WordMate Discount for ATJ

Language learning programs published by WordMate include "Japanese Say Hello" and "Speed English" for speakers of Japanese. They use a bilingual-dichotic method whereby words from the two languages are delivered to learners through headphones; the method has received a patent in the USA and in Japan. A research paper on the design of the Speed English program may be viewed at http://agoralang.com/agora/agoranews/aarons.html. WordMate offers a special discount to ATJ members. Individuals and organizations can receive a 50% discount off the regular price of $49.95 (Japanese Say Hello) and $59.95 (Speed ENGLISH) by mentioning ATJ. The reduced prices are, respectively, $24.98 and $29.98 plus $4.00 S&H. Orders may be placed by mail to WordMate, PO Box 992, Skokie, IL 60076-0992, or Tel.: 888/967-3628, or Fax: 847/677-6186. Web site: http://agoralang.com/wordmate.html. In Japan, orders may be placed with LANGUAGE WORLD, Att: Robert Nelson, Rune Higashi Terao 818, 4-1-1 Higashi Terao, TSURUMI-KU, YOKOHAMA-SHI 230-0077, Tel/Fax: 045-584-6014. Email: lw@twics.com.

CIC-JAPIR: Japanese Computer-based Instructional Resources

This past year four teachers--Atsushi Fukada (Purdue University), Yuki Johnson (University of Michigan), Noriko Taira (Northwestern University), and Noriko Asato (Purdue University)--collaboratively developed several sets of computer-based materials for teaching/learning Japanese. We concentrated our efforts on developing widely usable materials rather than software programs. Three (freeware) Macintosh programs and materials we developed for them are listed below.

(1) VKC/J (Vocabulary/Kanji/Conjugation in Japanese)
--Situational Functional Japanese (Tsukuba Language Group; Bonjinsha): Vol. 1 (Lessons 1-8), Vol. 2 (Lessons 9-16), and Vol. 3 (Lessons 17-24);
--Nakama: Communication, Culture, and Context (Makino, Hatasa & Hatasa; Houghton Mifflin): Lessons 1-11;
--Northwestern course materials, Lessons 1-20.
(2) CATERS (Computer-Assisted TEchnical Reading System)
--26 reading passages
(3) Jigsaw Listener
--Module One: "Student and teacher"
--Module Two: "Ordering at a restaurant"

The materials as well as the programs are available for downloading. They are distributed as freeware to be used for non-commercial educational purposes. For more details, please access the CIC-JAPIR home page at http://www.sla.purdue.edu/fll/JapanProj/.

The Tale of Genji CD-ROM

As computers become more a necessity than a luxury and Japanese software is no longer limited to just a few titles, the software must keep pace with the times and give us truly useful rather than simply visually impressive programs. Both visually beautiful and truly useful, Fujitsu's Tale of Genji CD-ROM takes a large step toward this goal. Although this CD-ROM does not take full advantage of the possibilities the technology opens up, it lives up to the claim that software manufacturers have long been promising but seldom delivering: it uses the computer to go beyond what could be done with other media alone.

The CD-ROM features photographs, artwork, video clips, music, and virtual reality to explore various aspects of Murasaki Shikibu's classic Tale of Genji and of the culture and daily life of the people of the Heian period. Currently, only the first of a planned two CD-ROM set is available but, as the scheduled release date of the second is May 1997, it will probably be available soon. The CD-ROMs are hybrid, meaning the same CD-ROM can be used on both the Macintosh and Windows operating systems.

The first CD-ROM focuses on chapters 1-33 of the Genji, from the opening chapter, "Kiritsubo," through "Fuji no Uraba." All the information on the CD-ROM is available in both Japanese and English, though the active language can only be selected from the main menu and it is therefore difficult to switch back and forth as desired. I understand the program was originally released in Japanese and the English translated later; the translation is excellent and informative.

