JapanesePod101.com Blog

What is Japanese etiquette? Japanese culture is well-known for its politeness and unique features, and what is thought to be normal in other countries isn’t always common in Japan. Many foreign tourists wonder what exactly the DO’s and DON’Ts in Japan are when traveling to Japan for the first time. Japanese people are warm and welcoming to travelers, and they understand if foreign travelers don’t know all the Japanese customs. However, it’s always good to know the basic Japanese etiquette and manners in advance to make your trip more smooth and enjoyable. It’s also a part of experiencing and exploring the Japanese culture. Here’s our guide to Japanese manners and etiquette, especially for travelers. Here, you’ll find all the Japanese... Show more

Learning how to read dates is one of the most basic things when learning a new language, and it’s essential in everyday life. For instance, you use dates when making appointments, buying tickets for a particular day, asking for someone’s birthday, etc. Expressing the date in Japanese isn’t very complicated. The date in Japanese mostly follows the counter system, with just a few exceptions; English, on the other hand, has different names for the months and days of the week. You’ll be able to learn dates in Japanese much easier once you know Japanese numbers. If you’re not yet familiar with numbers in Japanese, please visit Japanese Numbers on our website. Table of Contents How are Dates Usually Expressed in Japanese? How to Say... Show more

Year-end parties in Japan, also called "drinking parties" or "Bonenkai parties," are special celebrations held at the end of the year. Essentially, during a Japanese drinking party, people get together with food and alcohol, and honestly reflect on the past year with each other. In this article, you’ll learn all about what to expect from a year-end party in Japan, as well as this celebration’s place in Japanese literature. At JapanesePod101.com, we aim to make every aspect of your language-learning journey both fun and informative—starting with this article! Let’s go. 1. What is a Year-End Party? So, what is Bonenkai in Japan, and why is it important? A 忘年会 (ぼうねんかい), or "year-end party," is a banquet held at the end... Show more

Learning a foreign language isn’t only about the language itself, but also about its culture, customs, and society. Family is the minimum unit of a social group, and it’s important to understand its characteristics as this is closely related to culture and customs. When you learn how to explain your family in Japanese, it helps to expand your vocabulary and improve your communication skills in Japanese. Compared to English, there are many more words to describe family members in Japanese. These words are according to age and the style (formal and informal). For example, what is a Japanese father-in-law called? Let’s learn how to describe family in Japanese at JapanesePod101.com. Here’s our list of the most useful Japanese words and... Show more

Are you traveling to Japan and want to learn practical Japanese travel phrases? This article is designed to help you learn the most useful Japanese words for travel. It’s always good to learn basic words when you travel to a foreign country. Not only does it make getting around easier, but it also allows you to enjoy communicating with the locals. In general, Japanese people are not so good at speaking English, free wifi services aren’t very prevalent (especially outside of the central cities), and Japan is still more of a cash-based society than you may think. However, Japanese people are very kind; they’ll listen to you patiently and do their best to help. So just use these basic Japanese travel phrases to talk to Japanese people when... Show more

https://youtu.be/94F5sTXhhjg?si=jYJsOD68a3Ik4cur   Numbers are necessary in everyday life as you need them to express time, record dates, interpret recipe amounts, count objects, and the list goes on. Japanese numerical systems have unique features and they are very different from those in English. For example, Japanese has a variety of counter words depending on different factors. Further, large numbers are counted by units of four digits while the Western system counts by that of three digits, and the differences only continue for numbers in the Japanese language. Let’s start to learn basic Japanese numbers with JapanesePod101.com! Table of Contents Counting in Japanese: Numbers 0-9 Counting in Japanese: Numbers 10-99 Counting in... Show more

You're learning to speak Japanese, and it's going well. Your confidence is growing! So much so that you feel ready to share your experiences on social media—in Japanese. At Learn Japanese, we make this easy for you to get it right the first time. Post like a boss with these phrases and guidelines, and get to practice your Japanese in the process. 1. Talking about Your Restaurant Visit in Japanese Eating out is fun, and often an experience you'd like to share. Take a pic, and start a conversation on social media in Japanese. Your friend will be amazed by your language skills...and perhaps your taste in restaurants! Mamoru eats at a restaurant with his friends, posts an image of it, and leaves this comment: POST Let's break down... Show more

Bunka no hi, celebrated each year in November, is a relatively new Japanese cultural holiday that has experienced some adaptations over time. Originating during the reign of Emperor Meiji, and originally called Meijisetsu, this holiday was a day for Japan to celebrate the birth of its emperor until 1948. In this article, you’ll learn the most pertinent facts about Culture Day in Japan: activities, meaning, and what role the Constitution of Japan played in evolving the holiday into what it is today. At JapanesePod101.com, we hope to make every aspect of your learning journey both fun and informative! 1. What is Culture Day in Japan? Culture Day is a Japanese national holiday for appreciating peace and freedom, and was... Show more

Greetings are the first thing you learn when you start to learn a new language. “Hello” and “Thank you” are essential, but “Sorry” becomes even more important when it comes to good communication in a foreign culture which often has different customs and values from your original culture. Thus, “sorry” in studying Japanese is one of the most vital things you’ll learn. One of the noteworthy features of Japanese apologies is that there are various ways to say sorry. How to say sorry in Japanese has variations, both formal and informal, and in the severity of what you’re apologizing for and who you’re apologizing to. Japanese apologies also have to accompany particular gestures in some situations. Let’s take a detailed look at how to say... Show more

From time to time, we all need to reevaluate our health—our dietary habits, our exercise patterns (or lack thereof), and our ability to live each day well. On Health and Sports Day, the people of Japan do just this. This holiday encourages and inspires good health and more exercise at every level of society, but most especially for children and young adults. In this article, you’ll learn about Health-Sports Day in Japan and how it affects the health and lives of people all over the country. At JapanesePod101.com, we hope to make every aspect of your language-learning journey both fun and informative! 1. What is Health and Sports Day in Japan? Health and Sports Day is a national Japanese holiday dedicated to inspiring a... Show more