , I have advanced in the leagues. Other users must be on vacay too. Got three free days of super duo.

vocabulary and context

お化け shapeshifterおばけusually written using kana alone; ghost, apparition, something unusually large
怪 mysterious かいmystery, wonder WK 26 Suspicious
不気味 bizarre ぶきみ WK 0
妖怪 ようかいapparition, phantom, yōkai WK 40 Monster
幽霊 ghost ゆうれいapparition, phantom WK 46, 45
霊 れいsoul, spirit, departed soul, ghost
亡霊 ぼうれい departed spirit, soul of the dead, ghost, apparition
亡者 もうじゃ the dead, ghost
魔法 magic まほう , witchcraft, sorcery, spell WK 46
魔法使い wizard まほうつかい WK 48
勇者 hero ゆうしゃ
妖精 fairy ようせい WK 40
杖 wand つえcane, walking stick, staff WK 0
The wizard is a highly courageous man. 魔法使いは非常に勇気のある男だ。
He claims that he saw a dragon . 彼は竜を見たと主張する。
The soldiers lost the courage to fight . 兵士たちは戦う勇気をなくした。

vocabulary and context

壊す to break こわす WK 29

機械 machine きかい WK 20

機 machine き

販売 salesはんばい WK 24

販売機 vending machineはんばいき WK 24

洗濯機 washing machine せんたくき WK 51

普通 ordinary ふつう WK 31

音量volume (sound) おんりょう WK 24

現代 modern げんだい WK 0 compare近代的

技術 technology, skillぎじゅつ WK 16 see patterns of use

作成 drafting, creating さくせい WK 0

鮮明 vivid せんめい WK 25 fresh ^compare 鮮やか

印刷 Printいんさつ WK 43

充電 Chargeじゅうでん WK 39 Recharge

削除Deletionさくじょ WK 37

故障Malfunctionこしょうbeing out of order WK 26

自撮りSelfieじどり WK 35

調節Adjustmentちょうせつregulation, control WK 0

技術者 Engineerぎじゅつしゃ compare 工学者

Did he break the machine ? 彼が機械を壊したのですか？

Not having a smartphone is an inconvenience . スマホがないのはと不便なことだ。

purchased two hardcover books for a dollar each at a Bookoff I found on vacay. We don’t have one of these stores in my town. コンビニ人門 and one book that looks like a mystery called 告白.
I listened to Sports and Fitness passively ; downloaded next unit for tomorrow .

[Omun]

Oh no, that’s so upsetting to witness!

@tip

new travel anxiety unlocked

@tip

tried to defib but the machine kept asking for batteries.

That will go on my list now, as well.

@tip

Meanwhile, I completely forgot to do WK reviews

Well, apart from flights already being chaotic and exhausting, that’s a lot to take in for you. Hope you’re doing okay!

[tip]

Thanks all for the supportive words. I have had a lot of experience with this sort of thing involving animals. It is starkly different when people are involved however. Knowing that this is a rare event (0.21 per million people) helps. The flight crew and passengers who volunteered to help did a wonderful job with what they had at the time. Will I be flying again anytime soon? ちょっと。。。

[tip]

Start level 20.
The web version and the app have different content. weird

vocab and context

Perfectionist 完全主義者 かんぜんしゅぎしゃ

Socialist 社会主義者 しゃかいしゅぎしゃ

Philosopher 哲学者 WK 44てつがくしゃ

Individualism 個者主義compare 個人主義者 こじんしゅぎしゃ 20個

Democratic/democracy 民主主義 みんしゅしゅぎcompare民主的 みんしゅてき

Principles/ -ism 主義 WK 21しゅぎ

Equality 平等 びょうどう

Reflection 姿 WK 22すがたfigure, form, shape, appearance, dress, guise

I could see his figure clearly.彼の姿がはっきり見えた。

Rights 権利 WK 21けんり compare 利権 WK 0 りけん

Respect 尊重そんちょう WK 33, 9

the right to know 知る権利

Knowledge is a form of power. 知識は一種の力だ。知識はの一種力だ。

Rights come with responsibilities. 権利は責任を伴う。

PhD博士 はかせ WK 28

Thesis論文 ろんぶん

Theoretical 理論的

Situation, things 状況state of affairs WK 25じょうきょう

Things like, or something, etc. 等 などusually written using kana alone

これなどはいかがですか？ How about something like this?

