https://www.youtube.com/embed/2cB7KxUvP9w While many of us are enjoying the beginning of spring and looking forward to all that April (and May and June…) have in store, this feeling of excitement is perhaps strongest in Japan right now.  You see, April 29 (Showa Day) marks the beginning of Golden Week! This is a several-day period during which many Japanese people receive time off work, allowing them to travel and enjoy the refreshing spring weather at will.  The Showa Day holiday in Japan, or 昭和の日 (Shōwa no hi), commemorates one of the most trying (and most successful) periods of the nations’ history: the Showa era. In this article, you’ll learn all about Showa Day in Japan and gain some knowledge about the emperor behind... Show more

How many different Japanese foods have you eaten? Have you ever ventured outside of the familiar Sushi and Rāmen?  Japanese cuisine features a variety of delicious dishes ranging from cheap, local foods to high-end meals. In Japan, you’ll find both authentic and traditional foods as well as foods that have evolved through the influence of other cultures. Believe it or not, Tokyo is the world's most Michelin-starred city—it’s not Paris or Rome, but the capital city of Japan! According to the Michelin Guide, 226 of its restaurants received stars for the thirteenth consecutive year. Japanese people are avid foodies and they’re quite picky when it comes to the taste of their food.  In this article, we’ll introduce a list of Japanese... Show more

Do you have a favorite quote or saying? All it takes is a look at social media posts, framed wall decorations, and postcards to see that insightful quotes and proverbs inspire people and touch their hearts. Proverbs are the fruit of wisdom, accumulated through the ages to reflect a given culture. By studying Japanese sayings, you’ll also learn about Japanese culture and values, as well as historical facts. For example, did you know that many Japanese quotes were influenced by ancient China and 儒教 (Jukyō), or "Confucianism"? Today, we’ll introduce you to popular Japanese quotes and proverbs on a variety of topics. Whether you want life-changing motivation or are seeking relationship advice, you’ll love reading these words of wisdom.... Show more

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZhbjryQDmY Now that you’ve been learning Japanese for a while, do you plan on working in Japan or with Japanese speaking clients? Knowing the basic Japanese business phrases will help you communicate smoothly and build better relationships with your colleagues and clients. Business Japanese is quite different from the casual Japanese used in daily life. It’s important to know particular expressions for work and how to express yourself formally in context of the Japanese business etiquette and culture. Even if you’re not yet fluent, being able to give a courteous greeting in Japanese can make a huge difference, even if it's just for a business trip to Japan. In this article, we’ll introduce the... Show more

Thanks to information technology nowadays, learning Japanese isn’t as difficult as you think. You can acquire the language quickly, even if you live outside of Japan and don’t have access to native speakers. There are various sources on the internet (like YouTube) that can help you learn Japanese! While there are plenty of Japanese YouTube channels, not all of them are useful or efficient for learning. Using the right tools and resources is the key to faster and more effective learning, so in this article, we’ll introduce the ten best YouTube channels to supplement your Japanese studies. These channels provide informative and entertaining content, and we’ll include channels in a variety of categories. And at the end, we’ll show you why... Show more

As you know, greeting is the most basic and essential aspect of any conversation. While knowing how to say hello is certainly crucial for getting to know people, learning how to say goodbye is just as important. Giving the proper farewell can improve the quality and longevity of your relationships and make you sound more like a native speaker.  There are various ways to say goodbye in Japanese, and some phrases are unique and untranslatable ones which reflect the politeness of Japanese culture. As you learn how to say goodbye in Japanese, you’ll also deepen your understanding of Japanese culture and get tips for having smooth conversations with Japanese people.In this article, we’ll introduce the most common phrases for saying bye in... Show more

Pronouns are used to substitute nouns, such as people or things, in a sentence. Using pronouns allows you to avoid repetitive usage of a particular word in a sentence, which would sound awkward. Japanese pronouns are very different from those in English because Japanese pronouns can be omitted from a sentence when they’re implied through the context. Unlike in English, there are many different variations of Japanese personal pronouns that translate as "I/me" and "you," although only a few are commonly used. This expression of Japanese pronouns comes from Japanese culture, which puts importance on respect, seniority, and social order.  Each Japanese pronoun variation denotes the different characteristics of the speaker. These include... Show more

https://youtu.be/bNsfvYJO-yw?si=Z8O8zWudnzoBDCkI When learning a new language, the grammatical part is inevitable. Even if you have a large vocabulary and can communicate well enough with native speakers of that language (which is a great way to practice at first!), you need to know the correct word order and sentence structure to continue improving.  Japanese grammar is totally different from English grammar. However, once you get used to the Japanese sentence structure, it will be much easier for you to make sentences. This is because the Japanese language word order is more flexible than that of English.In this article, we’ll introduce the basics of Japanese word order, which will help you better understand Japanese sentence... Show more

Giving compliments makes people feel important and happy, and compliments are a great way to express your positive feelings. However, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do!" There’s a particular way that people give and respond to compliments in Japanese. Before giving compliments in Japanese, keep this in mind: Humbleness and modesty are the most important values in Japanese culture. Therefore, it’s considered bad manners to show off and explicitly exhibit your abilities and achievements. For this reason, people aren’t used to receiving a lot of praise. However, it’s still a good thing to give a compliment when someone has great traits or has done wonderful things. Giving compliments is a useful way to improve communication and your... Show more

It's essential to be able to express your feelings when communicating with others in everyday life. Knowing how to express your emotions in Japanese, including anger, will help you have smoother communication with Japanese people. Although showing anger with swear words isn’t common in Japanese culture, there are various angry phrases in Japanese you can use. Knowing angry phrases, and how to show that you’re angry in Japanese, will not only help you understand Japanese anime and Japanese TV shows better, but it will also improve your conversation and communication skills. In this article, we’ll introduce useful angry Japanese expressions and phrases to help you discuss your emotions. Let's learn various expressions here at... Show more