Make Learning a Lifestyle

Try changing your computer and phone languages to Japanese. Can you handle it? If yes, keep it this way for the foreseeable future. Maybe do the same thing with the Anki interface, facefuck, twatter, redtube, neflops, etc. Well… since you are probably going to be using redtube a lot and you are already very familiar with its interface, you should probably switch it to Japanese now. Do you play video games? Unless absolutely impossible, keep them in Japanese as well. Speaking of being a giant nerd…

If you like video games you may be wondering how soon can you start diving into Japanese gaming. I would say pretty soon, but I don’t know if you would call it gaming: if you plan on understanding things like dialogue and plot ― you are still going to mostly just sentence mine. Personally, I was fine with it — maybe you’ll be too. The word “gaming” doesn’t fit perfectly here though.

The first thing you should probably look for is furigana, especially if you actually want to game at least a little bit and not just mine. Unfortunately, 99% of Japanese video games don’t have furigana. In fact, I don’t remember ever seeing a proper PS4, PSP, or a PS Vita game that had it (except for maybe MonHan Stories 2?). There are a few Switch ones maybe? Anyway: you’ve got plenty of options only if you’re willing to make 3DS your console of choice for the next few years.

OK, the actual first thing you need to look for is not furigana, but a Japanese 3DS, since if I’m remembering correctly 3DS is regionally locked. You can try hacking your console of course, but just like with hacking Switch — the final result is a bit jenky (it’s no hacked PSP experience, unfortunately). Also I have no idea where to pirate Japanese roms for 3DS, so I can’t help you with that.

By the way, don’t get the literal 3DS or 3DS LL, and especially don’t get the “New” version of the system: there’s like one game that actually requires it, and but a few other games utilize its new thumb torturing nipple (Nintendo’s best attempt at giving the 3DS a second stick). Because of the way the 3DS’ screen works (you’ll never be using the 3D thing btw), it is very blurry in the 2D mode: basically it’s just two screens, one at a certain distance on top of the other, and for the 2D mode they come together, making a flat image. However, they aren’t aligned properly (probably on purpose, due to some phase-related shenanigans), which results in an absolutely insulting level of blurriness (and colors are off too btw) — since you will mostly be using the device for reading (essentialy), you definitely don’t need any of that. If you ever saw the screen of a 3DS console (especially the big one) and thought it was blurry af — the screen is actually pretty sharp when it’s not in the “two overlapping misaligned screens” mode. It’s pixelated, yes, but sharp. Get yourself a 2DS LL. A regular 2DS would be the next best thing, but I wouldn’t particularly recommend it unless you just need a spare console to trade Pokemon with yourself (I wouldn’t know anything about that…).

Now! Here’s some good stuff that has furigana:

• とびだせ　どうぶつの森 (some other どうぶつの森 have it as well if I’m remembering correctly)
• 真・女神転生IV (not IV FINAL tho) ― the best game in the franchise
• ゼルダの伝説 games (on the original DS as well)
• 新・光神話 パルテナの鏡 (don’t break your arm with this one)
• レイトン教授 games, even レイトン教授VS逆転裁判 (don’t know about furigana in the non-3DS games)
• モンスターハンター ストーリーズ (not bad at all)
• 妖怪ウォッチ games (more or less all of them, I think). super cool and very underappreciated games btw
• ニの国 (the original DS game. don’t know about the “big” version on PS4)
• ドラゴンクエストVII & ドラゴンクエストVIII (don’t know if the home console versions have furigana though)

I don’t remember any 牧場物語 games having furigana, but the (currently) last spinoff ドラえもんのび太の牧場物語 looks like it has full support. The game is on the Switch and PC. Haven’t played it myself, but it’s probably pretty good (I mean, it’s a 牧場物語 game after all) and should be A-OK for learning purposes.

Pokemon games can be played in full kana. Not really the same thing as furigana, but if you’re into gaming ― hey, at least it’s playable! In Japanese, technically. Would you do any learning with nothing but kana? Well, maybe a little bit. Definitely not a lot though.

No proper 逆転裁判 game has furigana ― don’t get you hopes by レイトン教授VS逆転裁判.

Obviously you can find some more stuff if you ask the interwebs for games with furigana. Not a lot, but some. I think?