NationStates Jolt Archive

I was just wondering if anyone here has taken/is taking Japanese as a foreign language in high school. At my tiny school, I am currently taking Japanese I and am covering the basics (Hiragana/Katakana/Romanji + Self-Introduction/Time/Date/etc.,etc.), and in class we have seen Tonari no Totoro (TOTORO!) and Spirited Away, and also kids from the Oki Gakuen School from Fukuoka came for a day...

So yeah, anyone learning/knows the language? I've been wondering how hard it get's when it comes to learning Kanji (I know Oki and the two for Month/Day) and also if the following is grammaticaly correct (it's in romanji)...

Watashi wa nihon-go seto desu.

Also, since I am male, would I use Boku wa instead of Watashi wa?

I was just wondering if anyone here has taken/is taking Japanese as a foreign language in high school. At my tiny school, I am currently taking Japanese I and am covering the basics (Hiragana/Katakana/Romanji + Self-Introduction/Time/Date/etc.,etc.), and in class we have seen Tonari no Totoro (TOTORO!) and Spirited Away, and also kids from the Oki Gakuen School from Fukuoka came for a day...

So yeah, anyone learning/knows the language? I've been wondering how hard it get's when it comes to learning Kanji (I know Oki and the two for Month/Day) and also if the following is grammaticaly correct (it's in romanji)...

Watashi wa nihon-go seto desu.

Also, since I am male, would I use Boku wa instead of Watashi wa?

I only studied it formally for 1 year, when i was at university in Isahaya (Nagasaki prefecture).

The difficulty of kanji depends on a lot of things, like how much effort you put into it. I read a few hundred (putting me on the upper elementary school level).

Watashi wa nihongo no seito desu.

Possibly better, depending, might be:
Watashi wa nihongo benkyou shimasu.

Boku is pretty informal. It's probably best to stick with watashi for the moment.

ni hau ma?

well, that's chinese. :D

I'd like to study in Japan, for a semester... was the experience very rewarding? Also, is it pretty easy remembering the hundred's of Kanji? Did you learn one/two a class or how did that work out?

Watashi wa nihongo benkyou shimasu.

I no benkyou is study, but what does shimasu mean? And eep, Chinese, that must be terribly difficult to learn...

I no benkyou is study, but what does shimasu mean?

Shimasu (Dir. Form: Suru) is the verb for to do. If you connect it to certain nouns, they become verbs.

Ex: Boku Wa Supotsu Shimasu (I play sports) or Boku wa Riyori Shimasu (I eat a meal)

I'm in my third year of Japanese, and I suppose I'm vaguely fluent (although it rarely seems that way). Kanji will haunt you for the whole time you study, as you need onthe order of 2000 to read a newspaper. I've got all of (maybe) 60 or so.

ni hau ma?

well, that's chinese. :D

"WTF? Speak English... its easier..."

That's English

yup took jap for 1 semester, easy language, hard to remember vocab, wish I could study it till it became like back of my hand, but have more important battles to be victorious on.

I studied Japanese for 7 years, up to the end of high school. I've forgotten a lot...really should get back into it.

At my school, we were expected to write four-page essays at the end of it. (probably the equivalent of two A4 pages in English. Not much, but it's a test, because at that level, you're barely conversational.)

I found the kanji difficult, but then, I was pretty lazy and didn't spend an hour a night studying it like I should have. At the end of it, I could recognise about 200 and write about half of that. Like I said, though....i've forgotten most of it. I can get the general meaning of a conversation, but I have trouble expressing what I want to say.

I am about to start my long awaited career as a Japanese teacher.

I studied for four years at my university, then took a three year break where I proceeded to forget just about everything. ;)

Currently I'm alternating between studying for the JLPT and learning more, er, pratical Japanese (i.e. "How do you tell these kids to shut up and start working?" or "How do I ask to get my snowtires put on my car?").

And I hate kanji, with a passion that is unholy. I can read about 200 or so of them, but I still hate them.

I was just wondering if anyone here has taken/is taking Japanese as a foreign language in high school.
Well, I know the Japanese for 'press the green button on the telephone', but that's pretty much it, so I can't really help, and should probably leave the thread now.

Domo origato Mr Roboto! :D
Hahhahahah sorry, couldn't resist...but I think I want to study Chinese over Japanese

こんにちは　みなさん!　お元気ですか。
konnichi wa minasan! ogenki desu ka.
Hello everyone! How are you?

私は日本語の一年学生の大学です。
watashi wa nihongo no ichi-nen gakusei　no daigaku desu
I am a first-year university student of Japanese.

私も日本史を勉強します。
watashi mo nihonshi o benkyou shimasu.
I am also studying Japanese History.

私は日本語を話すことができる。
watashi wa nihongo o hanasu koto ga dekiru.
I can speak Japanese.

@Kinda Sensible people:
私は料理します。
watashi wa ryouri shimasu.
I am *preparing* a meal.
Also, you certainly wouldn't use the informal "boku" together with the formal "shimasu". Informal:
僕は料理する。
boku wa ryouri suru.

I eat:
私は食べます。
watashi wa tabemasu.

I am eating (just right now):
私は食べています。
watashi wa tabete imasu.

Very basic mistakes... are you *sure* you're already in your third year? :headbang:

"WTF? Speak English... its easier..."

That's English
Nihao means hello, with the ma appended to it it means: How are you?

Heavenly Sex, thats very good for a first year student-a few small grammer mistakes, but very good

not all people learn at that advanced pace, especially if they are still in high school

(I'm half Japanese, I can speak it but never bothered learning kanji well)

Watashi wa nihon-go seto desu.

Also, since I am male, would I use Boku wa instead of Watashi wa?

If you really wanted to sound masculine, you could use Ore/Ole wa

An hour a night on Kanji? That should kill me, especially since next year i'm planning on taking AP European History... Saint Jade, what textbook will you be using to teach? Just curious... i'm learning with the Japanese For Young People series...

Whoa, that's really good for one year... The only thing I really know well is self introduction...

Hajimemashite,
Watashi no namae wa hekuto desu.
Watashi wa jyu-yon sai desu, kyu nensei desu, amerika-jin desu, roku ongaku gasuki desu.
Dozo yoroshiku.

Also, how were you able to right Kana on the forums? And would Ore/Ole wa be formal or informal like using Boku?

LOL, i love ebaumsworld...

I was just wondering if anyone here has taken/is taking Japanese as a foreign language in high school. At my tiny school, I am currently taking Japanese I and am covering the basics (Hiragana/Katakana/Romanji + Self-Introduction/Time/Date/etc.,etc.), and in class we have seen Tonari no Totoro (TOTORO!) and Spirited Away, and also kids from the Oki Gakuen School from Fukuoka came for a day...

So yeah, anyone learning/knows the language? I've been wondering how hard it get's when it comes to learning Kanji (I know Oki and the two for Month/Day) and also if the following is grammaticaly correct (it's in romanji)...

Watashi wa nihon-go seto desu.

Also, since I am male, would I use Boku wa instead of Watashi wa?


about 127,417,244 people at least , sorry was bored and couldnt resist

Well, I once tried to learn Japanese, but I gave up. I found that even after months of studying, I couldn't read much because I still had to learn thousands of kanji. There really wasn't much of a payoff from all that studying, so it left me feeling unmotivated. I still know a lot of the basic concepts in Japanese, though.

Also, since I am male, would I use Boku wa instead of Watashi wa?

I believe watashi is the formal pronoun for both genders while boku is more informal and used by males.

Ore/Ole (I don't know how to write Japanese in English) is slang and even less formal then boku
saying boku makes you sound slightly childish

I know a few phrases but would benefit greatly from increased learning. I am, however, a Germanophile Englishman so I have a few things going for me.

I was just wondering if anyone here has taken/is taking Japanese as a foreign language in high school.

Hajimemashite. Watashi wa jyuuyonnenkan Nihon de sunde iru Amerika-jin no Augusuchino desu. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

Let me introduce myself. I'm Augustino, an American whose been living in Japan for fourteen years. (After 14 years I still can't think of a natural-sounding translation for yoroshiku onegai shimasu ;).)

I've been wondering how hard it get's when it comes to learning Kanji

Kanji are hard, but not impossible. I compare it with learning English spelling. Think of all the years in school when you had spelling quizzes (they do still teach spelling in US schools, don't they?). The effort to master basic kanji is maybe only a little harder than that. Short practice sessions everyday is the most effective way. Write every new kanji ten times, randomly quiz yourself on old ones, look up new/forgotten kanji instead of guessing, and so on.

I had studied about a years-worth of college-level Japanese before coming here, which allowed me to survive here only because I have family connections and because everyone here has at least minimal English ability. It took one or two years immersed in a mostly Japanese language environment before I felt fluent with daily listening, speaking, and signage kanji reading. Reading the full set of standard kanji takes a few more years, and I still lag on kanji writing because I've always had a computer as a crutch.

Watashi wa nihon-go seto desu.

I think others have mostly covered this, but I'd put it this way:

Watashi wa Nihongo o benkyou shite imasu. = "I am studying Japanese."


seito (not seto) is usually used for student as in a student of some particular school.
o shows the direct object.
shite imasu, "doing", shows a continuing action. Unlike in English, where the basic form of verbs indicates a present and continuing action, basic form verbs in Japanese indicate a future action: Benkyou suru/shimasu = "(I) will study"


Also, since I am male, would I use Boku wa instead of Watashi wa?

As has already been noted, boku is informal, and Japanese is definitely a language where getting the correct level of formality matters. Watashi is good for general use until you've mastered daily conversation, and even after that it's often the best and/or least offensive choice when in doubt.

Watashi wa jyu-yon sai desu, kyu nensei desu, amerika-jin desu, roku ongaku gasuki desu.
Dozo yoroshiku.


kyuUnensei (careful with long vowel sounds. also jyuU instead of jyu in the first sentence.) might confuse someone from Japan where a 6-3-3 elementary-jr. high-sr. high system is universal. It would sound more natural and impress your audience to use chuugaku sannensei ("junior high third year").
rokku for rock music, and you don't really need to say ongaku.
desu ends a Japanese sentence, so it should be followed by a period rather than a comma. Making sentences like you've got is correct but is very choppy. It would be smoother to combine the phrases into fewer or one sentence: Watashi wa jyuuyonsai no chuugaku sannensei de, Rokku ga suki na Amerikajin desu. (de is like desu used in the middle of a sentence here.)
I'd end with "Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu." It's slightly more formal but give the close a little flare.



Also, how were you able to right Kana on the forums?

Japanese versions of operating systems come bundled with a utility program that translates standard keystrokes from a standard keyboard into Japanese characters called an Input Method or IME. Typing Japanese is still a bit of a chore, which is a possible reason PC culture hasn't spread in Japan as much as in North America and Europe.

日本語の勉強頑張ってください｡
Nihongo no benkyou ganbatte kudasai. :D

If you really wanted to sound masculine, you could use Ore/Ole wa

It's ore not ole. No standard transliteration from Japanese to English uses [l] (as far as I know).

An hour a night on Kanji? That should kill me, especially since next year i'm planning on taking AP European History... Saint Jade, what textbook will you be using to teach? Just curious... i'm learning with the Japanese For Young People series...

That sounds about right.

Hajimemashite,
Watashi no namae wa hekuto desu.
Watashi wa jyu-yon sai desu, kyu nensei desu, amerika-jin desu, roku ongaku gasuki desu.
Dozo yoroshiku.

Kyu nensei would likely confuse native speakers. Ichi-nensei would make better sense to Japanese, who count the years at each level and not the total. Which causes problems the other way around, when my students try and count it Japanese style and end up saying things like "I'm 16 and I'm in the first grade" when they mean "I'm 16 and I'm in first year of high school."
Also, if your name is Hector, Hekutaa may be a better transliteration.

Also, how were you able to right Kana on the forums? And would Ore/Ole wa be formal or informal like using Boku?

Heavenly Sex was able to write the right kana (and kanji) because he or she has a Japanese font installed.

As for boku and ore:

Boku is used almost exclusively by males, usually by younger males, is rather informal, and can be seen as somewhat cute (in a good way).

Ore is mostly used by males and is informal and rather rough.

(Just wait til you get to the various words for you.)


LOL, i love ebaumsworld...

Unfortunately it's a forbidden link. See:
Forbidden links: There is not, and will not ever, be a definitive list of forbidden links. Since we don't control the content of other websites, a link which was fine yesterday may be forbidden today. Each link is judged on a case by case basis, and occasionally the Mods will outlaw certain sites.
<snip>
* Some generally unacceptable popular sites include ebaumsworld, albinoblacksheep, and plasticnipple.
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=8784641&postcount=3

The Aryan Apostle, you should remove that before the mods see it. <--- public service message, not rules police. ;)

watashi wa nihongo no ichi-nen gakusei　no daigaku desu
I am a first-year university student of Japanese.

