Hello Community Members, Right now in Japan we are in the middle of the East Asian monsoon. This mini-season, which affects almost one third of the world's population, is caused by a seasonal rain front that stays above China, North and South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan.
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The hydrangea (アジサイ ajisai)
is a splendid site this time of year. It mysteriously changes color according to the time of day and the temperature. |
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This is the one season when it is not advised to travel the southern islands of Japan, including Kyushu. It rains almost everyday and often gets unbearably humid and sticky. On the other hand, Hokkaido (the most northern of the main islands) is hardly affected by the rainy season, so travel guides say now is a good time to head north. However, I have found that the wet weather can create an aesthetic backdrop to some of Japan's mountains and forests, and taking a walk through a forest in the rain can leave you feeling quite refreshed. The rainy season also provides us with the most picturesque views of the Japanese landscape. If you are a fan of Japanese movies, you'll notice they like to start scene changes with seasonal imagery. June is often depicted by flooded rice fields being further drenched in pouring rain. These wet, romantic scenes look and no doubt feel much better when watched curled up in front of a telly* inside your warm, dry room, but going to the countryside and experiencing the feeling of being inside a movie frame is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Just don't forget to take the raincoat, umbrella and wellies*! Editor's Note: For the reader challenged by British colloquialisms, telly is a television (OK, you already knew that one). Wellies is British-speak for Wellington boots, water-repellent boots favored in the Queen's world for sloshing about. |
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New at JOI: Listening Comprehension Quizzes!
This week we are pleased to launch new listening comprehension quizzes. From your main reservation page, you'll find Listening Level 1 and Level 2 quizzes.
The quizzes cover a variety of situations and topics. When you start the quiz, click
to hear the quiz. Then,
try answering the quiz questions. Most of the quizzes include a full transcript at the bottom,
in case you miss some of the words.
Please try out this new service—absolutely no extra cost for all JOI students!
Support Tips
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About the Alternate Rooms: Every JOI classroom has an alternate room, which is used in
case of problems or maintenance with the original classroom.
Occasionally during class, there may be a problem with the classroom servers. In this case,
the teacher will instruct you to change to the alternate room.
You can find the URL for each classroom's alternate room at the top of the text chat.
If the teacher instructs you to change classes click on the URL, and go to the new room.
Note: The alternate room URL is also shown on your Current Reservations page next to the classroom name.
In other cases, your class time may coincide with the regular (but randomly timed) maintenance routine.
During the maintenance routine, the classrooms are emptied with a message like:
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 | Are you having problems hearing in the classroom? Have you checked that your headphone volume is turned up and that the jack is in the correct plug-in of your computer? For more info, please read this FAQ. |
 | Is your classroom exhibiting strange behavior (clicking noises, delays, and so on)? If McAfee anti-virus or other security software is installed on your computer, it may be interfering with the classroom software. Please read more here. |
 | The classroom software is not Unicode-compatible. To be able to type and see Japanese in the text chat area of the classroom, you need to install a simple utility application from Microsoft. For details, please check here. |
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A hint to make sure you're heard in the classroom: After finishing what you have to say,
keep the  button pressed for just a second longer. If you release the button too soon,
your last word or two gets clipped off.
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 | Don't be shy! Take a minute and add your comment to the Message Board. Other JOI students would definitely like to hear your take on Japanese culture and language. |
Thanks, everyone, for helping make JOI a great online Japanese school! I hope you're having fun learning Japanese online. And don't forget about the lesson blog (login required)—take a look and post a comment in English or Japanese.
If you have other questions, be sure to check out the FAQs, or if you don't find an answer there, write me at support@japonin.com.
Regards,
Moses
JOI Support
