How much do you really know about Japan? Test your knowledge of Japan with this fun quiz! This lesson will test your basic knowledge of Japan by quizzing you on five areas of knowledge: geography, pop culture, travel, economics, and myth-busting. Questions: 1. How many prefectures does Japan have? 2. Below are the names of three popular characters that originated in Japan. Can you put them in order of their creation, from oldest to newest? 3. Which one is not located in Tokyo? 4. Where does Japan's economy fall in the rankings of world economies? 5. True/False: Japan's main staple diet is sushi. Answers: 1. 47. 2. Godzilla (1954), Hello Kitty (1974), and Pikachu (1995) 3. Mt. Fuji. 4.... Show more

Welcome to Part 3 of our Valuable Information on Living in Japan series! This time we will go over credit cards, taxes, and insurance. If you have any questions or information that you would like to share about living in Japan, please leave us a comment! Valuable Information on Living in Japan part 3 ●  Credit Cards Most major credit cards issued overseas can be used in Japan at major restaurants, hotels, department stores, etc. (please note, however, that Japan is still very much a cash society, and there are many stores and restaurants that do not accept credit cards) . However, it is said to be difficult for foreigners to get a Japanese credit card, and there are many stories of people getting rejected when they apply for... Show more

Welcome to Part 2 of our Valuable Information on Living in Japan series! This time we will go over banking, cell phones, and transportation. If you have any questions or information that you would like to share about living in Japan, please leave us a comment! Valuable Information on Living in Japan part 2 ● Banking Japanese banks are usually open Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 15:00. When opening a Japanese bank account, you will need your alien registration card and address in Japan. You will receive your account information along with a bank book (通帳, tsūchō) When opening your account, you can also request an ATM card, which is used to withdraw, deposit, and transfer money through your account. Some banks may require you to... Show more

As the number of non-Japanese people studying Japanese around the world increases, so does the number of people who want to live in Japan for work or study. After all, they say that one of the best ways to learn a language is to be completely immersed in it, right? Moving to a country as foreign as Japan, however, can pose many challenges. When coming to Japan for work or study, there are many things one must consider: What do I need to do soon after I arrive? Where will I live? How do I get around? Here at JapanesePod101.com, we have used information obtained from staff and listeners alike and put together a mini-guide for getting started living in Japan. We will introduce it in three parts in this blog. Part one here covers valuable... Show more

Many of our readers are probably familiar with Valentine’s Day, and even celebrate it in their home country. Valentine’s Day probably conjures up images of hearts, red roses, Valentine candy, and maybe even the cute little Valentine’s Day cards you used to exchange in elementary school.  But do you know how Valentine’s Day works in Japan? The Japanese Valentine’s Day has its own set of unique customs and rules that set it apart from the holiday celebrated around the world.  First of all, while in western countries it is common for both men and women to give gifts on Valentine’s Day, in Japan, the gift-giving is left strictly to the women. Girls and women give chocolate (either handmade or store-bought) to a significant other or someone... Show more

Hi everyone! Welcome to Everyday Kanji! In this series, we're going to present pictures of kanji seen in various places in Japan taken by the team members at JapanesePod101.com. That's right - kanji seen and used everyday! The theme for this week is kanji found on vending machines. Let's take a look! ① 売切 (urikire) = SOLD OUT The word means that something is sold out. Usually, this word is written with a mixture of kanji and hiragana, as in: 売り切れ (urikire). However, it is possible to leave out one or even both of the hiragana. It will still be read the same way. In this case, only the two kanji are used in order to take up as little space as possible. 売切 (usually written as 売り切れ) = SOLD OUT ●売 (u(ri)) = to sell ●切... Show more

Hi everyone! Welcome to Everyday Kanji! In this series, we're going to present pictures of kanji seen in various places in Japan taken by the team members at JapanesePod101.com. That's right - kanji seen and used everyday! The theme for this week is kanji found on forms at the bank. Let's take a look! ① お引き出し (o-hikidashi) = withdrawal This is the form to fill out when you want to make a withdrawal at the bank. The verb 引き出します (hikidashimasu) means to take out, so the word for withdrawal is simply the masu stem of this verb (the verb without masu) with the honorific prefix お added at the beginning. お引き出し (o-hikidashi) = withdrawal ●引 (hi(ki)) = to pull ●出 (da(shi)) = to take out Extra: 金額 (kingaku) = amount of... Show more

Hi everyone! Welcome to Everyday Kanji! In this series, we're going to present pictures of kanji seen in various places in Japan taken by the team members at JapanesePod101.com. That's right - kanji seen and used everyday! The theme for this week is kanji found on envelopes used to put money into for special occassions. Let's take a look! ① お年玉 (o-toshidama) = New Year’s gift of money The word お年玉 refers to a gift of money given to children and young adults on New Year’s. Typically, this money is put in a small envelope called an お年玉袋 (“o-toshidama bukuro”, o-toshidama + bag). The お年玉袋 in the picture has a tiger (虎, tora) because 2010 is the Year of the Tiger. お年玉 (o-toshidama) ● 年 (toshi) = year ● 玉 (tama) = ball ... Show more

 Hi everyone! Welcome to Everyday Kanji! In this series, we're going to present pictures of kanji seen in various places in Japan taken by the team members at JapanesePod101.com. That's right - kanji seen and used everyday! The theme for this week is kanji found at a gas station. Let's take a look! ① 泡洗車 (awa sensha) = bubble car wash This refers to a car wash. The first kanji is 泡 (awa) and means “bubbles”, and the second word 洗車 (sensha) means “car wash”. 洗車 is made up of the characters for “wash” (洗) and “car” (車). 泡洗車 (awa sensha) = bubble car wash ● 泡 (awa) = bubbles ● 洗車 (sensha) = car wash ● 泡 (awa) = bubbles 洗車 (sensha) = car wash ● 洗 (sen) = wash ● 車 (sha) = car Sample Sentence: 今日は泡洗車で、愛車を洗う。 ... Show more

 Hi everyone! Welcome to Everyday Kanji! In this series, we're going to present pictures of kanji seen in various places in Japan taken by the team members at JapanesePod101.com. That's right - kanji seen and used everyday! The theme for this week is kanji found in a Japanese-language operating system of a computer. Let's take a look! ① 終了オプション (shūryō opushon) = shut down options When you’re ready to shut down your computer for the day, this is the button you press to see the different options. We have one word in kanji, 終了 (shūryō), and one word in katakana, オプション. 終了 means “end” or “completion”, and オプション means “options”. So literally this means “completion options”, or “shut down options”. In an English-language OS,... Show more