Accurate 正確 WK 20 せいかく

At the moment 現在 WK 23 げんざい

Judgement, assessment判断 はんだん

Agreement 賛成 WK 32さんせい

I agree. 賛成できます。

start A2-B1-1; the UI has changed to something almost modern; lots of kanji on the page; listening section comes with a warning that it includes native speakers at a natural speed which may be hard to understand. Based on the English typos, this unit may have been written by a native speaker.
read 6 pages of コンビニの人間

Grammar Note
When we want to emphasize one element in a sentence, we can use the “・・・のは X です” pattern, where “X” is the focus of the sentence. For example, in すわっているのは～です (It is…who is sitting), すわっている is the information both the speaker and the listener know, and the noun that follows のは is the crucial piece of information the speaker offers to the listener. Please note that の in のは works as a noun and so the verb that comes before のは takes the plain form.
Cultural notes
Japanese citizens don’t have American-style birth certificates; instead, they have こせき (family registers) as their permanent ID. The newborn’s name must be registered within 14 days of birth (3 months if the baby is born overseas). Family members registered in the same こせき can’t have names identical to each other in writing–that is, as long as they use different かんじ, the names are accepted. かんじ used in a name must be taken from the officially certified characters, which are about 3,000 in number. When a name is considered harmful for the child’s well being, the government can refuse to register it.

the female name ようこ can be written using one of the following characters: 洋子, 陽子, 容子, 葉子, 庸子, 曜子, 蓉子, 瑶子, 遥子, 耀子. On the other hand, a name using the same かんじ may be read differently. For example, the name 幸子 can be read as either さちこ or ゆきこ. When in doubt, make sure to ask how to write or read someone’s name correctly!

Downloaded for tomorrow

[tip]

5/21/25
I hurt my back at work on Monday…too irritated to listen to Mango on the commute home.
Spent yesterday laying flat on the floor doing Japanese things on the devices I could reach… would have read コンビニの人間 but it was in the other room.
Got up this morning to float in the pool followed by aqua zumba. Listened to Mango lesson while meal prepping… so boring. Tried making an acai bowl… expensive mistakes were made… better luck next time.
Marugoto course is underway … the content uses sports as a vehicle for teaching grammar…so boring.

[tip]

Sunday, May 25, 2025

reached level 21 with 24 level 20 vocab to do; unlocked 8/8 R, 25/34 K, 34/108 V

with that lie down day, I have breezed through the levels; I’m finding fewer new words that are new to me

today someone randomly followed me and added me to their family plan; if that was you, please comment on my feed over there so I can thank you directly

Vocab and Context

to celebrate 祝う to present (a gift) in celebration, to drink in celebration いわう

お祝いcongratulation, congratulations, celebration, festivalお い わ い (honorific)

祝- celebration (of) prefix しゅく e.g. 祝日 public holiday

贈るto give (as a gift), to present おくる

gift 贈り物 おくりもの

pleasure 喜(よろこ)びjoy, delight, congratulations

to be happy 喜(よろこ)ぶto congratulate

nice 素敵 すてき(na) (kana only )

