Welcome to HAPA EIkaiwa Podcast with -
Sakota Daichi to Kimura Haruko no...
[maikkeru wa eigo de, biringaru kaiwa keishiki de-] Michael will respond in English, and bilingually -
[hiki ni shiteiru mono wo tanoshiku katarau poddokyasuto desu!] a podcast and fun little chat about what we're into!
HIIKI BIIKI!
Jun....Senesac.....
[minasan konnichi wa! Kemushi-channeru no Loretta desu!] Hey guys, I'm Loretta!
One of the biggest questions I get from you guys is
"How do I learn to speak Japanese, how to speak naturally, and without thinking about it?"
What really took me from a textbook robot, to someone who can actually speak
was listening to and mimicking podcast almost everyday.
As someone who's really bad at memorizing,
shadowing and mimicking let me build muscle memory
so that I don't have to memorize everything
because it's something I got used to doing over and over again.
I had about 2~3 podcasts that I kept on rotation
but now, almost 10 years later, they don't really exist anymore
so last month I went back to the drawing board
and started downloading and going through podcasts
trying to figure out which ones would be good for you guys!
So today I'm going to show you my all new updated list
of MY TOP 3 PODCASTS that I used to learn and improve my Japanese!
and a few extras as well!
[honto ni, sakki no serifu wo pakutteiru kanji nandakedo] If I can borrow the tagline from HiikiBiiki to say this
[konkai wa, watashi ga masa ni hiiki ni shiteiru podcast wo shokai suru topikku desu!] this time I'm going to chat about the podcasts that I'm into!
So, I separated my picks into 2 categories:
1: Academic, more formal learning
These were focused on structured lessons, grammar etc.
ones you'd listen to in addition to or in place of a textbook.
and then #2, Radio-style, conversation, spoken style of Japanese.
I have top picks for both categories
but for today's video specifically I'll be looking at the radio style, conversation-based podcasts.
because I think these are the ones that are really going to help you get talking fast.
So the first one came straight from you guys!
#1 is HiikiBiiki !
This was by far the most popular one that you guys said you used.
...and I was pleasantly surprised!
The hosts Daichi and Haruka, one guy and a girl
basically sit down and chat about what they like recently.
What I liked about this podcast is that it was very natural
the sound quality was very good,
there's a little bit of music in the background to keep your interest, but it's not too distracting
so you can really just focus on what they're saying.
You really feel like a fly on the wall, just sitting and enjoying their conversation.
It's a chance to hear real natural Japanese between 2 native speakers.
It's easy to pick up the topics because they tell you what they'll talk about before they start
you can also see the topics listed up on their website.
That being said, this podcast is all in Japanese
and as far as I can tell it doesn't look like there are any official scripts
to study that Japanese or check what they're saying.
The biggest downside about this podcast is that
it is no longer officially airing anymore!
But if you go to their website you can find every single episode
click and listen to the one that you like
The Japanese/topics that they use is pretty general and not too time-specific
so you can still enjoy them by downloading the ones you like.
This podcast does not seem to be originally for language learning
however the audio is clean and well produced
so I would recommend this for anyone who's N3 or a comfortable advanced intermediate
especially if you're looking for something to play in the background
to cushion your Japanese studies with more natural speech
you can get started by looking at the topic list on their website
picking out words or topics you know they're going to talk about
look those up, and then start listening!
So this NEXT podcast is one of my all time favorites!
I used to have this really mind-numbing job digitizing old library catalogs
in the basement of my college library.
Hours on end with NOBODY in sight!
It was just me, and these books, and my mind going crazy!
and the only thing that kept me from losing my mind down in these library catacombs
was podcasts!
I used to listen to podcasts for 4~6 hours everyday
wayyyy back in the day, the only podcast that was bilingual
was this one!
SBS Japanese Podcast!
It was really kind of like the first of its kind
I would listen to this one on REPEAT!
I would only pick out the episodes that seemed really interesting to me
or easier to listen to for me!
The host would come on, he'd introduce the topic
and usually bring on a guest speaker, so there was someone different for every topic, every time.
