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[AmethystEnd]

Before I ever became interested in actually learning Japanese, I just liked the music from anime opening and ending themes. I memorized and sang along to anime songs without knowing what the hell I was saying.

I was on a trip to Las Vegas with my family when I was 12 years old, and I remember I was waiting in line at a buffet. I had my headphones on listening and singing along quietly to Sobakasu from Rurouni Kenshin, when I hear excited talking next to me. I turned and there was this Japanese woman looking at me and talking to a guy I assume was her husband. He looked at me, then back at her, then just shook his head.

Ranks pretty highly in my most embarrassing memories.

 

[RangerBAD]

Before I ever became interested in actually learning Japanese, I just liked the music from anime opening and ending themes. I memorized and sang along to anime songs without knowing what the hell I was saying.

I was on a trip to Las Vegas with my family when I was 12 years old, and I remember I was waiting in line at a buffet. I had my headphones on listening and singing along quietly to Sobakasu from Rurouni Kenshin, when I hear excited talking next to me. I turned and there was this Japanese woman looking at me and talking to a guy I assume was her husband. He looked at me, then back at her, then just shook his head.

Ranks pretty highly in my most embarrassing memories.

Maybe they had a question and the wife thought you spoke Japanese, but the husband realized you didn't.

 

[AmethystEnd]

Maybe they had a question and the wife thought you spoke Japanese, but the husband realized you didn't.

How I interpreted the situation was the wife hearing my singing in Japanese, calling her husband's attention to it and him basically going "Don't look at him. He's just an otaku."

That's why I got embarrassed.

But it's ages too late and I definitely have no idea what they were saying at the time so I suppose anything's possible.

 

[Resilient]

holy shit that story. that story should fuel you.

 

[I'm an expert]

It's like.. I know what I'm talking about..or something..

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1144082

 

[Resilient]

It's like.. I know what I'm talking about..or something..

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1144082

that thread exists because of the imbalance you created with your previous helpful post.

chiming in on the anime/games/music thing - here is my list of things that I stopped doing because they ultimately felt like waste of study time, that could be better spent on better study.

- Games - too much time spent in the dictionary, too many made up words
- Anime - fun to watch (I only watch Kuroko no Basket because I like playing basketball and watching it makes me weeb out on court), but nothing to be learnt from it, except hearing a sentence or two and going "oh neat"
- TV - same as anime really.
- Wanikani - pissed me off with the radicals. for me, I learn Kanji better when I see it in a sentence
- Anki - making decks is a waste of time that could be spent studying other stuff
- RTK - same as Wanikani. felt completely useless, waste of two weeks.

things that are good:

- a few study books that I've talked about before, mainly because they have slabs of text/passages of text in them so they're great to read.
- Lang-8 for reasons mentioned above
- finding a friend to speak with
- NHK and the new BBC - while you generally need a dictionary, at least it's relevant and very context heavy so you can pick up what each sentences mean from the context of the news story

 

[I'm an expert]

I did end up writing my study regimen up from my old days. It was nice going through the memories, kind of like a journal. But when I read it I realized there was nothing revolutionary in there. It came down to 1. discipline and 2. time. If any of you could do 4-6 hours a day (though I was more at about 8) then of course you could absorb all the necessary vocab/kanji/grammar the way I did back then. I'll probably at least post my section on studying kanji/vocab but if you read it you'd be like.. that's it? Yep, that's it. But I bet you can't do it lol.

If the op of that thread I linked did exactly what I told him to for the next, let's be gentle, 5 months, he could play whatever game he wants with minimal effort. Such a small investment for so much reward.. but most people just can't focus all of their energy into things that don't give immediate rewards. It's basically like a diet.

Edit: now that I think about it, rather than just explaining my methods, I might try to form it into more of a guide or study plan for anyone wanting intensive study. It sucks this thread is so outdated, specifically the op.

 

[Jintor]

I love flashcards but they're only a larger part of a system to keep words banging around in my head until I see/hear them in regular use, which is as far as I can tell the only place where real, actual not-having-to-think-about-translation learning seems to happen

 

[Mik2121]

I reckon applying 4-5 (or 8) hours a day on studying just can't work for some people, either because they are too busy with other stuff like work, or they just can't spend that many hours every single day staring at books and whatnot.
I know I didn't either when I was studying but either way was able to grab my N2 on the second year and then continue with what I wanted to do (language was more of a tool to continue doing what I wanted rather than my goal).

