Pilgrimages in Japan Pilgrimages are an important part of Japanese religious experience and have been practiced since Buddhism was first brought to the islands by the monk Kuukai. They are typically centered on holy mountains or famous Buddhist sites and sometimes to Shinto shrines as well. This blog by Japanese teacher Megumi Ogura explores one of the most famous pilgrimages in Japan. The...

How many Kanji for the JLPT N3? If you include the Chinese characters from the N4 and N5 level, then the commonly quoted number is about 650 kanji in total that you need to learn in order to pass the JLPT N3. This blog for Japanese learners includes a fun way to study for this. You can learn almost 50 Kanji this way and it is an interesting pastime during this period of Stay at Home. Many...

Essential businesses and non-essential businesses During this time there is a lot of discussion about essential businesses and non-essential businesses. The types of work that fit into each category differ from country to country and even from state to state. But in this blog by a Japanese language teacher, she gives thanks to all those putting their lives and health at risk to provide services...

Japan's “lockdown” Japan began an official state of emergency at the start of April, and local governments of 7 prefectures began their “lockdown”. This was further extended to the rest of the country in mid-April. But the type of “lockdown” has been different to many countries in the world. It has not been a forced lockdown and people can go out to parks and shopping as long as they are careful...

Work from home Watching the BBC News channel, it seems that in England the phrase “work from home” has become a buzz word recently. In Japan, however, the vocabulary that is being used is “Telework”. Many companies have started this system and many are predicting that this trend may continue even after the Coronavirus pandemic lets up. In this short and interesting blog by a Japanese teacher for...

Masks and social distancing in Japan During the COVID 19 pandemic, people in Japan have been staying indoors with their families. It can be a time to bring people together and spend precious time with the ones we love. There have been difficulties in getting some essentials in the country especially face masks. But this hasn't stopped Someya sensei's son from improvising some cute alternatives!...

The Japanese fiscal year The Japanese financial or fiscal year spans from April 1st to March 31st . Schools and businesses usually follow this calendar to mark the start of a new year and hold ceremonies to celebrate the new additions to their institutions. It also takes place during the start of spring, so in Japan spring is often seen at the season for new beginnings. In this blog for Japanese...

Traditional Japanese colors Traditional colors of Japan have a long history dating back to 603 and are used in Japanese art, poetry and in kimono fabrics among other Japanese arts and crafts. Some Japanese colors have names that are imported from English and so they are written in Katakana. But there are also Japanese ancient colors that are the equivalent to these. But are they the same? Read...

Rental Bikes in Japan Many people use bicycles in their daily lives in Japan. Depending on the city, they are sometimes widely used by school-age children and adults. You can also find rental bikes at tourist spots all over Japan. These can be a useful and cheap way to get around. In this blog for beginner learners of Japanese, Japanese teacher Emi Sakude explains her interest in this mode of...

Future technology How will we invent the future? And what kinds of rules and regulations do we need to be in place before technological advances are made? Will we have flying cars in the future? Will they take off vertically like drones and helicopters? This Japanese language blog is a fun look at the world of the future. Japanese teacher Rie Kinoi has a great imagination and uses it to write...