I they would always have very clean, clear, easy-to-listen-to Japanese
I loved hearing about the annual national Japanese speech contest
where Australian citizens who learned to be really good at Japanese
would be interviewed in Japanese about their speech or language studies
it was really good to hear other learners of Japanese speak good Japanese
There was the Master of Wine episode talking about food pairings and all this yummy stuff
Rock bands, sports, comedy
This is what I did:
I listened to 3 or 4 of these episodes on repeat for hours... for almost a year.
The SBS podcast is still available today
the host has changed since I used to listen to it
but it's still just as clean, good content
I think this is a really good way to start picking out relevant topics
that are talked about in a relatable way.
It's not necessarily a formal learning tool
but just like Hiiki Biiki I think this would be great for commutes, in the shower
it would be so good to just keep listening on repeat
and start mimicking your favorite speakers or episodes.
You can use your phone or free programs like Audacity
and you can record yourself imitating the clips your listening to
This is something I used to do, I would listen to the original
then made a playlist where my mimicked version would always play after the original
and I would play that on loop.
You really start to internalize where you messed up, why it sounded weird
the gap between the native version and yours
that's something that I did for hours that really helped.
The third podcast is HaPa EiKaiWa PodCaStTtt...
...let me say that normally.
Hapa Eikaiwa Podcast.
When I found it I was like " *GASP* This is what I've been looking for!!!"
Hapa Eikaiwa Podcast is hosted by Jun Senesac
He speaks Japanese and American English, both bilingually.
The thing I love about this podcast is, it covers news and relevant topics
but the structure of it makes it so easy to learn from
especially if you're trying to learn from English to Japanese.
It starts off with an introductory, relevant news bit
recently he talked about the superbowl (american football), hipsters, Austin, Portland, BBQ
all this stuff is so American like... Am I HoME ?!?!
He talked about all of that in Japanese, and then restates it in English
You get to hear this relevant, authentic versions of what you already talk about everyday
but now also it's in Japanese!
There are questions, so kind of like a little activity
then after the questions there another section with a guest speaker
and on top of that.. there are also... TRANSCRIPTS!
FINALLY! Transcripts!! Why does no one make transcripts to their podcasts?!
The podcast itself is free, but if there's an episode you really like
you can purchase the specific transcript for one episode or all of them
he first introduces a topic in English
so that the Japanese listeners really have to strain and focus hard
and then he repeats in Japanese to kind of reinforce the learning
as a native English speaker, on the reverse side,
it gives you English context of what he's about to say
even if you're not necessarily at that level
you can kind of bootstrap your way in because the Engilsh comes first.
So with this one you can start maybe high beginner, intermediate,
you can start picking out words and phrases,
and if you really want to dig deep into it you can use transcripts for your favorite episode
to really start breaking down the Japanese that he's using
to figure out how to incorporate that into your own speech.
The downside of this podcast is that
when I first listened to this it seemed very cheesy!
But after a while I realized that that was his charm
that's what kept it interesting
It has great content and an easy to use format
PLUS transcripts, which makes it perfect for studying
but it's also interesting!
Even though it's cheesy, that's kind of what makes it good
and I found myself coming back to this one more than anything!
It may take a little getting used to but give it a couple listens
but it's still running now, the sound quality's great, it comes with transcripts
honestly I think anyone N4 and up, maybe even N5
If you're N4, N3, N2, right there in the middle
looking for something to listen to AND study from
I would really recommend this one!
So! Those are my top 3, but I do have a few bonus podcasts!
Honorable Mentions goes to Bilingual News!
Which is hosted by Michael and Mami!
After Hiiki Biiki, Bilingual News is the podcast most of you guys mentioned I should try.
In a nutshell, this podcast is exactly what the title sounds like
it's news...done bilingually!
Every week they introduce a relevant news topic
business news, social news,
one of their most recent episodes was about the new batch of emojis that just came out
they introduce it both in Japanese and in English!
After the topic is introduced they start talking about it.
Both hosts, Michael and Mami are bilingual
but Mami tends to respond in Japanese
and Michael tends to respond in English
although they both mix in a little bit here and there.
One of the good things about this Podcast is that they also have transcripts available! THANK YOU!
