English LingQ 2.0 Podcast #30: Learning Japanese, Taking the JLPT & Rubik's Cube with Deni Mintsaev (2)
Uh, so it has a weird grading system. Um, and, uh, yeah, nine is the max. Uh, but you know, like they say for a lot of, uh, tests, uh, even a native speaker is not going to get the nine out of nine without, you know, putting in hours and hours, uh, preparing for the test.
Uh, but I got 8.0 overall, um, without doing pretty much any prep.
Elle: Fantastic. Okay. That, that, that makes way more sense, actually speaking to someone face to face and so they can assess your language ability that way. So. Okay. So Deni, tell us about your time in Japan. Like I mentioned, you just left a little while back.
Deni: Yeah, just a month ago.
Elle: Okay. Uh, so. Did you experience any culture shock? Oh, was this the, was this your first time in Japan? First off?
Deni: It was actually my second time. Uh, first time I went there in 2017, uh, for one week. uh, for one week.
Elle: Okay. So this is your first time staying for an extended period.
Deni: Yeah, it's actually, that was my longest consecutive time spent in another country because, uh, due to the pandemic, I couldn't even come back for like a break for a holiday. Uh, so I had to stay there until the end of my year.
Elle: Ah, okay. So you hadn't intended on staying for the full, like the time you had wanted to come back, but then COVID. Deni: Yeah. When I was studying in the UK, I would always come back for the holidays, uh, to see my family. Um, but I, that was, that was not an option in Japan.
If I came back, then I would have not gone back again. So to continue my second semester.
Elle: Right. And now of course, this question is, maybe you would have answered differently if it weren't a pandemic, but, uh, what would some of the things that surprised you about Japan? And did you experience any culture shock while you were there?
Deni: I wouldn't really say so. Uh, I think I've already experienced culture shock remotely from because, um, even like throughout my years, learning Japanese before I went there, um, I had a lot of experience communicating with Japanese people and I'd already kind of had, uh, some, a couple of moments of culture shock. Uh, so that was not really as big of an issue.
I did have, um, the situation which I've had in the past. Where sometimes when somebody doesn't really want to talk to you, they can't really say, or even give you a hint. They'll just ghost you. Uh, obviously that's not everybody. Uh, but some people like that in Japan, unfortunately, because it's a very closed down country. Uh, people, even among Japanese people themselves, they seem to be quite closed down. Quite an unfortunate situation. So I made a friend there, uh, during my stay, but one day they just stopped replying for some reason, uh, that'll just remain a mystery. I've had that experience in the past. So I wasn't much of a culture shock, but it was still kind of a bummer overall. Um, it was obviously not as, as good of an experience as I was hoping for before the pandemic started. Uh, but I did at least managed to, um, sneak in a few, uh, trips here and there. Uh, when we had like the, you know, the, a better periods, uh, in terms of the cases COVID cases, um, there were, I had a trip to Oita, uh, on the Kyushu island.
Uh, I had a trip to Okinawa. Uh, I had, uh, like a smaller trip, uh, to neighboring, uh, Kanagawa, whoa, sorry, Kanagawa was where I was living. Um, in Shizuoka Prefecture. Uh, I actually went on a few hikes and one of them was in Shizuoka Prefecture where, uh, me and my friends, uh, from the UK were studying, uh, on the same course as me, uh, we climbed the, Mount Aichi
I think it was called. Okay. Oh, uh, oh actually, that's not what it was called Ashitaka I think it was the name of the mountain. Um, and from Mount Ashitaka you get the perfect view of Mount Fuji. Uh, and that was a very nice experience. Um, it was 1,504 meters above sea level at the peak. Uh, that's high that's high up. Elle: Did you get the whole. Kind of altitude, not altitude sickness, but the, you know, deep breathing.
Deni: Um, but me and my friend went to another hike where I did feel it. Uh, we, and we started a much lower there. Uh, it was, um, oh shoot I don't think I'll be able to remember that one. Uh, but there was another mountain, uh, on the, in the west of Tokyo prefecture where it's very rural. Um, yeah. That mountain was 1,736 meters at the peak. And we started at 340 meters above seal. So that was a big difference, like altitude change, uh, and, um, at about a kilometer altitude change. So that was a 400 meters above sea level where me and my friend really started feeling it. Um, and at one point we even went through a cloud, uh, which was quite the experience.
Elle: I bet. Yeah. I remember when I was in Japan, I, I climbed Mount Fuji with some friends and they had these, uh, we had these oxygen tank, not tanks, but like a little aerosol mini oxygen inhalers. And I thought, wow, we're not gonna not going to need those. My friend actually really did need it. Um, he was feeling really dizzy and this was a very fit person too, way fitter than me.