event 行事functionぎょうじ

event 出来事 occurrence, happening, incidentで き ご と

to pick up/welcome 迎(むか)えるto go out to meet, to receive, to welcome

to display/decorate 飾る かざる

national flag 国旗 こっき

invitation 招待 しょうたい

dreadful, terrible 恐ろしい surprising, startling, tremendous, amazingおそろしい

This festival is held every year in the summer. この祭りは毎年夏に行われる。

This is an everyday occurrence. これは日常の出来事です。

My older sister came to get me. 姉が迎えに来てくれました。

updated notes

WK 45 Leg 脚 あし more specific than足
Dizzy ふらふらunsteadily (e.g. on one’s feet), shakily, staggering, tottering, reeling, dizzily, giddily
WK 22,27 symptom症状 しょうじょうcondition (of a patient)
WK 24 lower back, hips 腰 こしwaist, lumbar region
WK 29 (medical) examination診察 しんさつ
WK 29 Check-up/diagnosis 診断 しんだん
WK 45 Bacteria細菌 さいきん
WK 32 Infection感染 かんせん
WK 55 Stiff凝る こるto become stiff (of muscles)
WK 34, 36 To vomit/be nauseous 吐く はく 吐き出す はきだす (吐き気がするto feel nauseous)
Numbnessしびれ
Continuouslyばかり
Pimplesにきび face covered with pimples にきび面 にきびづら
WK 38 Wellness check/hospital visit 見舞い visit (to someone affected by illness or misfortune)みまい
WK 27 Discharge (from hospital) 退院 たいいん
WK 23 Nurse看護師 かんごし
An infected person has appeared. (Someone has been infected) 感染者が出た。
I am (feel) feverish. 熱っぽい ねつっぽい
There is no need for hospitalization for these symptoms. この症状なら入院の必要はない。
Pain shot through my lower back. 腰に痛みが走った。
I have been throwing up continuously. (I just keep throwing up). 吐いてばかりいます。

updated June 1st

WK 25,13 Nutrition 栄養 えいようnourishment
WK 29 Brown rice 玄米 げんまいunpolished rice
White rice 白米 はくまい (uncooked) white rice
玄米は白米よりも健康にいいらしい。
白米より玄米のほうが健康にいいらしい。Brown rice is supposed to be healthier than white rice.
Appetite 食欲 しょくよくappetite (for food)
WK 32欲 よくgreed, craving, desire
Sweet potato さつま芋 さつまいもusually written using kana alone
When you have a cold, you should eat even if you have no appetite. 風邪のときは、食欲がなくても食べたほうがいいです。
WK 42 Mochi 餅 もち
WK 55 Matcha 抹茶 まっちゃ
WK 31 Plenty 豊富 ほうふ な adjective abundant, plentiful
WK 25 To include 含む ふくむto contain, to comprise, to have, to hold
WK 24 Protein タンパク質 たんぱくしつ
蛋白 たんぱく protein, egg white, albumin

passive verbs; transitive/intransitive pairs

definitely harder to do without a teacher; the speaking is at native speed and the grammar has less explanation so I’m supplementing with other websites; aiming for one topic complete per week to finish in 5 weeks

read 3 pages along with the English audiobook; this is a crutch that’s not that different from looking up everything and using the book club notes

downloading next unit for tomorrow which is a holiday

[tip]

Despite the daily rain, I touched a lot of grass this week. Some progress was made on WK. reached level 22 with 37 level 21 vocabulary unlocked; level 22 unlocked 10/10 R, 26/38 K, 31/125 V

still working on this level; updated notes from last week’s log.

Vocab and context

WK 42 to rush 駆け込む か け こ む to run into, to rush into, to take shelter in
WK 23 priority 優先 ゆうせんpreference, priority, precedence
She prioritizes family above everything. 彼女は何よりも家族を優先します。
WK 30 Rapid service 快速 かいそくrapid-service train (not as fast as express)
WK 47 Train conductor 車掌 しゃしょう
WK 32 To ride past 乗り越す のりこすto ride past (one’s stop), to overshoot
WK 26 乗り過ごす のりすごすto miss one’s stop (train, bus, etc.)
WK 28 settle/pay off 清算 せいさん (financial) settlement 精算 せいさんsquaring of accounts
One way 片道 かたみち one-way (trip), one-way ticket
I rode two stations past Shinjuku. 私は新宿を二駅乗り越した。
WK 33 Fare 運賃 うんちん (passenger) fare
WK 26 Roundtrip 往復 おうふくcoming and going
WK 34 Commuter 通勤者 つうきんしゃ
Koro vs toki examples don’t jive with the explanation in Mango.
I was poor when I was a child. 子供の頃は貧乏だった
WK 47 Restroom 化粧室
Firmly 確り しっかりtightly (holding on), firmly, securely
Strap つり革 つりかわhanging strap
Handrail 手すり てすり
They must have already arrived in kansai by now. 今頃はもう彼らは関西に着いているに間違いない。
We had our kansai trip last year at exactly this time. 関西旅行をしたのは去年のちょうど今頃だった。

[Shannon-8]

@tip

They must have already arrived in kansai by now. 今頃はもう彼らは関西に着いしているに間違いない。

I think this one might be 着いている, without the し, because the 着く goes to てform 着いて
Instead of arrival being 着い (like a Noun) and then make that Noun a する Verb (a thing they sometime do with other Verbs)

[tip]

You are quite correct. I fixed it. thanks.

