Japanese monsters When people mention Japanese monsters, many think of the giant movie monsters like Godzilla. But there are many monsters, demons, ghouls and ghosts that can be found in ancient Japanese literature and folklore. It would be no surprise then that there is a monster that is related to the current pandemic. But not in the way you would imagine. This monster comes to prevent or...

Japanese writing system and Chinese characters The Japanese word kanji which means Chinese characters is taken from the meaning "Han characters". It forms a vital part of the Japanese writing system which also includes Hiragana alphabet and Katakana characters too. There are a multitude of Chinese characters used in Japanese and it would not surprise you to know that some are uniquely formed by...

Japanese school trips Japanese school trips are a big part of the educational life in Japan. Often a whole year of students travel with a handful of teachers to either some famous tourist destinations or to some theme parks or go abroad. It is one of the most memorable parts of school life. In this blog by a Japanese language teacher, Izumi Yanaka finds a nostalgic essay about that time. This...

New Year's in Japan New Year's season in Japan is a quiet and family-oriented celebration. Most people, especially families, spend the period at home and sometimes go out to experience some of the cultural activities like visiting shrines. Modern New Year celebrations, especially for the younger generations can include countdown parties, but these are not the general norm. Why is New Year's so...

Confucianism in Japan Confucianism stands beside Buddhism as one of the religious, sociological, and philosophical teachings that spread across Asia to Japan. Whereas Buddhism had its roots in India, Confucianism was born in China. In Japan, it was introduced as a fundamental component to the education system and became a staple in schools during the Edo period. In this blog by Japanese teacher...

Japan's historic castle towns Japan is a land with a fascinating history. One of the most interesting segments of history is the eras in which castles were constructed. Many of these remain in part or have been reconstructed and many historic castle towns are extremely well preserved. In this blog for Japanese learners, Japanese teacher Hiroshi Yamamoto used to live in one of these towns. Listen...

There have been many fads and crazes during the lockdown periods around the world. One of these has definitely gardening at home and making your own vegetables. And also regrowing vegetables from scraps as well. In Japan especially, this has been a small fad. In this blog for Japanese learners, Japanese teacher Midori Miyake explains how she went about regrowing vegetables from...

47 prefectures of Japan Japan is split into 47 prefectures and these are often a source of conversation and media focus. They include 43 proper prefectures, two urban prefectures (Osaka and Kyoto), one territory (Hokkaido) and one metropolis (Tokyo). Japanese media loves to find differences between the prefectures and make TV programs or radio conversations surrounding these. In this blog by...

As the global population increases and fears of future food shortages grow, there has been an interest in edible insects. In many cultures around the world, insects already form a part of the daily diet or eaten as a delicacy. So if we can overcome our scruples, this could be an interesting evolution of the human food culture. In this Japanese language blog, Japanese teacher...

Japanese anime movies The genre of Japanese animation or anime has gradually grown into a major artistic and economic force. It has spawned many titles and creative studios, not only in Japan but all over the world and has an army of fans that are dedicated and inspired. This year one movie has been talked about extensively and this is Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. It has received critical...