But if you tell him, he will at least appreciate it, I'd say!

 

[Jintor]

You have to get over that hump where you can't read anything interesting and everything you do drains you. I feel like I've only recently gotten over the first of many.

But it's so cool, being able to read more things without having to stop every few seconds. I wish I'd had the resolve to get this far sooner.

 

[I'm an expert]

I reckon applying 4-5 (or 8) hours a day on studying just can't work for some people, either because they are too busy with other stuff like work, or they just can't spend that many hours every single day staring at books and whatnot.
I know I didn't either when I was studying but either way was able to grab my N2 on the second year and then continue with what I wanted to do (language was more of a tool to continue doing what I wanted rather than my goal).

But if you tell him, he will at least appreciate it, I'd say!

My hours actually had no textbook study, and the guide I'd write wouldn't really focus on that. Imo the best way to grasp grammar is jlpt style. The point is introduced, you get the pattern, a meaning, an example sentence, next. Grammar basically becomes vocab.

And I know it's not feasible for most. Every time I begin to write about it I start with some variation of 'this will only work if you are a lifeless student for the period' or unemployed. For those that aren't, they have to consider what to sacrifice. My number one suggestion is sleep. 5 hours is the max anyone should ever need, barring health issues. If people can study 8-midnight, there's your 4 hours. And working professionals don't have any excuse if they want to get it done. I am surrounded daily by people who work 10-14 hours a day, have families, and still study for the cpa, a test that makes jlpt look like a jr high quiz. It's about discipline.

And my method is also just for speed. Of course you can do it a million different ways at different paces, like you did. The difference is you passed jlpt2 after year(s) when it took me 3 months for 1. Tiny sacrifice for giant reward. For those that take it at a more relaxed pace, there are a trillion guides out there. I'd basically be targeting people who want it NAO.

 

[Mik2121]

Fair enough. I think some people would be up for it, so I would imagine people would appreciate it if you told them.

In my case, as you say, it took me years (two, back then the test was only twice a year so I had to wait quite a bit as well). This is already around 8 years ago and back then I was more concentrated on 3D and 2D stuff which is why I didn't do what you did, but if someone can get at it and do it in 3 months, I'd say go for it.

 

[urfe]

What is everyone's motivation for learning Japanese anyways?

I'm married in Japan, and the main reason is job progression, but there's also wanting to be able to read novels and articles with ease, and talk about a variety of topics with people.

I think motivation for learning can really change the amount someone studies.

 

[Kurita]

What is everyone's motivation for learning Japanese anyways?

I'm married in Japan, and the main reason is job progression, but there's also wanting to be able to read novels and articles with ease, and talk about a variety of topics with people.

I think motivation for learning can really change the amount someone studies.

I see languages as keys that open up doors to whole new realms of knowledge, culture, way to see the world and people to meet. It just broadens your horizons and allows you to experience more things in life.

 

[RangerBAD]

I spend about 3-4 hours a day for six days a week studying. I'm concerned with burning out if I push it too far.

What is everyone's motivation for learning Japanese anyways?

I'm married in Japan, and the main reason is job progression, but there's also wanting to be able to read novels and articles with ease, and talk about a variety of topics with people.

I think motivation for learning can really change the amount someone studies.

I look at learning Japanese as nothing but positives. There are no downsides. Learning Japanese will open up so much for me personally. I put it off too long. I put off trying too long. It's good having goals when you're disabled.

 

[Porcile]

Hey expert, can you send me a PM of that post if you don't want to post it publicly for whatever reason? Even though you don't think people are interested or you think its not useful, I would genuinely like to to read it. I suppose you probably deleted it though.

 

[stump sock]

What is everyone's motivation for learning Japanese anyways?

I was a language major (and minor) in college, studied different languages for probably 20 years. Realized I missed learning a new language and Japanese aligns with some of my interests so it has built-in motivation.

no real goals other than personal satisfaction. it helps me find new music and play imported games so it at least has more practical use than any of the other languages I've learned...

 

[I'm an expert]

Hey expert, can you send me a PM of that post if you don't want to post it publicly for whatever reason? Even though you don't think people are interested or you think its not useful, I would genuinely like to to read it. I suppose you probably deleted it though.

