I'm Steph, an avocado-obsessed Australian living in Japan. I post videos about my daily life, adventures in Japan, and sometimes Japanese study content. I'm also a photographer 📷 (rate my skill here: www.stephdoran.com)
Thanks for this great video!!! So you went into the office and received the extension and your new card in the same visit?!!! I thought it took around 3 months to process! Is this maybe only applicable to working holiday holders? Thanks so much!
Thank you for watching, I'm glad it helped! Yes that's right! On that occasion I got it on the same day, however for my second extension, and for changing to other visas I had to wait around 3 months. So perhaps it was only applicable to WHV holders who are extending from 6 -> 12 months (I'm no expert, this was just my experience!)
@@tinyquail That’s great! I hope that’s still true! I am under the 3 month mark now so I can go to my immigration office and apply for the extension. I’ll update with results! Edit : not true unfortunately:(
@@tinyquail I will! I searched far and wide on the web and this instant renewal has also happened besides yours, the only thing in common between that instance and yours is they were both not done in Tokyo! Interesting
Pretty much all self study. I really like using textbooks for grammar, and Anki for vocab/kanji. But nothing beats talking to real people for speaking and listening practice. I made videos about my study routines for N3 and N2 if you're interested in that kind of 'formal' learning :) Don't be discouraged though! You need to put in the time if you want to improve, but you can definitely do it!!!
Depends how hard you study I suppose! if you have enough time in your day to dedicate to studying and preparing then you should be able to pass! But everyone is different and only you will know if you feel confident with the N2 material or not. I’d recommend doing timed practice exams to test how ready you are. Good luck!
Again, congratulations! I have watched this upload a few times and thought about my own Mom. Ever since I moved here (eastern Canada) from Japan, I have not seen her (many many years). I wonder what she thought when she had me. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I admire your courage, vivacity, and so many other things, especially living in a foreign country where they speak a different language and have different customs etc. etc., especially giving a birth. Wishing you all the very best to you, your brand-new baby, and Shinya (and Imo and your families on both sides), TQ. Take care!
Thank you for always watching ❤️ It must be hard being away from family for such a long time. At least in my case, Australia is not so super far away, so we can visit (or have visitors) regularly if we want to. Canada is so far though! Thank you always for your kind wishes and beautiful heart-felt comments.
Congratulations to you both! He's so sweet. Don't worry it's all going to be fine. You're going to be a great mum, you're both going to be great parents. My wife still has her umbilical cord box, really don't get it 😒
Yes, I know. Congratulations again. I keep in touch with your semi-quotidian IG uploads, and this is old news. The kid must be 3.5 months old by now. Anyway, always good to see you in your uploads!
Thank you again 😉❤️ You are correct, he is almost exactly 3.5 months now! I always thought it was cliche when people said "time flies so fast / they grow so fast" but it's absolutely true. He's so heavy now!!
So an 18 month "holiday" is possible? What do you tell potential employers when you get home? "Sorry I've got little to no employment history for the last 18 months because I was on holiday". Sounds like a decision that will prevent future employment.
It's a "working holiday" so you are also allowed to (and encouraged) to work whilst you experience another country and culture. So you could put your employment in Japan on your CV. Of course, depending on what type of work you do in Japan, and what type of work you want to do when you return to your home country, the experience you have working abroad could be either beneficial or detrimental to your employment opportunities back home, but that's something that each individual person should consider if they are thinking about doing a working holiday. Personally, when I returned to Australia after doing my working holiday, I was able to find a job very easily and my experiences working in Japan were looked upon very favourably by my employer. So I think the decision really depends on each person and their own situation. I hope that helps! ✨😊
Thank you! Sorry I have some bad hoodie news though.... both of them got old and frayed and had holes in them so we had to get rid of them. No longer matching :(
wow Ye guys have been to my home town lol Ikeda city,Osaka prefecture is my mother's home town and Satsukiyama Zoo which is small and old not too far away from the ruins of Ikeda castle and free toll one where some Wombats from Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. cheers
We love Ikeda! I've been there maybe 4 times now? The first time I went I actually went to the zoo and saw the animals you mentioned. I was surprised because I am actually from Tasmania, and I didn't know that Launceston was connected to Ikeda! (I'm from Hobart though...) Thank you for watching <3
Kanzen master n2 is really good book its what you will expect on the jplt exam im thinking about getting it and starting my japanese with N3 finish its grammar then move to it
I noticed that this video is a bit older but i would still like to ask you for advice concerning the Kanji! I bought the Shin Kanzen Master book for kanji N2. Does it have all the kanji that could come up in the exam? Or are all the prior Kanji books also relevant like N3 or N4 e.g. Again i know this video is a bit older but id appreciate a response! Thanks in advance!
