The JOI in Learning a Language

In preparation for my JLPT examination in December, I decided to study Japanese online via JOI. JOI which stands for Japanese Online Institute is an online Japanese school. Studying online is like chatting using a messenger software. JOI has its own software to run the lesson specially built for online teachings. The atmosphere is similar inside a classroom: boards, students and teachers. You can participate in the discussion, answer quizzes and interact with your classmates. Teachers were native speakers and professional teachers of Japanese. Studying online is more convenient and cheaper. You don't need to travel to attend the class, you can take the class whenever you want it to, just connect your headset and join the classroom. For those who are interested to study Japanese online please visit this link: http://www.japonin.com/

Goodbye Michael Jackson!

June 26, as I sat down at the table for breakfast, an early news about Michael Jackson's being rushed to the hospital greeted me. Busy preparing for work, I am less focused about the news. After work, a Japanese co worker of mine opened up about Michael Jackson's death. In a hurry to go home, I just ignored it. When I came back home at the doorway my cellular phone rang, my friend called me to say that Michael Jackson was dead, that he got the news from a Japanese friend of him who likes MJ so much. Day after, I called my sister in the U.S. and she greeted me with a "Michael Jackson was dead, mom will be sad about it". OK, people were really buzzing about it.

Michael Jackson's impact to people is really unbelievable. From my grandfather whom every weekends of beer day never missed to play MJ's CD, to my mom who I recalled enjoys dancing to the beat of Rock with you and even to us who kept on listening to MJ. We are a family of music lover but sad to say none of us have got the talent to be an entertainer. Our house is perhaps the noisiest, loudest in our subdivision. My grandmother will start the day early playing her favorite hits, no wonder why I know "Que sera sera", "Tell me Quando quando", Elvis, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra etc. By the time we wake up, we change the CD to R&B, Rock, and my brother who likes MJ so much will play MJ's hit songs. All of us were dancing to the tune even grandmother and my sister can do moonwalk. Wow! I wished I can do that too. Michael Jackson's songs were timeless, I still listens to his songs that were released even before I was born. I even have a Jackson playlist on my Ipod. And during karaoke MJ's songs were still a favorite picks. Well, Michael Jackson is really a music legend. Thank you for the music King of Pop, May you rest in peace.

MICHAEL JACKSON'S IMPACT IN JAPAN

The news of Michael Jackson's death caused such a stir in Japanese society that three Cabinet ministers took the unusual step of commenting on his passing.

Fans ranging from teenagers to 50-somethings -- many dressed in Jackson's trademark outfits -- staged an impromptu candlelit memorial June 27 in Tokyo's Yoyogi Park. While some showed off dance moves and sang songs, others wept openly and prayed at makeshift altars.

"It's funny," one attendee said. "The gathering at (Harlem's) Apollo Theater was like a celebration of his life, but Japanese people go straight into mourning."

Jackson won over Japan like few Western stars before or since. Famous in the country since the release of "Off the Wall," he became even bigger in 1987, when he started his "Bad" world tour at the Tokyo Dome. He sold out 14 shows, drawing about 450,000 fans and taking in an estimated 5 billion yen ($52 million). Hundreds of screaming girls greeted his arrival at Tokyo's Narita Airport, which was covered by 1,000 journalists; another 300 covered the arrival of Bubbles, Jackson's chimp, who came on a separate flight.

"No other performer had Michael Jackson's star power in Japan," says Archie Meguro, senior VP of Sony Music Japan International. "He was so loved for his talent, his music, his dance and his gentle soul."

Sony reports career album sales of at least 4.9 million for Jackson in Japan, making him one of the top-selling international artists. "Thriller" alone sold 2.5 million copies. But his impact went beyond sales. His 1987 tour helped reshape J-pop's choreography, as performers tried to appropriate his moves.

Sales of Jackson's catalog have spiked, and six of his albums made SoundScan Japan's Top 200 Albums chart. By the morning of June 27, Tower Records' seven-story flagship store in Shibuya had three displays of his albums and DVDs. Jackson had attended an event there in 1996, presided over by then-Tower Records Japan president Keith Cahoon. "The fan club members who attended were mostly young girls who shrieked 'Michael!' in incredibly loud and high-pitched voices," he recalls, "and Michael replied in a soft voice that was nearly as high."

"Michael is the biggest entertainment influence on the Japanese people after the Beatles," says Ken Ohtake, president of Sony Music Publishing Japan. "He will always remain in the hearts of the Japanese people as an extraordinary and unparalleled artist."

-- Rob Schwartz (Reuters)

I post a video of MIchael Jackson's visit in Japan in 2006, his first public appearance after his acquital in child molestation case. Despite years of child molestation accusations and deep financial difficulties, He still remains big in this country, see the proof: