Thanks so much for leaving all your questions in the comments in my last video

I got tons of really good questions about...

Tips for travelling in Japan

Tips for learning Japanese

Lots of questions about myself and my history of living in Japan

So we've got tons of stuff to cover today

So go grab a tea and some snacks

And I hope you enjoy the video

Assan says:

What I like to do is incorporate Japanese or...

The language that I'm currently learning

Into my hobbies

So if you can find some Japanese music that you like listening to

Or some video games that are in Japanese that you like playing

Just something that you can use in your downtime like when you're relaxing

But at the same time you'll be hearing the Japanese

And even if you're not completely focused on it

And taking notes and studying

It'll still be entering your brain

And you will learn something from it

Dylan asks:

I've actually never had problems with being homesick

I don't know if this makes me a horrible person

Heh

I just...

I don't really hav--

Struggle with any problems like missing my family

Or missing Canada

I talk to them very frequently through e-mail

And sometimes I call them on Skype

So... yeah I've never really struggled with homesickness

So I can't give you much advice there other than...

Invest in a webcam and...

Some Skype credits so you can call up your family anytime you want

Yeah that's really all I can say

vicospiano asks:

I do not speak any French

In Canada we are forced heh, required to study French from...

Kindergarten until grade... 8?

And after that we're allowed to choose another language

And I switched to Japanese, obviously

So I've forgotten all the French that I did learn

I remember one sentence because I used it to get out of class

As often as possible:

FalconDiaries asks:

Only one time actually it was right after I moved to

Morioka the first time

The police showed up at my door and I was like

"Oh crap what have I done..."

Did I like...

Not throw away with garbage properly or something

And I as freaking out

So I was just like, "sorry, no Japanese"

And they apologized to me? and left

It was great

Seth asks... Seth... Seth USK...

ASKS:

I really liked the videos that I made in Akita when I was staying with a homestay

I just had a really good time there

So I would recommend you watch those two videos

I will link them down below

And up in the cards here as well

So go check them out after this video if you haven't seen them yet

MsKestrela asks:

No, they do not

I actually...

Didn't know this either and I was wondering...

A few years ago

And I looked it up and no they don't

They are not fruit-producing trees

So... you won't find BILLIONS of cherries in Japan after cherry blossom season

It's actually cherry blossom season at the moment down in Tokyo right now

And all my friends are posting really pretty photos

But up here in Morioka it's still very much winter

There was like a blizzard two days ago

And I don't think we're gonna be seeing the cherry blossoms up here anytime soon

Lacey asks:

It's actually exactly the same as it was when I was back in Korea

I've got a set of products that I absolutely love and that work really well for my skin

And I can get them sent to me here in Japan

So I use the exact same ones

I will have a list of them right here and you can find the links to them down in the description box if you like

However, next month uhh, May I believe sometime in May?

I will be doing another skin care box!

If you're new to my channel

Every 3 or 4 months or so

I work with a company called Wishtrend

To put together all my favorite skincare products

And they give my viewers a really good deal on them to try them out

So if you are wanting to try some new skincare

Or if you are looking to stock up

Then maybe wait until May before you get anything because it'll be a really good deal

veronica asks:

When I did my university transfer here in 2011

I was required to keep a blog of my experiences at university in Japan

So that the students back at my home University in Canada

Could look at my experience and see if it was something they would want to try themselves

And I really suck at writing

So I asked my University if it would be okay if I did videos of my experience instead

That's why the first videos on my channel, I'm just sitting in front of the camera and

Talking about what I did at school that day

It's nothing super exciting

They were really just designed to go to students over in my home university

To give them an idea of what my days in Japan looked like!

So that's how I got started heh

And then... lots of people all over the world started watching my videos

And having an interest in them

And that's really what keeps me motivated to keep posting today

I find it really cool that I can inspire you guys to cum to Japan or just travel in general

It's really just stuff like that that keeps me motivated to post!

So, thank you so much!

Kristin and a few other people asked...

I have taken the N2 exam

It was actually required for me to take it when I decided I wanted to...

Enter Japanese university as a full-time like... regular student

I studied for three months prior to the exam

And I had no problem at all passing the N2

I was a lot more worried about it than I needed to be

But I have...

