I'll just post them as links due to the size,thanks for having a go.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...R/DSC03634.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/GT-R/2-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v630/GT-R/3-1.jpg

Page 1:

"The season in which the skies are high and the horses are plump has come. (It means it is fall in Japanese. ) How have you been since we last communicated? It has cooled off greatly in Japan and all the surrounding mountains have turned colors and are looking gorgeous. I am in great shape as ever and full of spirit, so please feel assured. Kuraishi has been persevering for so many years. (This can be either the addressee of the letter or a third person. It may become clear as I read on.) Please keep fighting for all the East Asian people and world peace. Please give all that you can. My own days (as a soldier) are approaching fast, so I am trying hard to build up my body."

It is past midnight where I live so I'm hitting the futon. I did the first 6-line paragraph Hopefully other members will do the rest (or at least a few lines) while Japan is at sleep. So many members here claim to know Japanese.

BTW, the third pic says:

"West Coast of Bataan Peninsula
Drawn by Kawamata"

That is in the Philippines.

Thanks for your efforts so far,i'm in New Zealand and its after 3 am here so i might go to bed too,
i'll check back in the morning,Thanks again.

I took this as a challenge, but I'm sad to say I can't make out most of the handwriting. I gave up after realizing there's no way I was going to puzzle this out: there are too many holes for me.

愈々＿る＿きものが＿よーだね。＿なの事です。分かる かね。社会運営の＿構が一＿た事さ。自分も＿耳のがイ 当者なので＿年の一月＿日＿だ＿＿どうなるか見＿が＿ かない

More and more it seems like SOMETHING. It's a SOMETHING. I wonder if you understand. The administration of society SOMETHING. I, too, SOMETHING ABOUT EARS, SOMETHING ABOUT JANUARY the SOMETHINGTH blahblah.

:/

There was one character that appeared quite a few times, but I have no idea what it is. There are people here who have a much better ability to read non-computerized text than I. Even if such a person can read it because of Chinese but not understand it because they are a noob at Japanese, post a transcription and I'll translate that. I just can't make heads or tails of too much since I have almost never had to read Japanese handwriting in my life—at least, this running script style.

Hi, I would like to know the exact meaning of "親切にする". Does it mean "Be nice to ~/Be kind to ~" or "Do nice things for ~"?

Couldn't sleep so I got back up to do the rest of it.

Rest of Page 1:

"What should come has finally come. It is all natural. Do you understand (what I am referring to)? It is about the change in the social management system. I happen to fall under the category. (The current rule) is only valid until May 15 of next year and we have no idea of what happens after that. As for drafting, I have no worries because of my school. I am just not allowed to work as a waiter until January 15. I want to be in a position to contribute to the country soon. I am steadily progressing toward this goal. I am a fine man. I am determined to perform my duties once I have so decided."

Page 2:

"Right now, the mid-term exams of the second quarter (the fall term) have just started. Even though I have so much more to tell you, to write endlessly would take my time up. While fighting the mess created by City Hall, the exams have come. I want to be a serious student during exams if not at other times. Let us both hang in there. Will write again. Praying for my big brothert's strenuous efforts under the spaceous autumn sky.
Last day of September
From Yamada

To Mr. Kuraishi"

I was referring to the kind of members who claim their Japanese proficiency without ever proving it.

Rest assured that you are among the small group that I have much respect for. You are not afraid of showing what you know or do not know.

It means both.
Another translation would be "to treat a person nicely".

I'm not sure there's a difference in meaning between your two translation options.

Ahh, I see. Thank you very much :). Also, is that a particular style of script? It looks "simplified," for lack of a better word.

It is just the normal style for newspapers and many magazines.

Ahh, ok. Thank you very much :). I guess I should start reading things other than manga, then I would know these things...:o

thanks to masaegu for translating the letter for me,
so am i right in saying the letter was from a younger boy in Japan to his older brother already at the war?
and the drawing was by someone else entirely?

No, the sender and the recepient have different family names. Yamada and Kuraishi, respectively. It was just customary for people to address each other as brothers and sisters back then. Even now it is still practiced by some people.

You are right about the drawing.

I see,well thank you again for your time,i won't waste anymore of it.
If i ever need help again i know where to come.

Hi guys,

I recently joined my local 武神館. At the opening of each class they have an opening ceremony which they read out the words

chi haya furu, kami-no oshie-wa tokoshie-ni tadashii ki, kokoro o miomamoru ran / shikin haramitsu daikomyo

I've found a few different translations online, but I'm wondering what this sentence would look like in kanji And kana.

Im not sure where to start so any help would be awesome!

Hiya! I just have one grammar question today:Is this right?

ミルク をのむでつよくになる

By drinking milk, I become strong?

Help is much apreciated :pinkbow:

Edit: Love the avatar Shadow =p

千早振る、神の教えは永久に
正しき心身を護るらむ
シキンハラミツ大光明

EDIT: Found the kanji for the part I wrote in katakana. It is 「詞韻波羅密」.

