Imaginative memory is the key

In the course of Remembering the Kanji, Heisig refers to something he calls “imaginative memory.”  As opposed to verbal or visual memory, imaginative memory involves creativity and effort on the part of the learner.  For example, most of the things you learn in life are associated with some sort of learning experience.  For example, I can remember the entire experience of when I learned to tie my shoes.  I remember the way the sun was coming in through the sliding doors.  I remember the look of my old shoes.  I also remember the neighbor kid who thought it was fun to teach me to tie my shoes.  I don’t have to think very hard about this kind of thing because it has very powerful associations.

When you’re learning something by rote, you don’t have these kind of advantages.  You have only very weak associations in your mind.  Like I can’t remember most US state capitals, even though I learned them by rote on numerous occasions.  I used to know all the states of the USSR.  I learned them all usually in one sitting, and usually by conjuring up some kind of temporary and weak association like Montana=Helena (why?  who cares, just Montana = Helena ).
I didn’t really initially buy Heisig’s imaginative memory.  Or rather, I didn’t really buy that it was all that useful or better than visual memory.  I went along with it, but about a quarter of the way through the book, he stops giving you stories for each of the Kanji.  Instead he gives you the word to associate with the Kanji and asks that you invent your own story to memorize it.  Because I wasn’t really sold on Heisig’s technique, I didn’t bother with constructing any imaginative images to go with the new Kanji.  I just came up with trivial little stories that allowed me to memorize the new Kanji in a single sitting as fast as possible.

As a result, the next time I reviewed these new characters, I forgot them ALL.   Zero percent retention.  I couldn’t believe it.

I went back, re-learned the same kanji I missed, this time making vivid images for each little story.  Now I can very easily recall them all.  I am completely sold on this memorization technique.  My current kanji count is 650.

In other Japanese news, I am finished with Pimsleur’s Japanese I.  Tomorrow I will start Japanese II.