Negative! I wrote it yesterday morning at 5am when gaf was down in a word document! So I have it. I'm just formatting now to be more 'useful' rather than some 'here's why I'm so godlike git gud' post.

 

[Darksol]

What is everyone's motivation for learning Japanese anyways?

I'm married in Japan, and the main reason is job progression, but there's also wanting to be able to read novels and articles with ease, and talk about a variety of topics with people.

I think motivation for learning can really change the amount someone studies.

At first it was just a matter of a personal challenge. I wanted to learn a language that didn't use the Latin alphabet. I just as easily could have gone with Arabic or something else.

My motivations and reasons have continued to develop though. The most practical reason is the fact that I've finished my teaching certifications and I'll be living in Japan for the next several years, as of this February. Additionally, my girlfriend is a Japanese major, and I suppose there's some friendly competition about keeping up with her (I have no chance, but it's fun to try anyways ). Also, a lot of my Japanese friends barely speak any English unless they're hammered, so I'm trying to make it easier for them, haha.

Of course, all of the usual reasons apply as well (history and philosophy books, games, music, etc.) There's also certain aspects of Shintoism and Buddhism that I'd like to explore in greater detail.

Bonus reason: I don't ever want Alzheimer's disease, and learning languages have a proven track record with delaying that.

I see languages as keys that open up doors to whole new realms of knowledge, culture, way to see the world and people to meet. It just broadens your horizons and allows you to experience more things in life.

This too. Japanese got me thinking about 侘び寂び、物の哀れ and other concepts which have had a direct impact on how I perceive the world and my place in it.

 

[blurr]

What is everyone's motivation for learning Japanese anyways?

I'm married in Japan, and the main reason is job progression, but there's also wanting to be able to read novels and articles with ease, and talk about a variety of topics with people.

I think motivation for learning can really change the amount someone studies.

At this point, I just want to finish what I started, I just wanted to learn another language, was always fascinated by the ability. However, I have been told that it can be really useful as a career choice as well (which is something I didn't consider at all when I started), I like the idea but I'm really unsure if I'll get a chance but nevertheless I want to give it a shot, if there's anything I've learned from my past mistakes, it is that I keep underestimating what I can do. That being the case, I want to take a JLPT exam, I would've earlier but there wasn't one in my city.

This too. Japanese got me thinking about 侘び寂び、物の哀れ and other concepts which have had a direct impact on how I perceive the world and my place in it.

Can you share more information about this?

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I reckon applying 4-5 (or 8) hours a day on studying just can't work for some people, either because they are too busy with other stuff like work, or they just can't spend that many hours every single day staring at books and whatnot.
I know I didn't either when I was studying but either way was able to grab my N2 on the second year and then continue with what I wanted to do (language was more of a tool to continue doing what I wanted rather than my goal).

But if you tell him, he will at least appreciate it, I'd say!

Weren't you going to design/art school in Japan and taking classes in Japanese with other Japanese students at the time? If so, I'd say you were studying Japanese even when you weren't consciously doing it.

It came down to 1. discipline and 2. time. If any of you could do 4-6 hours a day (though I was more at about 8) then of course you could absorb all the necessary vocab/kanji/grammar the way I did back then.

I think, in the end, it really does just come down to this. At some point, you need to put in the hours. Some of those hours may be more effective than others depending on what you use to study, but anyone who can go hardcore and study 4+ hours a day (in some form or another) for months on end should come out the other end with vastly improved abilities.

 

[Darksol]

Can you share more information about this?

侘び寂び (wabi-sabi) and 物の哀れ (mono no aware) are about as simple or as complex as you make them. They're different from each other, but to me they share a common unifying theme of simplicity, transience, and imperfection. A recognition for imperfect, fleeting things. Sakura are commonly used as an example of mono no aware, as their beauty is fleeting. The same could be said of a partially obstructed moon.

In many ways they remind me of the western concept of memento mori ("remember, you will die"). The more I read about these worldviews, the more it's helped me to reevaluate certain concepts like materialism, beauty, and my own mortality. It's helped me to see the beauty in imperfect forms and hold a sort of bittersweet sadness at their passing.

 

[Mik2121]

Weren't you going to design/art school in Japan and taking classes in Japanese with other Japanese students at the time? If so, I'd say you were studying Japanese even when you weren't consciously doing it.