Almost. "I am a university of a first year student of Japanese." ;)

Watashi wa daigaku no nihongo no ichi-nensei　desu.

Although that's still a bit awkward sounding to me.

Watashi wa daigaku de ichi-nensei　desu. Nihongo o benkyou shimasu.

That sounds better to me.

snip

Areeeee!! Where you been hiding, Mr. Takarazuka? I haven't met you before. Our other poster from Japan (NEVRUN) should be popping into this thread eventually.

(And I hate the long vowels. Hate, hate, hate! Naaaaysties they be! ;))

Where you been hiding, Mr. Takarazuka?

Betsu ni kakurete ita wake ja nai kedo.

Yoroshiku ne.

Betsu ni kakurete ita wake ja nai kedo.

Yoroshiku ne.



Boku mo 14nen Nihon ni.
Zuutoo Takarazuka ni?
Watashi Nagasaki no Isahaya to Niigata mo sundemashita. Kedo ima Osaka-fu no Sakaishi - 11nen kan.

Jya, matta ne, Mo sugu shigoto.

Also, how were you able to right Kana on the forums? And would Ore/Ole wa be formal or informal like using Boku?
Just adding on here...

Be careful when you use ore. It is very rough and has a tendancy to cause offence. Save it for situations that call for you to be a manly man (such as hauling a mikoshi up the side of a mountain) or during a fight. Watashi is perfectly acceptable. Just don't use atashi, THEN you'd get a lot of smiles.

Augustinoさん, はじめまして！　僕は長野県にすんでましす。　JET ProgrammeのAETです。　よろしくおねがいします。

Boku mo 14nen Nihon ni.
Zuutoo Takarazuka ni?
Watashi Nagasaki no Isahaya to Niigata mo sundemashita. Kedo ima Osaka-fu no Sakaishi - 11nen kan.

Jya, matta ne, Mo sugu shigoto.

Heh. I'm surprised to find another NSer who's been alive as long as I've been in Japan, much less someone who's been an expat as long as me. ;)

Ah, Sakai, the City of O-157. Seriously, that is how a Japanese tour bus guide introduced the city as an all-Japanese-but-me busload of tourists drove through.

I lived in Ibaraki (NE Osaka-fu) for about nine years, just under a year in concrete purgatory Tokyo (lived in Funabashi-shi), and entered the paradise of Takarazuka four years ago. I'm just a salary-man toiling away for Japan, Inc.

NERVUN: Kochira koso yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

@Kinda Sensible people:
私は料理します。
watashi wa ryouri shimasu.
I am *preparing* a meal.
Also, you certainly wouldn't use the informal "boku" together with the formal "shimasu". Informal:
僕は料理する。
boku wa ryouri suru.

I eat:
私は食べます。
watashi wa tabemasu.

I am eating (just right now):
私は食べています。
watashi wa tabete imasu.

Very basic mistakes... are you *sure* you're already in your third year? :headbang:

Quite. Yes they were fairly stupid mistakes. There is a (practically unused as far as I know) noun for meal that one uses with suru, that escapes me (although I could have sworn it was Ryouri :headbang: )

I used the formal Shimasu because I didn't want to confuse him even more by using the direct form of the verb, if he hadn't studied it yet. They were sloppy mistakes, but in my defense, somewhere in the back of my head, I did know all of those things.

I blame it on the way the books we study out of are structured, you learn something and then don't see it again for another three or four chapters. It could also have something to do with having the bad habit of falling asleep in class.

There is a (practically unused as far as I know) noun for meal that one uses with suru, that escapes me

食事
shokuji

At the moment, I'm hoping my school has obentou, moshi moshi and Pera Pera series. I also like Schaums outlines for grammar. I don't really use a text book per se though, i find it easier to make my own resources. But telegram me and ill give you my email, and if you have any problems email me and ill help you out. Its best to invest in a good Japanese dictionary first off (though they can be expensive) and a good kanji dictionary is good for learning kanji.

