JLPT (Japanese Language Profeciency Test)

Ok, I had that last post sitting unfinished for like a year so I finally decided to just post it.  I apologize to anyone who read it, it was very boring.

Anyhoo, as I'm sure you are all dying to know how my test went.

I spent literally every day for the past two years studying for this test and....

Well, to be honest, I don't really care.

The results aren't announced until September, and I think I passed, but to be honest, if it turns out I failed, I won't mind.

"But Tom," you say, "if you spend 2 years of your life working toward something and then fail, shouldn't you be disappointed?"

Nah.  I realized before the test that I can communicate anything I want to get across in Japanese.  Sure my Japanese is not native level, but I am confident in my ability to say anything.

Can I say a sentence like filled with tough vocabulary like "my spark-plug just kinda stutters and doesn't ignite and the left axle connecting the rear tire to the fan belt is a little bent."  I mean, not that that sentence makes sense in English and it's a terrible example, but you get the point.

I can say "my car is broken, please fix my car" but I can't go into details about specific parts of my car.

So really, what does the test mean?  If I pass, is my Japanese suddenly better?  If I fail, is it worse?  Absolutely not.  I should have had a different goal when I began my studies.  A better goal would have been "be able to communicate with people in Japanese."

And in that goal, I succeeded.

Scallops and Japanese Pride

Japanese people are a very proud bunch.  Nearly every city no matter how small, has something that they are proud of and not afraid to show it.  For Noheji, we lay claim to the best scallops in the world.

Other than the fact that you can go to the local store and buy 50 giant live scallops for about 10 dollars, this has other awesome side effects.  Every restaurant in Noheji (that isn't a chain restaurant, even though most of the chain restaurants even have them) has a wide variety of scallop flavored dishes.  From scallop pizza, to scallop ramen, everything is fresh and delicious.  Also keep in mind, it's not just the body that you Minnesotans are used to.  It is everything.  The sperm, liver, eggs, little tough outer part, all are eaten.  Except on the scallop pizza, only the meaty Minnesotan-frozen scallop style parts are used.

And it's not just food either, scallops are what Noheji is famous for, so that's what you get when you come to Noheji.  Right when you get out of our train station, you see a nice big building with a giant scallop painted on the side.  Inside you can find scallop key chains and stuffed animals and the whole bit.  If you are daring, you can treat yourself to scallop flavored ice cream and scallop flavored anko.  It's fantastic.


And this goes for all of Japan for the most part.  Anyone who has been to Tokyo train station knows that they love to show off how proud they are of Tokyo Bananas.  And they should be, because they are delicious.

Japanese cities have each a famous thing, and the people are very proud of that thing.

Those of you that are my Facebook friend, check out my albums "Noheji" and "Heather's 4th Visit" for pictures of the scallop ice cream/anko/pizza.