u/KaeruGaKaeru1

So I feel like learning Japanese has almost become like an Olympic sport; SRS flashcard systems, advanced Anki setups, curated frequency lists, dictionary hover-lookup software, subs2anki, etc. I’ve been using these kinds of resources for quite a while, and sometimes my Japanese coworkers ask me how I study. Many of them are also trying to learn English, so they ask me for advice. But when they do, I’m never quite sure what to recommend, because I don’t even know if there’s an equivalent Japanese>English learning strategy with the same kind of tools and resources. I figured if I could find where they gather online I could find some resources. Does anybody know?

I'm not looking for souvenirs, but just like those 100-200 yen snacks you can find at convenience stores of dango/daifuku, but the kurogoma version. Last year 7 eleven had these kurogoma paste filled sesame balls for like ~200yen each, but that was available for a few weeks. I also don't see those chinese kurogoma balls aka tangyuan in the frozen section of stores either. Why isn't kurogoma desserts not more of a staple in konbinis/supermarkets? Is kurogoma just not that popular? There's always redbean, kinako, matcha stuff, but rarely any kurogoma... I've been to major konbini chains, LIFE, Olympic, seijo ishii, AEON, summit, and it's all the same.

I'm not looking for souvenir level stuff, but just like those 100-200 yen snacks you can find at convenience stores of dango/daifuku, but the kurogoma version. Last year 7 eleven had these kurogoma paste filled sesame balls for like ~200yen each, but that was available for a few weeks. I also don't see those chinese kurogoma balls aka tangyuan in the frozen section of stores either. Why isn't kurogoma desserts not more of a staple in konbinis/supermarkets? Do Japanese people not really like kurogoma that much? There's always redbean, matcha stuff, but barely any kurogoma... I've been to major konbini chains, LIFE, Olympic, seijo ishii, AEON, summit, and it's all the same.

My students generally pronounce words in romaji/katakana.

I try to explain that it like this to them(usually in more detail):

a(hat), like a sheep crying "baaa"

e(bet), like え but the mouth is more open

i(hit), like え but the mouth is more closed

o(hot), like right in between あ and お

u(hut), like あ but the mouth is more closed

But either my explanation isn't good enough or they're too used to romaji pronunciation. I’m not sure how much I should focus on this. Should I explain it once and then move on? Or should I gradually train them to hear the differences over time? I feel like understanding these vowel differences would make English much easier for them in the long run. At the same time, though, focusing too much on pronunciation early on could discourage some students if they feel English is too difficult.

On the other hand, a student who continues learning English with katakana pronunciation for years is probably still better off than a student who quits entirely. The one's I mentioned are only just 5/20 vowels. And not to mention consonants like l, r, th, and v.

My Dad has been in Japan for over 5 years and lost his immigration status and can't return to Canada. He has all his money in his CIBC bank account but he has no way of accessing it. He doesn't have the same phone number for the account. He doesn't remember the email address associated with it nor his passwords. Is there any way that they would let him access his account through some kind of video call where he holds up his ID and does some stuff that proves the video isn't deepfaked/altered? He's tried calling them but idk, it feels like they won't do it, but maybe it was the agent? Any advice is appreciated.