Heh. I'm surprised to find another NSer who's been alive as long as I've been in Japan, much less someone who's been an expat as long as me. ;)

Ah, Sakai, the City of O-157. Seriously, that is how a Japanese tour bus guide introduced the city as an all-Japanese-but-me busload of tourists drove through.

I lived in Ibaraki (NE Osaka-fu) for about nine years, just under a year in concrete purgatory Tokyo (lived in Funabashi-shi), and entered the paradise of Takarazuka four years ago. I'm just a salary-man toiling away for Japan, Inc.

NERVUN: Kochira koso yoroshiku onegai shimasu.


AHHHH!!!! A gaijin who's NOT a teacher or a missionary. http://69.93.183.37/html/emoticons/blink.gif

I was here through both the Great Hanshi Jishin and the O-157, among other experiences.

Also, how were you able to right Kana on the forums?
You need to install support for East-Asian languages first (if you haven't done so already).

Go here: Start->Control Panel->Region and Language options->"Languages" (second tab)->check both checkboxes and hit OK. It will ask for your WinXP CD if it's not installed yet.
After that, go back to the same tab and click on the button under "Input languages" (at the top). Here, click on "Add" (lower right), select "Japanese" from the list and confirm all dialogs with OK.

Now, to start typing in Japanese: hit Alt+Left Shift simultaneously to switch to Japanese input, then hit Ctrl+Caps Lock simultaneously to switch to Kana input. You will now write kana only, to get kanji press the space bar and select the fitting one from the list. Press F7 to convert the hiragana you've typed into katakana. Press Enter when done inputting.
分かったか。がんばってね。　:D

I only know "Moshi moshi".....:eek:

I don't even know the word for beer. Help me!

Beer would be ビール　:D

I don't even know the word for beer. Help me!
Not to worry, you don't need to know the word for beer, you just have to go down to the local beer vending machine on the corner. ;)

Ah. Please? I'll teach you the word for it in Dutch?

Ah. Please? I'll teach you the word for it in Dutch?

Ok concentrate hard, because this one is really difficult for english speakers: Biiru (Pronounced, for lack of of a phonetic equivalent to the Japanese 'r', Beeru).

Hope you got that, cause it's really tough.

Apparently Bakushu (Bah-Koo-shoo) is beer as well, according to my pocket dictionary.

Ok concentrate hard, because this one is really difficult for english speakers: Biiru (Pronounced, for lack of of a phonetic equivalent to the Japanese 'r', Beeru).

Hope you got that, cause it's really tough.

Apparently Bakushu (Bah-Koo-shoo) is beer as well, according to my pocket dictionary.
Thanks mate.

Dutch is Bier. Prounounced exactly like Beer, but with a slightly different r

Not to worry, you don't need to know the word for beer, you just have to go down to the local beer vending machine on the corner. ;)
There are 10 beverage vending machines for every person in Japan, and also vending machines for pastries, comics, porn, used girls underwear (well, some enterprising bureacrats were able to at least shut those down), but no candy machines!!!

but no candy machines!!!
On the contrary, I have found some Coca Cola machines have cans of Kit Kat Bars. That's probably the closest you'll get (And I've only found them in Hiroshima and Matsumoto), but it is actual candy. ;)

Sadly though, I have to admit that the hot dog vending machines found in bus terminals actually make some damn good dogs. They're far better than the so called hot dogs found in many places Stateside. :eek:

There are 10 beverage vending machines for every person in Japan, and also vending machines for pastries, comics, porn, used girls underwear (well, some enterprising bureacrats were able to at least shut those down), but no candy machines!!!

Don't forget: batteries (AA, C, and D cells), "fresh" cut flowers, "Happy Family Life" condoms, music CDs, instant ramen, cigarettes (and about 90% these seem to be located in areas posted "no smoking"*), disposable cameras, film for non-disposable cameras, rice (in family sized bags), milk, octopus balls, toilet paper (in pocket tissue sized packs at about UD$1 a pack), umbrellas,
hot microwaved mini-pizzas, french fries, hot dogs, Shinto fortunes (often sold at Buddhist temples), ice cream, newspapers (in real vending machines that have as many as 16 papers), all manner of sex toys, Calorie Mate bars, and (so I've heard) tampons - sold on a street corner (and rare).

On the contrary, I have found some Coca Cola machines have cans of Kit Kat Bars. That's probably the closest you'll get (And I've only found them in Hiroshima and Matsumoto), but it is actual candy.