That is correct! I was going to an art school here in Osaka at a Japanese technical school so everything and (almost) everybody was Japanese. This was after I took the JLPT 2 test though. All in all, what helped me the most was probably getting a girlfriend (now wife) early on my second year after arriving to Japan. It was a matter of learning Japanese or potentially losing her, so...!

 

[Resilient]

That is correct! I was going to an art school here in Osaka at a Japanese technical school so everything and (almost) everybody was Japanese. This was after I took the JLPT 2 test though. All in all, what helped me the most was probably getting a girlfriend (now wife) early on my second year after arriving to Japan. It was a matter of learning Japanese or potentially losing her, so...!

you're still living in Japan right? this thread makes me feel young (no offense)

 

[Mik2121]

you're still living in Japan right? this thread makes me feel young (no offense)

Yep, I'm 29 now, been here for a while now!

 

[I'm an expert]

So I finally read through that thread I linked above and everyone's earlier posts in this thread too, and man the internet scene has changed so much. Obviously I haven't formally studied the language in years so I had no reason to keep up on current resources. It's mind blowing what's out there now. I probably could have done what I did in half the time with these kinds of resources. It's making writing my post a bit harder but it's also quite interesting the variety of ways you can tackle jgo from.

Maybe this existed even back then and I just didn't know, but.. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/easy/ .. really? Something like this is amazing for early reading practice. Skip all that genki and manga shit and just do nothing but read this once you have kana down. This is what I meant by practical study. It even has fuckin listening lol. Great stuff.

 

[AmethystEnd]

So I finally read through that thread I linked above and everyone's earlier posts in this thread too, and man the internet scene has changed so much. Obviously I haven't formally studied the language in years so I had no reason to keep up on current resources. It's mind blowing what's out there now. I probably could have done what I did in half the time with these kinds of resources. It's making writing my post a bit harder but it's also quite interesting the variety of ways you can tackle jgo from.

Maybe this existed even back then and I just didn't know, but.. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/easy/ .. really? Something like this is amazing for early reading practice. Skip all that genki and manga shit and just do nothing but read this once you have kana down. This is what I meant by practical study. It even has fuckin listening lol. Great stuff.

Yeah, I've been using that. It's good.

 

[I'm an expert]

Unfortunately there's also the same old nonsense out there. I'm not a big reddit user but I ran through what seemed to be the popular ones and it's the usual problem from decades ago. Any place that is a majority of learners will be covered in a blanket of bad info and explanations. The only exception to this rule I ever saw was an expat forum called BigDaikon that had so many jgo proficient people that it was actually possible to discuss topics at a higher level. I'm sure a fewer of the older peeps here remember it as well. In general though I really don't see the reason to talk to other learners about anything but ideas, methods, opinions, etc. Actually discussing the technicalities of a language... meh. Kind of gets back to what I was posting about earlier.

 

[AmethystEnd]

Unfortunately there's also the same old nonsense out there. I'm not a big reddit user but I ran through what seemed to be the popular ones and it's the usual problem from decades ago. Any place that is a majority of learners will be covered in a blanket of bad info and explanations. The only exception to this rule I ever saw was an expat forum called BigDaikon that had so many jgo proficient people that it was actually possible to discuss topics at a higher level. I'm sure a fewer of the older peeps here remember it as well. In general though I really don't see the reason to talk to other learners about anything but ideas, methods, opinions, etc. Actually discussing the technicalities of a language... meh. Kind of gets back to what I was posting about earlier.

I understand what you've been saying regarding this, but what exactly do you suggest we do when people post in here asking for help with something specific? I leave it alone if I can't give an answer/explanation I'm satisfied with, but if I think I understand it satisfactorily, I don't want to just ignore the post, y'know?

 

[I'm an expert]

Er, I don't want anyone to do anything lol. Post however you want, whenever you want, to whatever you want. It's up to the person receiving the advice to feel comfortable with it or to try and verify it on their own. It was just a topic I though was worth discussing finally. We discussed it. I like discussion.

 

[Resilient]

I understand what you've been saying regarding this, but what exactly do you suggest we do when people post in here asking for help with something specific? I leave it alone if I can't give an answer/explanation I'm satisfied with, but if I think I understand it satisfactorily, I don't want to just ignore the post, y'know?

there's not much to do. if this sounds odd coming from me (early learner), forgive me, but these are the options really.

