浮世 Ukiyo - Japanese Woodblock Printing by David Bull

Have you heard of David Bull? 

He is a Canadian Ukiyo / Japanese woodblock carver and printer.

He has been working in Japan for the past 30 plus years.

And he looks like it ... :)

You can watch him work and even ask questions during certain times of the day on his video stream: 

http://woodblock.com/webcam/ 

If you happen to visit Asakusa in Tokyo:

You may wish to try it out woodblock printing yourself 

at his new shop, by joining a woodblock print party. 

Visit: http://mokuhankan.com/parties/ 

What is Ukiyo, or Japanese woodblock printing?

Ukiyo 浮世, "Floating World"

from: http://asianhistory.about.com/od/Asian_History_Terms_U_to_Z/g/What-Was-Ukiyo.htm

Japanese woodblock print. Colorful and beautifully crafted, the woodblock prints originated as inexpensive advertising posters for kabuki performances or teahouses. Other prints celebrated the most famous geisha or kabuki actors. Skilled woodblock artists also created gorgeous landscapes, invoking the Japanese countryside, or scenes from famous folktales and historical incidents.

Famous Ukiyo prints:

Sample of David Bull's original prints: 

Audio Resources - Podcasts and Sound files for Improving Japanese Listening - JLPT Listening Practice Tips

For improving listening skills, nothing but actual listening can help you!

1) Japanesepod101.com - you can find all sorts of podcasts for different levels here from JLPT N5 to N2, I'd say.
2) NHK Japanese lesssons -  Japanese with English explanations - good for JLPT N5 to N3.

3) Tanos.co.uk - audio vocabulary list for JLPT N5 and JLPT N4
4) From Tanos again, The Conversation Book: this one is for JLPT N3, but there's a complete set from JLPT N5 to N1.
5) Watching your favorite Japanese shows and videos is another fun way of learning. Try turning off the English captions, and turn on Japanese captions instead!