2023 is quickly approaching, and for many of us that means new learning goals to work towards during the new year. I achieved all of my goals in 2022 and some of them I even blew out of the park. I have set a lot of my goals around gradually cutting down on the amount of English exposure that I have, and increasing the amount of Japanese exposure. Because I live in Japan, my goal is ultimately to reach a level where I never have to use English at all in order to live the same way as everyone else around me. I’m taking the “When in Rome” proverb seriously. That does not mean to give up my native language, but rather to put it on the back-burner so that it is no longer my primary language. I personally view adopting the language of your host country as your primary language to be an essential step in properly assimilating so I am doing what I can to make that a reality. This meant taking actions such as switching to a job where I can work fully in Japanese, shaking up my social circles, etc.
And now as 2023 is about to begin, I see one remaining area that I must change in order to meet this long term goal; and that is regarding internet usage. I find it quite interesting that many advanced-level speakers continue to use the web almost entirely in English. I am also guilty of this. My primary language learning goal for 2023 is to change my internet habits by ceasing to use English websites and replacing them with Japanese alternatives and I would like to invite you to join me!
Throughout December I have been gradually increasing the amount of time that I spend on Japanese websites. I have used them casually in the past, but now it’s time to get serious because starting January 1st the majority of my time online has to be in Japanese.
Most of my English exposure online currently comes from Reddit and 4chan. Basically everything has a Japanese alternative, and these two websites are no exception. For example instead of browsing Reddit or 4chan there are sites like 5ch, おーぷん2ch, as well as many others (personally I recommend finding a good まとめ site to follow so that you can find the interesting threads more easily – I like hamusoku). Instead of English news sites, read Japanese news sites. [Did you know that there is even a Japanese alternative to this very subreddit where your questions will be answered by native speakers and advanced learners?](https://chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/category/2078297843/question/list) I also deleted my English YouTube account entirely.
I understand that only a very specific type of person can share this same goal with me, but anyone can aim to use Japanese more online so I want this thread to be a hub for sharing corners of the Japanese web that you enjoy so that others can add them to their bookmarks as they work towards using Japanese more online. Here are some of my favorite websites:
* アキバ総研 (otaku news site)
* syosetsu (web novels)
* キミラノ (good for finding light novels to read)
* ハムスター速報 (まとめ site)
* 4Gamer (gaming news)
* The 日本語 board on 知恵袋 (r/learnJapanese alternative)
* Not a website, but I like the Smart News app to find articles to read across a variety of topics. Anything from news to otaku stuff, celebrity nonsense, etc. Great app.
If you need help finding an alternative for reddit or 4chan that suits your style, you could also check [the Japanese BBS directory.](https://bbsdirectory.neocities.org/) Personally I enjoy all of the high-traffic BBS sites but I think just 5ch is probably enough for most people.
So, what corners of the Japanese web do you enjoy?
This will probably be my last major thread unless I come back to share a learning tool or something. Otherwise, I hope to be gone from here after December 31 in order to meet my goal, so I look forward to shitposting with you all in Japanese.
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知恵袋 requires a Japanese mobile phone number to register (and a VPN to access from the EU). So outside Japan, HiNative or HelloTalk are better places to ask questions in Japanese.