Thank you for your question! Honestly, I took the N2 a few years ago so I don't remember exactly what kanji were on it 😅 I think that N2 assumes you have an accumulated knowledge of all N5-N2 kanji, so it would be worth refreshing lower level kanji that you don't feel confident with :) I would recommend doing practice tests to get a feel of what kinds of kanji come up. Good luck with your studies!
@@tinyquail Thanks for the answer! I definetly need to refresh a lot when it comes to Kanji lol do you know if there is like a complete list somewhere? Or would you recommend just buying the N3-N5 Kanji books too?
@@release7052 I believe there is no official kanji list, but like I mentioned before if you do enough practice test and go through enough text books then you should get a feel for what level of kanji will be on the exam. Don't be surprised if there are some left of field ones on there though! If you want to save money, you could do N5-3 kanji using free online materials and just get the physical book for N2 :) I hope that helps!
Thanks for the video! Was super helpful, I bought the revenue stamp but they didn’t seem to ask for it.. will I need it when I return to pick up the new Zairyu card?
Thank you for watching, I'm glad you found it useful! That's right- when you put in your application you don't need the stamp. You only need it to pay for your new visa/card when you pick it up. I hope all goes well with your visa!
After being to japan, although i manage to speak not so well...i was shocked at the racism I faced for not being able to speak at fluent level. I met some people who really made my life hard while I was in Kyoto. Maybe its something related to Kyoto.
I'm sorry to hear that you had some negative experiences. I've personally found that many Japanese people have been so happy with me even just being able to say "hello" in Japanese. I hope that your difficult experience was the exception and that you had more positive interactions than negative ones.
A long awaited upload! Always good to see you 3 on the road. I totally vicariously enjoyed a trip to Awaji Island. One of many good things about your uploads is that you explain what things are and perhaps their history or origin etc. and that I find it very informative and educational. So finally Imo expresses his thoughts about his masters etc.! Have a wonderful summer and take care!
Thank you as always for your warm comments! I love them! I actually really enjoyed making the Imo voice parts, so maybe I should do it again in future haha. I can't wait for summer to be over honestly- I hate the heat!!!
Hi! Thank you for having answered my comment in your video about JLPT N2. I know how hard it is to learn kanji, to write them too, to speak, in one word to master the japanese language! It is amazing how many kanji you can write - I have been learning japanese for two years now. I begin to read some short novels for beginners, go to a language exchange, whre we speak alternatively french, english and japanese - it is very hard for me, but I am strongly motivated!!! I am now retired and have plenty of time to dedicate to the study of the japanese language. My mother tongues are french and german - english was my working language (I have been working as a translator and am fond of languages - I want to skip JLPT N5-4 and go directly to the N3, but I have to work a lot! Would you recommenc me to begin with Shinkanzen book. I have quite a lot of learning material and don't know sometimes where to begin with!!! I was relatively pride of myself, having quasi understand your video in japanese (about JLPT N2) and I'll wath it again and again. You have a cute dog! I LOVE DOGS - sadly our little dachshund passed away two years ago (she was 17 years old). Going back to japanese, on the whole how long have you been studying japanese? Greetgins from Montreal (Canada). Didier
Wow you sound so motivated and that's awesome! Lately I have had less time and less motivation, so I am jealous haha! That's also amazing that you speak so many languages and work as a translator. Here I am struggling with 2 languages and you're over there being a pro at 3!! 😱👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Hmm, I think that what you choose to study with is really personal, but for me yes I decided to go with the Shinkanzen Master series. It's much tougher than the equally popular Sou Matome series, but I think it really prepares you for the exam well. Actually when I first bought the book, I didn't understand ANYTHING in it and I felt like it was all way above me, but I chipped away at it slowly and eventually was able to understand it all. I also skipped N5 and N4 and went straight to N3, so it's absolutely possible. I made a video on it actually, so maybe that will help you with your N3 studies :) The question about how long I have been studying is hard to answer, because I have never been consistent (ie: I'll study REALLY intensely for 6 months and then do literally nothing for a year etc) But I took my first Japanese lesson when I was 14, so if you go purely by time,.. 18 years? (Omg I should be so much better at Japanese than I am!!! 😅😅)
Congratulations for your japanese abilities! I have been learning japanese by myself since 2 years now and I begin to be able to speak a little. I love the language! You are so inspirational... if I would be discouraged - it may happen somehow - I just think how hard you work and I go back on tracks. Please, excuse my english - I am francophone. Greetings from Montreal, Canada!