That is quite nice! I don't understand the らむ in line 2, though (and if that's a typo and you meant らん as in the romaji above, I don't understand the らん, either!).

I used the original classical "spelling". Using 「ん」is more modern. Either one is correct.

～～らむ　＝　～～らん = would be doing ~~

らむ の意味とは - Yahoo!辞書

Thanks, masaegu.

Hello everyone! I need help again with the chapter I'm reading. I hope these won't be too much. :)

1. http://i.imgur.com/A1HyR.jpg
a/ つまり一・二を争うほどラッキーってことだ！！
What does the guy mean by 一・二を争う?
b/ カホーはネテマテ！
The author made the girl pronounce the words incorrectly on purpose, and I have no way to figure out what she's saying with my current vocabulary. Does anyone have an idea about this one?

2. http://i.imgur.com/fzp1s.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/z0BHD.jpg
Similarly, what may パネェ and ジモティ be?

3. もし梨沙に僕と同い年くらいの友達がいたら服を買うの に連れてく店を教えてよ！！
I don't really understand the structure of the line, so I'm taking a guess. Does the speaker mean "Tell me a shop you would take a friend of the same age to if you were with her and were going to buy clothes"?

4. http://i.imgur.com/EBArd.jpg
Honestly I don't understand most of the last line, but for now I'm going to ask about the phrases that bug me the most.
a/ What does 端的に内なる mean?
b/ Does 無理なく mean "reasonable"?
c/ I notice that the particle before 思う is に, not と. Does it mean any different?

5. 三次元との恋は所詮ムリゲーだった。二次元の謎は萌え るのに三次元のはダメなのかフシギだ…
Is ゲー here sort of like よう or そう? Or is it something else?

6. A : な…何でここに！？
B : 何って大学のサークルの集まりだよ
Does 大学のサークルの集まり mean a meeting of a university circle?

7. http://i.imgur.com/46B3E.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/LrL8f.jpg
a/ Since I saw the word 理系 here, I would like to ask about how subjects are divided in the Japanese University Entrance Exam out of curiosity. Is it just 理系 and 文系? Or is there still more to it?
b/ My dictionary says インカレ means "intercollegiate", but I'm still confused. What might the guy mean when he says "ウチインカレサークルなんだよ"?
c/ Lastly, does ついで in the context mean "occasion"?

1a. It means something/someone is among the very best.

1b. 「果報は寝て待て」 She is pronouncing it correctly.　"Good news is to be awaited in bed."　

2. 「パネェ」 is the short form of the slang expression 「半端（はんぱ）ねぇ」, which means "awsome", "very much ~~", etc.

「ジモティ」 is a slang word for "a local dude". Comes from 「地元（じもと）」.

3. This sentence is not formed well and is ambiguous, so it is not your fault.
I think they wanted to say "If you have a friend around my age, introduce to me a clothing store that you would take him/her.", which also sounds strange, naturally.

4a. You cannot translate 「端的に内なる 」 by itself because 「端的に」　modifies 「表現できている」 , and 「内なる」 modifies 「若さ」.

"straightforwardly expressing her inner youth"

4b. It means "naturally". "Reasonably" is not bad, either.

4c. Learn both forms below. Both have the same meaning, with the first one being more indirect.
「いるように思う」
「いると思う」

5. You look confused here. 「ムリゲー　ＯＲ　無理ゲー」 means a very difficult video game to play.

6. Yes.

7a. Virtually all university courses can be divided into those two categories. Cannot think of an exception off the top of my head.

7b. 「ウチ」 here means the circle that the speaker belongs to. 　「インカレサークル」 is a circle that specializes in associating with students from other unis for social events.

7c. Yes. "Take this opportunity to do ~~"

Thanks again, Masaegu-sama!

Wow. It looks so.. impressive! I can actually make sense of it now.. Kanji makes things so much easier.

With a thousand quick shakes, divine teachings everlastingly protect my mind and body.

Don't understand the last part, though I'd translate 大光明 as a great, bright tomorow (future?).

Pretty awesome!

つまり一・二を争うほどラッキーってことだ！

"In other words, he/she/it is lucky enough to be able to fight for 1st or 2nd place!"

My question was ignored . . .

Thanks a bunch. I've learnt a nice expression. I really couldn't think of this possibility. Having no kanji here sure is impossible to figure out with my tiny vocabulary. :o

Also, thanks again for the detailed grammatical explanations. :)

I am going to step in and say that this does need to stay in another thread. If there is someone willing to translate a whole game for you be thankful and keep out of the general thread as this seems to be a huge project.

Please do not post about it again in this topic. I will move all the posts to another thread to clear up the clutter here.