Gum machines are fairly common (if you want to chew Kiss Mint gum).


Sadly though, I have to admit that the hot dog vending machines found in bus terminals actually make some damn good dogs. They're far better than the so called hot dogs found in many places Stateside.

:eek: You are in serious trouble my friend. The only decent dogs I've found are out at USJ and cost an arm and a leg.

* - As if the Japanese understood the concept of "no smoking".

Not to worry, you don't need to know the word for beer, you just have to go down to the local beer vending machine on the corner. ;)

Which (for Legless' information) sells OK beer in cans ranging from 200ml to 2 litres, happoshu - "alternate" beers (a ploy to bypass certain tax laws here), decent alco-pops known as Chu Hi (pronounced "chew high"), bad whiskey, rot gut shochu (a sort of weak Japanese Vodka), and Ozeki's "One Cup" - a race car/rocket fuel that claims to be sake.

Or even better, go to your local convenience store (of which there are about 128 million). Most now carry alcohol including beer, wine, and spirits. And usually they have a better selection. Usually no Japanese needed.

Don't forget soup and hot cocoa! Japanese vending machines kick ass! ^_^!

Yeah, I'm an American in Japan, but I don't speak Japanese. It's a little disheartening. T_T! I'm trying to learn, but the grammatical structure is throwing me big time. I like Chinese better, I think. Not the alphabet, but the language. It's more similar to English...I can follow the subject-verb agreement easier.

But I'm taking a Shodo (Chinese calligraphy) class, and I'll tell ya, if ANYTHING will drill Kanji into your head, it's writing one character over and over REEEEALLY big with a paintbrush on washi paper until you get it right. ^_^! It's certainly been helping me. The only problem is that the characters you learn normally aren't helpful during the day to day. Especially if you learn Rei-sho and So-sho style characters, because no one uses them anymore. (Ancient alphabets) ^_^!

Anywho, I don't know if that helped any, but if all else fails: "WAKARIMASEN!" (I don't understand!) *wink* ^_^! Yup, that's all I know. ^_^! *snerk*

Arigatou!

-------------------------------------------------------------

Ching-wao tsao du liou mahng!! *snerk* Which is Chinese for something a little too impolite to be repeated in English. ^_^!

Gum machines are fairly common (if you want to chew Kiss Mint gum).
Black Black, thank you. And I was a bit wrong, someone found a AERO can as well as just Kit Kats.

:eek: You are in serious trouble my friend. The only decent dogs I've found are out at USJ and cost an arm and a leg.
Go to the bus terminal in Yamaguchi-shi, Yamaguchi-ken. The ones there are awsome.

Don't forget soup and hot cocoa! Japanese vending machines kick ass! ^_^!

Yeah, I'm an American in Japan, but I don't speak Japanese. It's a little disheartening. T_T! I'm trying to learn, but the grammatical structure is throwing me big time. I like Chinese better, I think. Not the alphabet, but the language. It's more similar to English...I can follow the subject-verb agreement easier.

But I'm taking a Shodo (Chinese calligraphy) class, and I'll tell ya, if ANYTHING will drill Kanji into your head, it's writing one character over and over REEEEALLY big with a paintbrush on washi paper until you get it right. ^_^! It's certainly been helping me. The only problem is that the characters you learn normally aren't helpful during the day to day. Especially if you learn Rei-sho and So-sho style characters, because no one uses them anymore. (Ancient alphabets) ^_^!

Anywho, I don't know if that helped any, but if all else fails: "WAKARIMASEN!" (I don't understand!) *wink* ^_^! Yup, that's all I know. ^_^! *snerk*

Arigatou!

-------------------------------------------------------------

Ching-wao tsao du liou mahng!! *snerk* Which is Chinese for something a little too impolite to be repeated in English. ^_^!


Just as I'm going on holiday you guya are coming out of the wood work!

(And let us also not forget 10 billion varieties of canned coffee available from vending machines.)

Just as I'm going on holiday you guya are coming out of the wood work!
Well, at least it isn't just two poor lonely NSers in Japan anymore.

(And let us also not forget 10 billion varieties of canned coffee available from vending machines.)
And I'm starting to get addicted to that stuff. When I last went home, I started missing being able to turn the corner anywhere and get a half way decent hot can of coffee for about a dollar.