I think it just depends on your physiology or something, but, um, yeah, a lot of these people were just like sucking on these oxygen inhalers as they kind of trudged up in a, in a line up Mount Fuji, but that was an experience for sure. Um, so Deni, tell us about your channel, for everyone who's going to rush into subscribe after listening. Your channel is, uh, named Deni Mintsaev and you, as I mentioned... it's your name, you, uh, create content about your, um, language learning journey with Japanese. What can people expect moving forward for your channel when they subscribe?
Deni: Uh, I've actually never really thought about specifically making videos about Japanese. I just really make videos about whatever I'm interested in and if it's Japanese at the time, then that's what I'll make a video about. Uh, I actually still, uh, want to make a video. Uh, where I made a video before I left, uh, where I spoke Japanese. And the idea was this was actually from a comment that somebody left, uh, suggesting this, that I record myself speaking Japanese before leaving, and then once I return, uh, I still need to the return video.
Uh, so that'll be interesting. And, uh, I recently, um, Made a, a video, which I had a lot of fun making uh, about my adventures in Japan, uh, I would definitely recommend people to check out that one. Uh, I detail my different trips that I went on and show all sorts of photos. And, uh, yeah, I had a lot of fun making that one, so I hope you guys will see it and enjoy it.
Elle: Excellent. Give people that, that travel bug, which I know a lot of us have, who haven't been able to travel for sure. So, obviously you're all about the Japanese right now. Do you think you'll move on to another language sometime soon? Or are you sticking with the Japanese for the foreseeable future?
Deni: Uh, I'm actually taking a little bit of a break. Uh, I I've done this many times in the past. Um, uh, so I'll probably get back to Japanese very soon. I don't think I'll be switching to another language quite yet. But yeah, I'll be getting back on the Japanese train and the thing I'm the most interested in right now is the writing. I just want to learn more and more Kanji so I can read more, uh, because I've kind of been enjoying reading more than, um, watching stuff lately. So, uh, when it comes to Japanese. So I think I'll, uh, focus more on that. Um, as soon as I, you know, get the, get the kick to, uh, to learn from it. Uh, but yeah, I, I have a few different hobbies that I, uh, work on from time to time. Uh, so I might make videos about other things too.
Elle: Okay. Well, one of those hobbies is something you also create videos on, on this channel, and I want to ask you about it.
So your channel is about language learning, but also about Rubik's cube which I find fascinating, this whole thing. I've never been able to complete one. So maybe that's why, I haven't really tried not mathematically minded at all. But, um, I wanted to ask you, do you think that, uh, your interest in kind of the strategy and the way your mind works around Rubik's cube has helped you in any way learn languages? Deni: I, I would say that maybe it's the opposite, that it's the same kind of interest. Uh, just like subconscious interests that I have that has made me interested in both of those, uh, Rubik's cubes aren't really as much about maths as there are just about I guess, logic. Um, and there is also a lot of logic when it comes to languages.
Um, and yeah, because you know, there is a grammar rule. Uh, there are, uh, also in Japanese, you have the Kanji, uh, which there's also some logic in how you write them, uh, and how you read them. Uh, there are all sorts of things that are about languages that are, um, kind of that make you think. Uh, and yeah, I, that's something that kind of interests me a lot. Um, in the same way I find programming interesting. Kind of makes you think and yeah, just different things like that.
Elle: Great. There's a great movie on Netflix. I'm not sure if you've seen it at, uh, and I don't remember the name right now, of course, but it's about the championships. It follows a bunch of the people who are training to be... I think there's a championship in the states. Um, I'll find the, the title. Deni: Are you talking about the Rubik's cube championship? Oh, oh yeah, the Speed Cubers yeah.
Elle: Okay. I thought that was such a great film. It was, it wasn't just, you know, it was so well done in that it wasn't just about Rubik's cube. It obviously followed these people and you got to know them and everything that they get out of being part of the Rubik's cube community is just very, very sweet. Deni: Yeah. I actually met a lot of those people and, uh, I thought, cause that was, um, most of the filming was in the, in Australia, at the world championship in 2019. And I went to that one and I played a lot.
Elle: Oh, no way! So you were there when they filmed that exact...
Deni: Yeah, was watching the, the filming crew, um, and, uh, I have a video that I made myself as well.
Elle: Oh, nice. Is that on your channel?
Deni: Yes. Uh, I think it's just called like world championship in Australia or something like that. Uh, I uploaded it at the end of 2019.
Elle: Fantastic. And do you, are you in the movie? I know they show the audience a bit. Did you ever see yourself?
Deni: No.
Elle: You didn't make the cut. Okay. Excellent. Well, listen, Deni, thank you so much.
