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. https://www.polarcloud.com/rikaichan/ 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... Show more

Japan is a country rich in pop culture that has started to gain recognition and popularity throughout the world. As popular culture changes quickly and drastically, we focus this lesson on the most recent pop culture. Popular Music Japan boasts the second largest music industry in the world after the United States. Pop music is especially popular in Japan, although you can find all sorts of music in Japan done by Japanese artists-including rock, rap, hip-hop, reggae, and more. Popular Movies Recently, the popularity of domestic Japanese movies has been on the rise, with the annual box-office revenue for domestic movies hitting an all-time high in 2008. Of the top Japanese films of 2008, the highest-grossing... 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

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

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

Emily is busy working on a secret project, so I (Ben) get to do another blog. This last weekend I climbed 富士山 (Mt. Fuji). Last Friday night, my girlfriend and I left Shinjuku on a 7:50pm bus bound for the Kawaguchiko 5th Station. The bus trip took a little over 2 hours, getting us to the trailhead a little after 10:00pm. We came rather prepared. Alisa (my girlfriend / hiking partner) spent a good part of the day running Fuji preparation errands. She made 14 おにぎり (onigiri) with her grandma, bought Soyjoys and Powerbars, and since we planned on hiking in the dark, she also bought two headlamps. We each were packing rain coats and heavier clothes (since it gets below freezing at the top). I carried our fluid supply of 4 liters of water and... Show more

Hello JapanesePod101.com Community! My name is Ben Jensen, and I'm interning here at the JapanesePod101.com offices in Tokyo. Emily is a pretty busy person, so I get to make a blog appearance today. About two weeks ago, my girlfriend’s grandmother Mama-chan, who lives here in Tokyo, offered me a ticket to go see Noh. I’ve studied a little about Japanese culture, and I had always heard that Noh is hard to understand—even for Japanese people—and that there is very little action and very few props. Apparently it’s pretty common for audience members to fall asleep. In any case, I thought it would be worth seeing at least once, and it would be a rare opportunity, so I graciously accepted the offer. Hosho Nogakudo viewed from the... Show more