Hi! Thank you for your lovely comment! That's fantastic that you've been self studying. It really is rewarding, isn't it! I think that if you ever get discouraged (which you probably will!) just think about how far you've come already! I sometimes still feel like I'm not getting any better, but then I think about things I couldn't read/understand/do a year ago (or 3 years ago, or 5 or whatever!) and then I can remember that I've improved. I still have a long way to go though, of course! ^_^ Also your English is totally fine! I would have thought you were a native speaker if you hadn't have said otherwise.
I just took the N4 yesterday. On the fence about whether to take N3 in December or take my time so that i can output/speak and do it next year July. This is helpful
Oooh! I hope that the N4 went well! Fingers crossed for a passing result! I'm glad you found it the video helpful 😊 I think there is quite a big jump between N4 and N3, but my advice would be to do a practice exam (after some study of course!) and see how it feels for you. It's always a bad thing to slow down and take your time to study though :3
@tinyquail thanks so much for the advice. I will do just that. Im an ALT, so I have a month of desk warming to push some serious studies. Grammar has always been my weak point, so I'm not sure how it's going to pan out for N4, but the other sections were alright.
Helloo! I remember watching your (How I studied for N3) video, so thanks to you I decided to buy a Japanese novel as well Lol, I love the methods you use, I think they are very efficient. I study by myself too, and last December I passed on JLPT 3! So, from now on I will be studying for N2. Since textbooks are pretty expensive for me to afford, I always search for free sources on the internet, and by my surprise THERE IS A LOOOT of good content you can access freely! I do watch NHK kids programs too hahaha! They are pure gold! I wonder what kind of Japanese music you like listening to, (Iv been addicted to Kawasaki Takaya`s song lately. ) Your Japanese sounds very pretty and easy to understand. Thank you for the content & congrats for the JLPT N2! ( sorry for my english...!!)
Wow thank you for being such a long-term watcher! :D And congratulations on passing N3! That's huge! I wish you all the best with your N2 studies. Yes there are so many free resources, and I found that you can read a lot of the popular textbooks on pdfdrive(dot)com for free too! As for Japanese music, I like Yoasobi, Analogfish, Nakamura Kaho and Yonezu Kenshi. I'll have to check out Kawasaki Takaya next. Thank you for the recommendation. And what are you talking about "sorry for my english" ??! Your English is perfect! You mean you're not a native speaker?! I'm shook!
@@tinyquail Thank you for the lovely reply!! I personally recommend the songs (I believe in you, 君の為キミノウタ and 愛の歌) by Kawasaki Takaya, these are my favourites. There are so many good musicians in Japan, right♡!!!! Thanks for sharing your favourite artists as well. and tysm for the huge compliment, I'm not a native speaker😳, I just learnt English by myself a few years ago, so I appreciate it a lot. have a nice day^^
Awesome video! Just applied for my WHV at the Sydney embassy. Can't help but feel paranoid I'll get rejected for some reason haha. To be honest, I'm scared that I told them "too much" in my application and they'll somehow nitpick a reason to reject me 😣 Hopefully I'm just overthinking it. Will be picking up my passport next week. Fingers crossed! 🤞
It's a bit of an old one, but I hope it helped! Aaah that's exciting that you've put in your application. I'm sure it will all go well and you'll be 'working holidaying' in Japan soon! Good luck!!
UPDATE: Got my Working Holiday Visa today! (Yahoo!) Looks like all my worries were in my head after all haha. Highly recommend anyone to apply! As long as you are eligible and provide all the docs they ask for, I'd say it's pretty much guaranteed! All the best to anyone applying and thanks again Steph for the wonderful content! 😀🥳🥳
