At Japanese train stations, you can find lunch boxes on sale which are meant to be eaten during your train journey. Some train stations have become famous for their ekiben lunch boxes which are made from local specialties. In this blog by a Japanese teacher at Japonin(JOI), Miki Oosawa, you can read about her memory of one special and nostalgic Ekiben lunchbox. You can...

Heat packs or ‘warmers’ in Japan Heat packs or ‘warmers’ as they are known in Japan, are a great way to stay warm in winter. They are disposable and can keep you warm for over 8 hours. Some are sticky and you can stick them on your undergarments to keep your back or belly warm, and some can be put inside your shoes to keep your toes warm. But there is something that not many people know about...

Wildlife in Hokkaido The island of Hokkaido in the north of Japan is home to a variety of indigenous wildlife. There are unique species of bear, deer and fox as well as a number of plants that cannot be found anywhere else. In this blog by Japanese teacher Sayuri Itaya, the teacher introduces a very cute animal that can be found in Hokkaido prefecture. Please read the blog in Japanese, study the...

Bread in Japan Bread first arrived in Japan with the Portuguese in the 16th Century. After that Japan became closed to trade for 400 years, until the end of the Edo period, so it was not until the last few centuries that bread eating became popular in Japan. There are many bakeries all over Japan and many types of bread that are unique to Japan. In this blog for Japanese learners, Japanese...

Kimono in Japan The traditional dress of Japan is the kimono (着物). In the past, it was worn as everyday wear by women but recently Japanese people wear it for special occasions such as weddings, funerals and some traditional events. The style and color of the kimono can depend on the occasion and also the person's age and whether a woman is married or not. Many students wear kimonos and hakama...

Pets in Japan Japan is often seen as a crammed country with little space for people to live, let alone with pets.But pets are extremely popular here and pet owners and animal services are some of the most caring in the world. There were an estimated 8.49 million dogs and 9.64 million cats being kept by owners in the country. And the pandemic has also seen a dramatic rise in pet ownership in...

Traditional Japanese New Year The New Year is one of the most celebrated season in Japan. Japanese people decorate the fronts of their houses and businesses and sometimes even cars with New Year decorations. There are many TV specials and special food to mark the different days. People also visit shrines and pray for the coming year. In this blog for Japanese learners, explains one of the last...

Changes in Japanese society Japan as a nation is an ever-changing landscape of influences and shifts in fashions and tastes. The changes are often brought about by the younger population and from abroad, but some changes are just brought about by time. In this blog for Japanese readers, Japanese teacher Ayako Suzuki deals with the changing tastes of the Japanese people and one Japanese phrase...

Japanese families The word for family in Japanese is Kazoku (家族) and the Kanji could be interpreted as ‘house clan’. In modern times, nuclear families have become the norm in Japan but in the past, multi-generational families were the most ordinary. In this blog about her family, Japanese teacher Yukiko Takane tells us a sweet story about her family life with her daughter. Read the blog and...

How to say thank you in Japanese Japanese is often said to be a difficult language to master. But many people actually find it quite easy to speak but difficult to read or write. But even in spoken Japanese, there are some areas where foreign speakers can make mistakes or be misunderstood. This is why it is best to learn Japanese from a professional teacher rather than merely a native speaker. A...