The CD-ROM is designed to be used as an introduction to the novel and a supplement to reading, and certainly not a replacement for the work itself. For this reason, it does not contain the actual text of the novel. Rather, an audio narration of each chapter is given, summarizing the important events, accompanied by photographs and pictures. The pictures are well selected and the effect is beautiful. In addition, the CD-ROM provides links to additional information about each chapter. By clicking a button during the narration, descriptions of important characters, a glossary of related terms, the text of famous scenes, and a genealogy of the Genji are given. All of these are organized according to the chapter being studied, so that information appropriate to the content can be readily accessed. Particularly useful are the genealogy charts, as the complex interpersonal relationships are extremely difficult for students to keep track of. Because the charts are chapter-specific, they provide an easy-to-understand guide to those relationships that are important to the current section of the novel. The text of famous scenes is given in classical Japanese as well as both modern Japanese and English translations. The text can also be heard aloud in classical Japanese, while viewing either the classical text or the text in translation.

All of the information accessible during the narration can also be accessed from the main menu. There is a wealth of information on major characters, a timeline of Genji's life, and a collection of reproductions of prints from the Genji picture scroll and other sources. Unfortunately, the information is neither as well-organized nor as easily accessible as in the narration. The timeline, genealogies, and prints can only be viewed in order. Skipping to specific scenes is impossible. The prints would also benefit from longer descriptions of what specific scenes are being depicted. They are currently identified by chapter and by the location of the original print.

Another valuable resource available in the main menu is a guide to the culture of the Heian nobility. This contains descriptions, illustrations, photographs, and video clips which give a detailed picture of various aspects of Heian life. Included are clothing and color combinations, architecture and furniture, games and amusements, ceremonies and dance, transportation, and the diet of the Heian nobles. The amount of information is large and gives far more detail than is available in most dictionaries. The information is also fairly accessible, with the ability to either choose from the listed items or browse through a section as a whole. Though generally straightforward, the interface does occasionally get confusing, and the program would benefit from some form of documentation, either on the CD itself or in an instruction book.

The centerpiece of the program is a virtual tour through Genji's Rokujo Mansion. Described as an interactive look at Heian life through a tour of the Rokujo-in, this aspect of the program did not live up to expectations. It is visually impressive and the virtual model of the mansion is clearly accurate and detailed, but the "tour" is more frustrating than informative. By clicking forward, left, or right, the view changes, as though walking through the mansion. Unfortunately, the program moves from one location to the next so quickly that it is confusing, as well as difficult to see many parts of the mansion. Many paths are also blocked off, and it is possible to get backed into a corner and forced to backtrack, though the way appears to be open. Particularly frustrating was the inability to go out into the gardens themselves. At certain points in the villa a magnifying glass appears, indicating that additional information is available on various objects, including tatami mats, curtains, sleeping dais, and a biwa lying on the floor of one room. These objects link directly to the information available in the guide to the life of Heian nobility and provide excellent information about what is being seen. However, the objects which give this information are extremely irregular. An object about which information is provided in one room will not necessarily give information in the next. Many objects appear in the tour for which no information at all is provided. This deficiency is confusing, in that all the desired information is available on the CD-ROM when the guide is accessed from the main menu, and it should have been quite simple to provide links between the information and its location in the virtual tour. Also conspicuous by its absence was information about the plants found in the four gardens of the mansion. The mansion is divided into four gardens representing the four seasons and featuring flora symbolic of the seasons. Although the opening shot of the Rokujo Mansion tour (as well as that of the CD-ROM as a whole) features the four seasons motif prominently, this aspect is completely neglected. It is certainly impossible to include every piece of information, and this omission can be forgiven, but the inaccessibility of information in the virtual tour seems a vital lack.

Despite these problems, the CD-ROM as a whole is a valuable resource. The amount and quality of information is impressive, and a good job was done incorporating audio-visual materials such as music and video clips, which would be difficult or impossible to include in a more conventional guide. The second CD-ROM promises to deal with the remaining chapters and to include photographs of famous locations featured in the novel and descriptions of festivals and events important in the text. Together, they should provide a unique and valuable supplement to reading the Tale of Genji.

System requirements: Windows 3.1/95 with 80486 CPU, 16 MB RAM (8MB for Win 3.1), 640x480 256 color monitor, 2x CD-ROM Drive. Macintosh with 68040 CPU, 8MB RAM, 640x480 256 color monitor, Quick Time 2.0, System 7.0. Testing for this review was done on a Macintosh.