Hello, I have a quick question. I was going through the Core 1000 series on iKnow.jp and I found this example sentence:

上司が「一杯、飲もう」と言った。

The part I am confused about is: 「一杯、飲もう」.
According to the translation on the page, this comes out to be "Let's have a drink." Now, with my very limited knowledge, I think this is roughly "Drink a drink". Is the "Let's have a..." part implied or something? Or is 一杯、飲もう a common way to say "Let's have a drink"?

Thank you for your time.

Nothing is implied here. 「飲もう」 means "let us drink" and 「一杯」, "a glass". Needless to say, "a glass" here certainly does not mean "a glass of water".

「一杯飲もう」 is a VERY common way of asking someone to go drinking.

Ah, thanks! I was not aware that 「飲もう」 meant "let us drink". Thank you again.

Sorry, I'm in need of a bit of help today. In a manga I'm reading, two friends are talking and their exchange goes as follows:

Girl 1: 彼氏ほしいい！！

Girl 2: なに急に

Girl 1: クリスマス来るじゃん！！

Girl 2: もうちょい先じゃん？

Girl 1: いやっ　そろそろ用意しとかないと
こ～～盛り上がれないってゆうか～～～

I understand everything except the last part. What is she saying exactly? My best guess would be that she's saying that if she doesn't make preparations/plans soon for Christmas she won't be able to have a good time [on Christmas], but I'm sure that's most likely wrong...

Thank you very much in advance.

You went too "textbook" on what is a live and a bit whore-like colloquial convo. 「用意する」here does not mean "to make preparations". It means "to make available for oneself" or "to find (for one's use)". It is talking about getting a BF as if it were a prop.

"Nah. Gotta get me a dude soon or else (this Christmas) won't be a blast."

　

Tractor Help
 

Hello, I have recently bought a small Japanese tractor and need help with Japanese translation! I think the lever labeled "3" is to select 2/4 wheel drive? What do the symbols next to the lever mean?
Many thanks for your kind assistance.

Do you realize this is all upside-down? Should be clear from the part on far left where it says 1, 2, 3 and R.

Answer to your question: ON and OFF. In the pic, the lever is set on ON. What is it about, I have no idea.

Larger and clearer pic, preferrably not upside-down might help.

Check my essay please?
 

I have an essay due tomorrow and I wanted to see if someone could read over it and make sure it makes sense. Thank you in advance. :)

私のしゅみはビデオゲームをすることです。一週間に五 回ぐらいビデオゲームをします。 しゅみもコンピューターをすることです。一日に二時間 コンピューターを使います。 一か月に二回映画を見に行きます。

ピアノならひけますが、ギターはひけません。一週間に 三回ぐらいピアノをひきます。車ならうんてんできます が、バイクはうんてんできません。テニスならできます が、やきゅうをできません。歌を歌えます。それから、 おどれます。たのしいし、おもしろいし、日本語のクラ スをとります。

たのしそうだから、いつかサーフィンをしてみたいです 。いつか日本に行ってみたいです。インドでぞうにのっ てみたいです。アフリカでライオンを見てみたいです。

友だちといっしょに買い物をするのが好きです。それか ら、アニメを見るのが好きです。テレビを見るのが好き です。それから、ビデオを見るのが好きです。手紙を書 くのが好きですが、レポートを書くのがきらいです。レ ストランで食べ物を食べるのが好きです。 上手に料理ができます。日本語をたのしく勉強していま す。

100% of it makes sense to me, PocketMonster. It doesn't sound like a native wrote it, but you already know that!

To verify that you wrote what you meant, here is what I learned from reading your paper:

Your hobbies: video games (5x week), computers (1 day 2 hours), movies (2x month).

You can play piano; not guitar. You play piano about 3x week. You can drive a car; not a motorcycle. You can play tennis but not baseball. You can sing and dance. It's fun and interesting, so you take Japanese.

It seems fun, so you want to try surfing. Someday you'd like to visit Japan, ride an elephant in India, see lions in Africa.

You like going shopping w/friends, watching anime, watching TV, watching videos, writing letters. You dislike writing reports. You like food at restaurants, you cook well, and you are enjoyably studying Japanese.

If you want to make your essay better and more natural, maybe you could avoid repetitions and try to use more link words, I think....But, as Kyle-san wrote, it already makes perfect sense to me too.... so I may only have to correct a few grammatical mistakes;

＊やきゅうをできません。→やきゅうはできません。
＊（歌を歌えます。→「歌が歌えます。」would be more natural.）
＊たのしいし、おもしろいし、日本語のクラ スをとります。→たのしいし、おもしろいので、日本語 のクラ スをとっています。

--------------------
これからも、べんきょう、がんばってね。(^_^)/~

Oh my, didn't expect it to mean that! Thank you very much for your help, masaegu :).

hi sir, can u please help me translate this?
 

hi sir, can u please help me translate this?

my friend wants to know what is the exact words on this pic..



thanks alot, really appreciated