Today, we bring you a blog post from Motoko, JapanesePod101.com lesson creator, host and Office Party Planner! Motoko will be sharing more bilingual posts on our blog, so check back often and leave a comment! On the 17th of April here at Innovative Language Learning, we had an afternoon tea party. Although Kim (a member of our Business Development Team) moved to Hong Kong, last week she came back to Japan for a brief visit, so it was her ‘welcome back’ party. Meanwhile, Pim (host of ThaiPod101.com) is going back to her home country to have her baby, so it was her ‘farewell’ party. We all ate pastries, chatted, and enjoyed ourselves. There was a choice of pastries: strawberry, green tea, custard… It was really hard to... Show more

This lesson Will teach you some of the most commonly used and most hopeful expressions in Japanese. sō ieba (そういえば) "speaking of which" or "now that you mention it, and you use it when you are reminded of something and want to talk about it. toriaezu (とりあえず) A handy phrase that means, "in the meantime" or "for now." Use it to talk about some kind of action you take or decision you make "in the meantime" because for now, you feel like it's better than doing nothing. ryōkai desu (了解です) Ryōkai is a word that means "comprehension" or "consent." It is often used as an exclamation in the following ways: by itself (ryōkai!), with the copula desu (ryōkai desu!), and with the past tense verb shimashita (ryōkai... Show more

In this lesson, we'll offer tips to help you overcome some common errors that learners of Japanese make. Don't Attach -san to Your Own Name! One of the first things English speakers learn in Japanese is name suffixes used when addressing other people. The most common one is -san, which we attach to people's first or last names to show respect. Because we use -san to show respect for others, you should never use it to refer to yourself. Watch Your Politeness Level! One of the unique aspects of Japanese is the varying politeness levels that change according to a number of factors: age and status of the speaker and listener, the speaker's relationship with the listener, and so on. It is important to... Show more

The focus of this lesson is teaching you some very common Japanese expressions you might not learn from a Japanese teacher. すごい (Sugoi) - An adjective meaning "wow," "amazing," or "great." This word is commonly heard and is often used when one hears or sees something interesting or unusual. バカ (Baka) -  A noun meaning "idiot" or "fool." When used as baka na (バカな), it becomes an adjective meaning "stupid." This word can either be insulting or playful depending on how it is used. When used in a serious manner, it can come across as a strong insult, so it's better to exercise caution with this word. うそ！  (Uso!) - literally means "lie," but when used as an exclamation, it corresponds to "No way!" or "Really!?" in... Show more

In this lesson, we'll teach you the top five useful classroom phrases in Japanese, and then some! "Please say it." / "Please repeat." Itte kudasai (言っ てください) means "please say it." As a variation, you might also hear ripīto shite kudasai (リピートしてください), which means "please repeat (after me)," when teachers want you to repeat exactly what they have said. "Please look."  Mite kudasai (見てください) means "please look," and when an object comes before the phrase, it means "please look at (object). "Please read."  Yonde kudasai (読んでください) means "please read." You can expect to hear this phrase if a teacher wants you to practice reading some word, phrase, or passage. "Please write it."  Kaite kudasai (書いてください)... Show more

This lesson offers a few tools to help you learn Japanese. Some of these great tools to aid in your Japanese studies include the following: Rikaichan a popup dictionary extension for the Firefox Internet browser that translates Japanese into English, German, French, or Russian. With this extension installed, you can easily look up the meaning of Japanese words that show up on webpages by simply hovering the cursor over the word. A box will instantly pop up with the reading and definition of the word. Rikaichan Kanji Dictionary Hover the cursor over any kanji, whether it is part of a compound or by itself, and press the Shift or Enter key to toggle between the word, kanji, and name dictionaries. The kanji ... Show more

This blog focuses on the top five most important holidays in Japan. Seijin no Hi "Coming-of-Age Day." On this day, people who turn twenty during the current school year, which runs between April until the following March, celebrate their coming of age. In Japan, when people turn twenty, society legally recognizes them as an adult, and they are able to drink alcohol and vote. Golden Week The period in late April and early May that contains many Japanese national holidays grouped closely together. O-bon a Buddhist event where people pray for the repose of their ancestors' souls and remember the deceased. If you are familiar with Mexico's Day of the Dead festival, O-bon is quite similar. O-bon takes place from the... Show more

This is a continuation of the previous blog post Top 5 aspects of Family Life Work Culture and Economy Japan's economy is ranked second in the world after that of the United States some of its main industries include motor vehicles, electronics, industrial and transportation equipment, and chemicals. Employees in their first years at a company often have to work long hours for little pay. It is very common for employees to all go out drinking together after a long day at work; the Japanese see this as a way to strengthen relationships and build work camaraderie. Another important part of the Japanese work economy is the custom of lifelong employment. This system is becoming less common due to a decrease in the... Show more

「桃太郎」は、日本人なら誰もが知っている昔話の一つです。この話のあらすじを紹介しておきましょう。 おばあさんが川で流れてきた桃を拾って帰り、割ってみるとその中から男の子が生まれます。この子・桃太郎は、大きくなって鬼が島（ここで使われている「が」は、昔の文法では「～の」という意味です。よって、「鬼が島」とは「鬼の島」なのです）へきび団子を持って鬼退治に出かけると言い出し、道中で出会った犬と猿、キジがきび団子をもらって家来になります。三匹を従えた桃太郎は見事、鬼を征伐して宝物を持って帰る…という結末です。 さて、主人公はなぜ桃から生まれるのでしょう。梨や柿も古来から広く食べられていたそうですから、桃でなくてもよさそうなものなのに、わざわざ「桃から生まれた」と設定されている理由を知っていますか。 桃は、中国において鬼を払う呪物（じゅぶつ）としての効力を持っていると信じられていました。この考え方が日本でも広がり、桃から誕生した主人公に鬼を成敗する力があったことが当然のものとして受け入れられたのです。さらに、桃は不老長寿の薬としても珍重されていました。桃太郎の昔話も、桃太郎が桃から生まれたのではなく、桃を食べて若返ったおじいさんとおばあさんの間に生まれたという展開でも語られています。桃は、他の果物よりも神秘的で特殊な力を持つ果実だと信じられていたからこそ、桃太郎のような話が作られたのですね。 ＝＝＝ Momotaro is one folk tale that any Japanese person would know.　I’ll introduce the plot of the story to you. An old lady picks up... Show more

This blog is a continuation of the previous blog 4 Major Cities. This blog will discuss 5 points of a standard Japanese family, but remember there are always exceptions!! Families in Japan are generally traditional, and the family is a focal point of life.  Immediate families are a bit smaller compared to those of other countries; it is not uncommon for Japanese parents to have only one or two children.  It is also very common for adult children to continue to live with their parents well into their twenties or thirties until they get married. Japanese gender roles are still quite traditional, with women expected to stay home and take care of their children and men expected to support the family financially. ... Show more