The four seasons of Japan It is well known that Japan has four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. But because of the elongated nature of the islands of Japan, from north to south, the changes of seasons are slightly different between each area and the severity of each season can differ from place to place. In this blog by a Japanese teacher living in Niigata, you can read about and also...

Translating Japanese words There are some words in Japanese that are difficult to translate into another language. One of the most often used words in Japanese manga and anime, "Ganbatte!" is one of these words. It can have a different meaning depending on the situation and the person saying it. In this blog for Japanese language learners, by Japanese teacher Kumiko Yatabe deals with these...

The cherry blossom season usually occurs from the end of March and often reaching full bloom in early April. However, possibly due to global warming, the season for the flowers reaching full bloom has been getting earlier and earlier. 2021 saw the earliest blooming since the 1400s! The brevity of the flowers' lifespan is often juxtaposed with the fragility of life...

Changes in lifestyles during the pandemic Lifestyles have changed greatly during the Coronavirus pandemic. Many people have had to spend time indoors more. And a large number of people have taken to working from home, or change their ways of commuting. Have you made any changes to your lifestyle? Well, Japanese online school teacher Chiharu Takase has been reflecting on things she would like to...

Virtual tours online The Covid pandemic, and its impact on global tourism has led to a lot of innovation in the online tourism and virtual tours. The phenomenon had been widely used by museums all over the world and has grown to include many site-seeing spots and World Heritage sites. In this blog for Japanese learners, Japanese teacher Sachiko Someya introduces her own experience of a virtual...

Birthdays in Japan Did you know that Japanese people didn't celebrate birthdays traditionally? New Year's Day was believed to be the time when everyone aged another year so the importance of individual birthdays was introduced into the culture as the nation became more westernized. Now in modern Japan though, birthdays are often celebrated with cake and presents. Many people go out to eat at...

Spring in Japan Japan is often said to be a land of four seasons. But there are actually a lot stages of the seasons including early, mid and late seasons. With early spring in the air, there are a lot of indications of the changing of the season, apart from the gradually warming days. There are special fruits and vegetables that become edible at this time, and there are plants and animal...

Japanese knives Japanese knives have a cult following by chefs all over the world. There are many brands and famous artisans that have a long history of cutlery making. Many people travel to Japan to purchase the perfect knife, and they also do the rounds of international fairs too. If they are well-maintained they can last a lifetime, as Osaka resident and Japanese teacher Emi Sakude finds out....

Hokkaido wildlife Hokkaido in the northern Japan is one of the places in the country with the most national parks. You can find various animals and plant life much of which is native only to this island. In this blog, Japanese teacher Sayuri Itaya introduces one of the smallest and cutest animals in Hokkaido. It is so cute, it is featured in many Hokkaido products recently. Listen to Itaya...

Japanese school lunches There is a lot written about Japanese school lunches. It is one way in which this country’s systems are being emulated around the world The nutritional content is well-balanced and the portions are equal. Yet during the pandemic, there have been some interesting changes to the meals. In this blog for Japanese language learners, Japanese teacher Chie Eguchi tells us of...