The Tale of Genji CD-ROM (pts. 1&2), Fujitsu Software Corp., 3055 Orchard Dr., San Jose, CA 95134. Tel.: 1-800-603-8105. $68 each.

Jeremy Robinson
University of Colorado

The Tale of Genji CD-ROM, vol. 2

When I reviewed the Tale of Genji CD-ROM for the April ATJ newsletter, the second volume was not yet available. The Tale of Genji CD-ROM volume 2, containing chapters 34-54 of the work, has since been released, and together they provide an excellent companion to the work as a whole. The division of chapters between the two discs is a logical one, following the standard division of the work into three sections. While the first volume deals with Genji's youth and success in the first thirty-three chapters, the second begins with the "Wakana" chapter and covers Genji's decline and death, then continues with the Uji chapters, dealing with the next generation of courtiers following the death of Genji.

The second volume is organized in the same way as the first. An audio narration in either Japanese or English gives an overview of the important events in each chapter, accompanied by photographs. Clicking a button during the narration gives additional information related to the chapter, including a genealogy specific to that chapter, descriptions of important characters, and a famous scene from the chapter in the original classical Japanese. On the first volume, a section on Heian court life gave additional information on Heian clothing, vehicles, recreation, dance and other aspects of Heian court life. Although this section is not present on the second volume, information relevant to individual chapters is still included and can be accessed during the narration. Clearly, an effort was made to minimize the negative effects of the CD-ROM's division into two volumes.

In place of the section on Heian court life, the second volume includes a guide to the various locations that are important in the novel. Setting plays such an important role throughout the Tale of Genji, and so many locations have taken on a special significance because of their inclusion in the work, that this section seems a particularly useful reference. Provinces, towns, temples and shrines prominent in the work are introduced both in their present state and as they existed at the time of the novel's writing, with an explanation of each location's role in the novel and importance in the Heian context. Like the individual chapter section, this guide takes the form of photographs accompanied by an audio narrative. Although the narration is not as smooth as that in the chapter sections and may have been more accessible in written form, the information given is interesting and useful.

Also useful is an explanation of various Heian festivals and ceremonies which appear in the novel. These festivals were an integral part of the Heian court, and the explanations are an important extension to the outline of Heian court life found on the first volume. It is in the same form as the original guide, with written explanations and drawings or photos to further demonstrate the customs surrounding each ceremony.

Finally, the CD-ROM includes an outline of the life of the novel's author. The often conflicting facts about Murasaki Shikibu's life, family background and role in the court of the empress she served are examined, as are the situation and questions surrounding the writing of the Tale of Genji. Also examined are important aspects of and excerpts from her other works, her diary and poetry collection. This biographical sketch is in the form of an oral narrative, which is a bit long and can only be listened to straight through, in order. However, additional information about various aspects of her life can be accessed at any time during the narration, and specific topics are fairly easy to find.

All in all, there isn't as much information on this second volume as there was on the first. In particular, there was more variety on the first, with video clips, sound clips and virtual reality which took advantage of the multimedia capability for which the CD-ROM format is so popular. The second volume tends to favor photos, and where sound is used, it is simply for narrative. It doesn't go much beyond what could have been accomplished in simple book form. However, it does do a good job of completing the project volume one began. Also, the attempts to integrate the information on the two CD-ROMs seem successful, and many of the possible problems and limitations involved in dividing the guide into two parts have been avoided. The two volumes work well together and should prove to be a valuable resource to supplement the reading of the novel.

System Requirements: Windows 3.1/95 with 80486 CPU, 16 MB RAM (8MB for Win 3.1), 640x480 256 color monitor, 2x CD-ROM Drive. Macintosh with 68040 CPU, 8MB RAM, 640x480 256 color monitor, Quick Time 2.0, System 7.0. Testing for this review was done on a Macintosh.

The Tale of Genji CD-ROM (vols. 1 and 2)
Fujitsu Software Corp.
3055 Orchard Drive
San Jose, CA 95134
Tel.: 1-800-603-8105
$68 each.

Jeremy Robinson
University of Colorado