Seasonal food in Japan Japan with its four seasons has a variety of seasonal food. And Japanese cuisine or Washoku is largely dependent on the change of ingredients as the temperatures and weather change. In this blog for people who are trying to learn Japanese, is a great way for students of the Japanese language to read and listen to natural Japanese and Kinoi sensei introduces her view of...

Shopping in Japan In a typical Japanese shopping district you can find the usual supermarkets, clothing stores and alcohol stores along side the ubiquitous convenient stores. But the type of shop introduced here by Japanese teacher Itaya sensei in this Japanese learners' blog, might be one of the most useful type of shop in Japan. Itaya sensei reads the blog in fluent and natural Japanese, so...

Japanese electrical appliances Japan is one of the world's foremost countries for creating electrical appliances. There are many companies that specialize in this field, and many products that can be found domestically that do not make their way onto the international market. In this Japanese learner's blog by Eguchi sensei, a teacher at Japonin(JOI), she finds one particular electrical...

Tokyo's Yoyogi park Yoyogi Park (Yoyogi Kōen) is one of Tokyo's largest city parks. In 1964, it was used by the Tokyo Olympics for the athletes village so it has a history that is relevant to today's Japan. Kamiyama sensei often goes to this park to enjoy the events there. She shares her appreciation for the park in this short and useful Japanese learner's blog with audio and video. 代々木公園 Yoyogi...

Japanese cuisine or washoku Japanese cuisine or washoku is based on rice. And another ingredient that plays a large part in the cuisine, is Soy beans. In this Japanese learners' blog, Ishibashi sensei lightly explains one food that is almost synonymous with this type of cooking. Listen to Ishibashi sensei read the blog in the accompanying video and enjoy studying the Japanese language with this...

Exercise in Japan Japan is one of the world's longest living nations. Health and exercise especially for the aging population are becoming popular, with gyms and exercise groups providing many services like Yoga and Pilates to maintain fitness. Yanaka sensei reads out her blog in which she talks about her own exercise regimen and the changes she has made to make her lifestyle and body healthier....

The Academic Year in Japan The trimester system is the usual standard in the Japanese education system. The school holidays take place in between these. Suszuki sensei is a Japanese teacher at Japonin(JOI) and has two children. She adds her personal view of the education system and introduces a shift from the trimester system in this week's teachers' blog. Read the blog in Japanese below and...

A scary story There are a number of scary stories in Japan, and Imoto sensei has introduced one of her own experiences in this week's blog. Her recommendation for how to read this story is, if you find any words you do not understand, do not worry about it too much, continue reading. We have only added the minimum necessary vocabulary with the intention of having you read the flow of the story....

Superheroes Japan The cultural impact of Japanese superheroes is hard to measure. And there are many Japanese people who spent large parts of their youth following the adventures of these characters on TV and in comic books. In this teachers' blog by Yuko Momoki sensei, a Japanese teacher at Japonin(JOI), she introduces her own view of this phenomenon. Read the blog and listen to the video to...

Japanese sake Japan's national drink is Sake or Japanese rice wine. The drink is enjoyed all year round in Japan and the methods of drinking it differ from season to season. One way to enjoy the drink is to have varying vessels to drink from. Takane sensei here introduces some of the best ways to choose a Japanese sake vessel. Please listen to and watch the video to learn how to pronounce...