1. Give the answer, person now understands it cause you told them, but who knows whether it has stuck or not in their head. Really, considering the next 2 options, this is the best option, in the hopes that the receiver of the answer then notes it and doesn't forget.
2. Explain the meaning of what they don't understand - but that's something they can do. So many times when I don't get something, I just Google it if I can't find it in my notes or a book. Always come up with the answer.
3. Link them to a worked example or a practical example from an article or something, but again, that's something they can do too..

2. and 3. are ...something that I'm an expert helped me realise are actually pretty lazy things to do..one of the first questions I asked in these threads was answered by him and really, I was being a lazy shit coming here and asking first, before finding the answer myself.. I should have brought an idea of answer first, before just asking for help straight away.

Honestly, it's best to just answer them or link to an example to continue to let the community, and the people who want to learn it grow. But, it's always up to the person learning whether they're gonna stick with it or not. They aren't gonna quit cause nobody answered their question. It comes down to laziness and discipline and why you wanna do it..sorry if I'm echoing earlier posts in the thread.

 

[stump sock]

Maybe this existed even back then and I just didn't know, but.. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/easy/ .. really? Something like this is amazing for early reading practice. Skip all that genki and manga shit and just do nothing but read this once you have kana down. This is what I meant by practical study. It even has fuckin listening lol. Great stuff.

yeah it's pretty great.

 

[AmethystEnd]

I generally don't post questions in here because it's easier to find out for myself.

Like if I'm questioning if something I wrote is grammatically correct I just:

"<stuff goes here>" on google and see if there are a significant number of hits on actual Japanese sites.

 

[Resilient]

I generally don't post questions in here because it's easier to find out for myself.

Like if I'm questioning if something I wrote is grammatically correct I just:

"<stuff goes here>" on google and see if there are a significant number of hits on actual Japanese sites.

that's what I do. sometimes it works. sometimes it doesn't, i've probably done it wrong a few times.

 

[I'm an expert]

I generally don't post questions in here because it's easier to find out for myself.

Like if I'm questioning if something I wrote is grammatically correct I just:

"<stuff goes here>" on google and see if there are a significant number of hits on actual Japanese sites.

Which is really what anyone should do. See the point in a natural way and how natives use it.

 

[AmethystEnd]

that's what I do. sometimes it works. sometimes it doesn't, i've probably done it wrong a few times.

I've never had it just flat out not work, but in cases where there's too much specific vocabulary you just have to start using wildcards.

Like, taking one of the sentences that started all this discussion for example:

&#12371;&#12398;&#12502;&#12525;&#12460;&#12540;&#12399;&#12392;&#12390;&#12418;&#38754;&#30333;&#12356;&#35352;&#20107;&#12434;&#26360;&#12367;&#12371;&#12392;&#12364;&#12354;&#12427;&#12364;&#12289;&#12288;&#12392;&#12390;&#12418;&#12388;&#12414;&#12425;&#12394;&#12356;&#35352;&#20107;&#12418;&#26360;&#12367;&#12371;&#12392;&#12364;&#12354;&#12427;&#12290;

If I was questioning specifically the &#12371;&#12392;&#12364;&#12354;&#12427;&#12364; part, then my query would be something like:

"*&#12371;&#12392;&#12364;&#12354;&#12427;&#12364;*" and I'd get 24,000,000 examples of this exact grammar being used by natives.

 

[stump sock]

I also like searching chiebukuro for grammar matches, with the caveat that I know that I am putting my trust in the type of idiot that uses yahoo answers...

 

[Kurita]

I generally don't post questions in here because it's easier to find out for myself.

Like if I'm questioning if something I wrote is grammatically correct I just:

"<stuff goes here>" on google and see if there are a significant number of hits on actual Japanese sites.

That's one of the first things my teachers taught us.

 

[upandaway]

Yeah NHK Easy is great. The vocab can get a little annoying though, people who are early enough to be using it will probably prefer to learn more common words than what's on there.

 

[I'm an expert]

Yeah NHK Easy is great. The vocab can get a little annoying though, people who are early enough to be using it will probably prefer to learn more common words than what's on there.

Not sure what you mean by this post. Can you give an example?

 

[Porcile]

Maybe this existed even back then and I just didn't know, but.. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/easy/ .. really? Something like this is amazing for early reading practice. Skip all that genki and manga shit and just do nothing but read this once you have kana down. This is what I meant by practical study. It even has fuckin listening lol. Great stuff.