YEARS of prior Japanese experience

It really depends what your level is but I've heard that N3

And N2 there's a huge jump in level between them

So if you've passed the N3 and you feel like you just made that

And that you're comfortable with the N3 level

You probably want to give yourself at least 3 months of solid

Really getting into studying for...

Preparing for the N2

The part that I found the hardest about it was actually...

Not related to my Japanese skills at all

It was my memory skills?

During the listening section they tell you a whoooole story

Like a really long story

And then they ask you questions about it

I didn't have problems understanding the questions in Japanese

I had problems remembering all the details of the story

So my biggest tip would probably be to work on your memory skills before taking the test

And I'll put a couple of suggestions of books that I love for the JLPT

Down in the description box

If you guys want to try the same books that I did

Emily asks:

What made me decide to live in Japan so long?

I...

Just...

Enjoy it heh

It's interesting to me

I feel like I'm learning things when I live here

'Cause there are still things that are new to me

And of course, I'm constantly learning Japanese

It's a continuous learning process

So that's cool!

I just feel like I'm improving myself

And I feel like I really need to challenge myself to be successful here

Whereas it might be a lot easier for me back in a country where I speak the language

And I'm really comfortable with it?

So I think it's the challenge that I like about living here

And that's what's kept me living here so long?

I didn't really have a plan when I originally moved here

I didn't know how long I was gonna stay

I just knew I wanted to live here and it ended up being for a really long time! Heh!

As for will I go back to Canada someday?

Probably someday?

I don't see myself living here until I die?

Because I don't think I would want to...

Retire in Japan?

I'll probably want to go back to a country where I can just relax and not worry too much about things

Not worry about visas and all that stressful stuff

So, yeah one day I'll probably return to Canada

I really like this question from James:

As for where would it be, I have no idea

I haven't traveled enough of the world to really...

Be able to say where my dream home would be?

But as for style, I'm actually working on

Designing my current apartment exactly how I would want a place to look

I like things to have textures

Like natural textures like woods

And uhh, leathers

Well, fake leathers

Fake furs

Metal, lots of metal, copper stuff like that

I'm trying to go for that vibe right now in my apartment

And I'm kind of...

Gathering pieces that I like as I see them so it's taking a while

But hopefully once I get everything together

I will be able to do a little bit of a tour for you guys so...

Look forward to that

ErzieWerzie asks...

After grade 8 in Canada

You need to choose another language

You can stick with French if you like and continue that

Or you can choose another language that your school offers

And my school had Japanese

Russian

German?

Spanish I believe

And I really had a hard time choosing between Japanese and Russian

I had no specific reasons why I wanted to study either of the two

I just thought they were cool

And I eventually went with Japanese for some reason

And yeah that's really how my interest in Japan and East Asian culture began!

I highly recommend taking a second language if you have the opportunity to in high school

Veronica asks:

I really like to go for a walk when it's not freezing outside

Which it has been for the past few months

So that won't be happening for probably another month or so

And when I don't go outside

I like to just chill at home and either watch movies or play video games

I'm probably more of a homebody than I am a social person

So I really enjoy just being by myself

And doing something like watching Netflix or...

Playing Final Fantasy!

I just got a PlayStation 4

I haven't had a PlayStation for

Probably over

15 years heh

The last one I had was the PlayStation 2

So it's pretty exciting and I am probably going to download the remastered Final Fantasy X

X-2, so I can replay those

I'm really looking forward to that

As for shows I recommend

I just finished watching "Sex Education" on Netflix

It was hilarious

I felt like it was really well made

Some people were criticizing it because the school seemed way too American to be set in the UK

I don't know anything about that

But heh, watching it from a Canadian point of view

I f--, I really enjoyed it

I found it really funny

So I really recommend that if guys have Netflix

Laetitia, I hope I'm saying your name correctly, asks

*sniff* Okay, I can tell you something that I hate a lot right now

It is hay fever season, which is insanely intense in Japan

I actually never had hay fever before coming here and I have it so bad

Now that when I wake up my eyes are like red and swollen

And my nose is running

And if I go outside

It's a million times worse, that's just in my house

The pollen levels are crazy here for some reason

There are just so many plants that produce

High levels of pollen that anybody with hay fever uh

Will have a really hard time

During the spring

As for the thing I love, it probably how safe it is because