They have a special, official moji-okoshi app
a transcription app that they produce themselves
it gives the scripts from each episode in text format
you can highlight and copy and paste into your favorite dictionary
The podcast is free, but the transcripts you need to pay for a subscription
honestly, I think the transcript is the most valueable part of this
but it's up to you if you just want to use it for listening
or if you actually want to go deeper and use it to study.
So this podcast, I wouldn't recommend it for everyone
specifically because the content is more editorial style
sometimes it's more opinionated that content-based
this one is a little more TENSHON-HIKUI
the excitement level is brought down,
so you may like that if you enjoy more calm, laid-back style of talk
For me it was hard to keep coming back to
because if you are specifically trying to use podcasts for learning
you may find that the content can be distracting at times
sometimes the topics themselves or the way they talk about it can be a bit crass
I think it's good they have both hosts,
because it keeps the energy and the conversation balanced
that's one of the good things, they kind of even each other out
So if you're looking for more raw conversation,
more opinionated conversation,
the other thing to be aware of is that because it's bilingual
the streams of sound / content that they use are usually interrupted.
So Mami may start speaking in Japanese, but Michael will respond in English
I read an article citing Michael explaining that
he thought it was really important for the podcast to have English context
because if it's all Japanese it's overwhelming.
I definitely get where he's coming from but I also wish
that there was a section that was all Japanese or all English in addition to their conversation.
I recommend this for more advanced speakers of Japanese
N2, N1...
specifically because it's bilingual
and because the streams of sound are cut between English and Japanese
I would use this to pick up phrases, to learn how to turn a phrase
to learn how to respond to someone.
If you're a guy, this is one of the few podcasts that features an adult male
talking about adult, male topics that may interest you!
If you're trying to practice formally speaking Japanese
I would say obviously you need the transcripts
if you're trying to learn to speak casually at your office
or talk to anyone who's even slightly above you for more than two sentences
I don't think this is the type of content you would like
I think what you'll get out of this mostly is phrases, vocabulary
and ways to talk about really relevant, current topics, in short spurts.
SO! That's where we're going to leave it for now!
These podcasts are definitely more for intermediate/advanced level speakers
specifically for people who are looking to improve their speaking ability
not necessarily textbook learning.
They're not going to replace formal study or help you pass N2/N1
because you still have to do all of the rest of the work
but they will really help you supplement your studies
because they'll be interesting and relevant.
They'll make you speak Japanese better because you'll be excited to speak it!
Relevant topics, real phrases, real words
that you can talk about in English, and now also in Japanese!
Talking about your comfort zone in relationships
where can you get the best bbq in Texas??
Your favorite team... ARE THEY GONNA WIN?!?!
Relevant, actual, REAL talk. I really appreciate that.
For more background listening, topic-based conversation
I would definitely say HIIKI BIIKI and Bilingual News are great for that
for a little more structure, or something that's easier to listen to
or something that you can really study from
I would definitely recooment SBS Podcast and Hapa Eikaiwa Podcast
I really love that one!
Juuuunnnn Senesac! He really outdid himself.
Obviously there are so many more podcasts
The NHK radio news, if you look on their website
there's beginner level podcasts, travel, actual lessons
There's JapanesePod101
This will be more useful for intermediate/beginner speakers of Japanese
I'm going to look at those in my next podcast review
but for today, I just wanted to get us talking!
If you have time, try giving them all a listen
I'd be curious to hear which was your favorite!
[nihon no minasan, dou desuka?] Viewers in Japan, what do you think?
[bairingaru keishiki ya hiiki ni shiteiru podcast toka] Are there any bilingual or just good podcasts you like?
[osusume arimasuka?] Can you recommend a few?
[kou iu podcast wo Loretta ni rebyuu shite hoshii toka] If there's one you'd like me to review for you
[kono eigo no podcast atteiru? toiu no ga areba] Or if you want to ask if you've picked a good one
[zehi kiraku ni komento de kaite kudasai] Please feel free to leave a comment!
[sore de wa, kyou mo goshichou arigatou gozaimashita!] Thank you so much for watching today!!
Thanks for watching guys! This is Loretta coming from KemushiChan!
In addition to my YouTube, Instagram and Twitter,
...maybe we shoud start a podcast! What do you think? Let me know in a comment belowwww
and I promise I won't talk like this!
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