Nothing but NHK Easy News once you have kana down? Maybe your exaggerating but that seems impossible to me. Basically, you're suggesting a form of language immersion, which is fine, if you know the grammar, but how could anyone who only knows kana begin to read or even dissect that website? At some point, you're going to have sit down and learn something using genki or whatever.

 

[Resilient]

Nothing but NHK Easy News once you have kana down? Maybe your exaggerating but that seems impossible to me. Basically, you're suggesting a form of language immersion, which is fine, if you know the grammar, but how could anyone who only knows kana begin to read or even dissect that website? At some point, you're going to have sit down and learn something using genki or whatever.

Give it a shot, after a week of struggling the grammar will stick better than re-reading a text book.

In fact it's probably better to read NHK, see a pattern you don't know, google it, note it, keep reading every day. Just push through the initial struggle and it'll become easy!

 

[I'm an expert]

So I'm kind of jumping the gun here because I do address that point (running through grammar quickly) in my post that is yet to come. However, let me clarify that whenever I post in this thread, it is strictly in my mind that I am talking to someone who wants to be a hardcore learner. None of my posts should ever be thought of as me addressing a beginner or someone who wants to study in a classroom or a similar schedule.

Everything I post in here is always in the mindset that anyone who cares about what I say is someone who wants to beast Jgo quickly and efficiently. I think there are plenty of posters here who can cover beginner/intermediate expectations. That's not my audience.

But I'm glad you let me clarify that.

 

[Porcile]

Give it a shot, after a week of struggling the grammar will stick better than re-reading a text book.

In fact it's probably better to read NHK, see a pattern you don't know, google it, note it, keep reading every day. Just push through the initial struggle and it'll become easy!

Someone who ONLY knows kana isn't even going to know the most basic of basic grammar needed to dissect anything in that sentence. It's like giving a guitar to someone for the first time and then telling them to spend a week learning to play Stairway to Heaven.

 

[I'm an expert]

Just to be clear though, there's no reason someone still cant use that site to practice reading because it requires nothing but kana due to furigana. An exercise back in the day we had was to read endless lines of jumbled kana. Not words, just random lists of characters to drill them in your head, especially the similar ones.

In this case though you get to see some kanji and their readings which is a great thing. Dont worry about understanding it if you're still a level where literally all you know is kana.

 

[muteki]

NHK Easy is a great resource. I make an effort to get through the ~4 or so new articles a day they post. They do a good job of selecting a mixture of topics, half of it is local random Japan news, half of it is world news, which keeps it interesting.

Soon though, I'm going to start wishing there was a NHK Not-as-easy-but-not-as hard-as-the-real-thing. I should look more at the JP BBC or just bite the bullet and read the regular version.

 

[Porcile]

Just to be clear though, there's no reason someone still cant use that site to practice reading because it requires nothing but kana due to furigana. An exercise back in the day we had was to read endless lines of jumbled kana. Not words, just random lists of characters to drill them in your head, especially the similar ones.

In this case though you get to see some kanji and their readings which is a great thing. Dont worry about understanding it if you're still a level where literally all you know is kana.

Well, if that's the case then you might as well read some manga with furigana if all you're doing is trying to read kana within the confines of native materials. I don't disagree with the idea of immersion learning at all, but I agree more with speed learning through grammar before you begin to tackle the actual task of reading things.

 

[AmethystEnd]

Here's another news site I use:

http://mainichi.jp/feature/maisho/

The section I've linked to specifically is their &#12300;&#27598;&#26085;&#23567;&#23398;&#29983;&#26032;&#32862;&#12301; section (Every day elementary schooler newspaper). It's pretty much like NHK easy, still with furigana and such.

But you can move off that section and read more difficult articles.

 

[upandaway]

Not sure what you mean by this post. Can you give an example?

Well I'll precede by saying I mean reading the articles in text form without the furigana and mouseover definitions, personally the furigana trivializes too much. It's been a couple months since I've read stuff there but I'll try picking something recent
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/easy/k10010265461000/k10010265461000.html
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/easy/k10010267121000/k10010267121000.html
Most articles are good practice even for N4 so the occasional uncommon word is kinda scary

I'll also mention this place
https://www.reddit.com/r/NHKEasyNews/

 

[Kilrogg]

I'm an expert, I have only one question: why "Jgo"? Trying to sound all cool and fancy mayhaps?