In Japan, Children's Day is celebrated each year as a way of wishing good health and success for its youth. When it comes to Children's Day, Japan's history (and that of ancient China) plays a huge role. While the Children's Day Festival in Japan was founded on ancient myths and beliefs, many of its traditions remain in place today. In learning about Children's Day Japan activities, you're opening your eyes to new concepts and cultural aspects of the country of your target language. At JapanesePod101.com, we hope to make learning about Japanese culture both fun and insightful! So let's get started on our lesson about the Children's Day Festival Japan holds each year. 1. What is Children's Day in Japan? The Boys' Festival is... Show more

On White Day, which is precisely one month after Valentine's Day, men return the favor for the chocolates they received on February 14th. Whether the chocolate was given to them out of a sense of obligation or love, men who receive chocolate on Valentine's Day return the favor by sending gifts including sweets. Since ancient times, Japan has had a custom in which a person should give something in return for any gift that they receive. This idea is probably unique to Japan, because its people place great importance on honesty and politeness in interpersonal relationships. Learn more about White Day in Japan to gain a better understanding of the culture. This will also help you learn Japanese in context, which is an absolute must!... Show more

Japan is a country with quite a rich culture and history, and the Setsubun Festival reflects this. Find out why the Japanese hold the Bean-throwing Ceremony each year and much more about this holiday’s events with JapanesePod101.com! After you’ve learned about this holiday, you’ll have gained much insight into Japan as a whole. So let’s get started by finding out what exactly the Setsubun Festival is. 1. What is Setsubun Day? Setsubun Day, also known as the Japanese Bean-throwing Festival, is a unique Japanese holiday. Essentially, the Bean-throwing Festival is celebrated as a way of chasing demons away and summoning good fortune. In ancient times, many believed that evil spirits were born during the changing of the seasons,... Show more

Learning about the different holidays in Japan is a great step in better understanding Japan’s culture. This is because Japanese holidays and traditions offer both insight into the country’s past and values, as well as opportunities to learn the language itself more efficiently. (Because context can mean everything!) In particular, Coming of Age Day in Japan holds great value to the country’s youth and elderly alike. This is a day to celebrate all of those Japanese youth who have turned 20 years old, Japan’s legal age of adulthood. In addition to celebrating this momentous occasion in every Japanese adult’s life, this day is also designed to encourage them to be the best adults they can be. Despite the fact that what was once one... Show more

Learn all the Japanese New Year wishes online, in your own time, on any device! Join JapanesePod101 for a special Japanese New Year celebration! Can you relate to the year passing something like this: “January, February, March - December!”? Many people do! Quantum physics teaches us that time is relative, and few experiences illustrate this principle as perfectly as when we reach the end of a year. To most of us, it feels like the old one has passed in the blink of an eye, while the new year lies ahead like a very long journey! However, New Year is also a time to celebrate beginnings, and to say goodbye to what has passed. This is true in every culture, no matter when New Year is celebrated. So, how do you say Happy New Year in... Show more

Do you know any ways to wish someone a ‘Merry Christmas’ in Japanese? JapanesePod101 brings you easy-to-learn translations and the correct pronunciation of Japanese Christmas phrases! Christmas is the annual commemorative festival of Christ’s birth in the Western Christian Church. It takes place on December 25th and is usually celebrated with much food and fanfare! However, not all cultures celebrate Christmas. In some countries, Christmas is not even a public holiday! However, many countries have adapted Christmas and its religious meaning to tally with their own beliefs, or simply in acknowledgment of the festival’s importance to other cultures. If you want to impress native Japanese speakers with culturally-appropriate Christmas... Show more

Click here to listen to the audio pronunciation! Golden week is almost here! In few days it will be the beginning of the Golden week, the longest public holiday in Japan. It’s an exciting moment for a lot of people as it’s the period for some time off and to fully enjoy Spring. Here is the list of Top Words you need to know for your holidays! 1. Traffic jam 渋滞 (じゅうたい) 2. Warm 暖かい (あたたかい) 3. Golden Week holidays ゴールデンウィーク 4. Chimaki ちまき 5. Constitution Day 憲法記念日 (Constitution Day) 6. Kashiwamochi 柏餅 (かしわもち) 7. Greenery Day みどりの日 (みどりのひ) 8. Children's Day 子供の日 (こどものひ) 9. Trip abroad 海外旅行 (かいがいりょこう) 10. Doll for the Boys' Festival in May 五月人形 (ごがつ にんぎょう) ... Show more

Click here to discover 30 travel phrases you should know! If you are looking for exceptional and exciting places in Japan, here is a list of spots not to miss. Some places on the list are difficult to access, or even forbidden. 1. 青ヶ島。- Aogashima. The island is located 358 kilometers to the south of Tokyo. It is the smallest village in Japan. It is a volcanic island 3.5 km in length and 2.5 km in width that was formed from the remains of several calderas. The island is one of the most mysterious islands and has a beautiful natural environment. It is worth visiting at least once in a lifetime! 2. 軍艦島。- Gunkanjima. Once the most densely populated place in the world, the small island of Hashima, commonly known as... Show more

わや*！That was a hard decision to make Kyushu? Okinawa? South Korea? Taiwan? No… I made it to Hokkaido and have to start this article by talking about Salmon Ikura Don (raw salmon with salmon fish eggs on rice that I ate in Sapporo), in honor of the best dish I’ve ever eaten. First, If you want to travel in Japan and don’t know where to start, I suggest you to take a look at this list: here So...why Sapporo? Well, my two closest Japanese friends are living there... What better reason to fly north? First of all, I love big cities. Tokyo is massive and I enjoy it. However, I’m still a Swiss girl from the Alps… So I was actually really excited about this trip. The image I had of Sapporo is pretty similar to the one foreigners can have... Show more

Click on the video below to learn about Setsubun for FREE! Setsubun (the Bean-Throwing Ceremony) is celebrated on February 3rd in Japan. Can you talk about this holiday in Japanese? In this special Weekly Words lesson, Risa will teach you about the customs and vocabulary related to Setsubun. You can also get the lesson notes, review the vocabulary and try fun quizzes on our lesson page. >> Click here to visit the lesson page on JapanesePod101! Want to find out more about Setsubun? >> Check out our FREE advanced video on JapanesePod101! Are there any events like Setsubun in your country? Let us know in the comments!