[tip]

6/4/2025
Started level 22 radicals today; my review schedule was pushed back to way past my bedtime when I traveled; now skipping those and shifting them back toward the mornings and late afternoon.

finally finished

Vocab and Context

WK 38 To handle 扱う あつかう to deal with, to handle, to manage, to operate (e.g. a machine), to work, to deal in, to sell
Sample 見本 みほんmodel, example
Several 幾つか usually written using kana alone い く つ か (の)
WK 12, 22 Consumption 消費 しょうひ 消費税 しょうひぜい sales tax
WK 22 Value, price 価格 かかく

I would like to discuss the price. 価格に関して話し会いたいんですが。

WK 0 Free (compare無料 WK 17) 只 ただ (で) usually written using kana alone

I got it for free. ただで手に入れた。

WK 23 Luxury贅沢 ぜいたく (recall空芯手帳Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi)

I enjoy the luxury of not having to worry about money. お金のことを心配する必要がない 贅沢を楽しんでいます。

WK 0 Stingy 吝嗇usually written using kana aloneケチ
WK 26, Monopoly独占権 どくせんけんexclusive right
WK 38,9 Demand需要 じゅよう
WK 24, 25, 27 Supply供給 きょうきゅう
WK 33,11 Advertising宣伝 せんでん publicity (recall コンビニ人)
WK 0 To depend on, be relative to依るusually written using kana alone よるto be due to, to be caused by… duolingo insists that it means “night” which is true but not in this case.

WK 24 Product製品 せいひん
WK 25 Economy 景気 けいきbusiness conditions, the market, economic activity, economic climate (compare経済 WK 21)
WK 28, Profit利益 りえき

GRAMMAR

I finally got the game I wanted. (clauses) 欲しい ゲム を やっと 手に入れた。

The price varies depending on demand. 価格は需要によって 変化する。

Demand for these products is still rising. これらの製品に対する需要はまだ増加している。

I hope the new products will sell well. 新しい商品がよく売れるといい。

My headaches were caused by stress. 私の頭痛はストレスによるものだった。

Imperative (from Marugoto course)

finished topic 1 of 5 with difficulty; lots of “new” words are actually familiar to me as kanji instead of the hiragana they insist on using… weird that they have waited so long to start teaching kanji. Also stumbling on katakana. Grammar is not that bad once those hurdles are overcome.
20% of the English audiobook = 17 pages of Japanese hardcover book. Some of the localizations are kind of funny.

[tip]

Sunday, June 8, 2025

Level 22 progressing better now that the schedule is back to waking hours

vocabulary

WK 51, 26 employee 従業員 じゅうぎょういん
WK 27 to give 与える あたえるto award, to provide, to supply
WK 27,23 retirement 退職 たいしょく
WK 22 overwork 過労 かろう
pension 年金 ねんきん annuity
WK 23 business trip 出張 しゅっちょう
WK 34 serious 深刻 しんこく severe, grave, acute
WK 29 coworker 同僚 どうりょう colleague, associate (compare 共同者)
WK 27 job hunt 就職 しゅうしょく
WK 26 interview 面接 めんせつ (compare取材, 対談 )
WK 37 recruit 募集 ぼしゅうinvitation, selection, advertisement, taking applications (compare 求人)
WK 31 edit 編集 へんしゅう
WK 27 organization 組織 そしき (compare 制度, 協会contrast 整理)
union 組合 くみあい guild
owner 持ち主 もちぬし proprietor 主 alone also same meaning
WK 28 schedule 日程 にってい (compare 計画, 予定 which can become verbs )
design 設計 せっけい plan, design, layout
!personal history 履歴 りれき (compare /contrast 経歴 , 学歴 )
manage 経営 けいえい management, administration, operation, running (a business)
adjustment 調整 ちょうせい (compare 整理, contrast 精算)

½ done with topic 2 of 5; one assignment involves speaking… YIKES

49 minutes in @ 0.6 speed EN = 39 pages JP

finished Unit 4 Lifestyle; tomorrow will begin Unit 5 Ambitions; resolved confusion between toki and koro; now need to resolve the different “buts”

[tip]

6-11-25

I’m expecting to level up tomorrow… not looking forward to the review load.

Some random Hawaii pics with Japanese.

They really like SPAM

[Omun]

@tip

They really like SPAM

@tip

It really seems so! They even advertise “body spam.” Not sure what an “assage” is, though.

Bad jokes are bad, please forgive.