author

 
Menu
Search
 
April 30, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

Twitter

@howtojapanese

Daniel Morales
For Daniel Morales's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 7, 2019
A podcast that talks to bilingual people about studying Japanese and working in Japan
Some people hit the books and some people hire a personal teacher. In any case, there are many paths to becoming fluent in Japanese.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Sep 2, 2019
How to address the 'sisters' we've never met
When meeting new people in Japan, it's essential to address them in the correct way, so be sure not to confuse your obasans with your o-nu0113sans.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 5, 2019
There's more than just page numbers in the index of a Japanese literary magazine
Folding out with a wealth of linguistic and cultural lessons, the index can act as a makeshift classroom for the imaginative.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 8, 2019
Get in tune with the sound of Japanese vocabulary
Certain Japanese words sound like they should represent an action, can you guess what a word means by how it's pronounced?
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 13, 2019
When giving a public speech in Japanese, tears can be your trump card
There are certain occasions in Japan when showing emotion is expected. Deploying a few key phrases can also do the trick.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 15, 2019
使用? 利用? Make use of a dictionary to use your Japanese properly
As your Japanese improves you'll begin to find there are subtle nuances in the language that can stump even native speakers. That's when you turn to a Japanese dictionary.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Feb 25, 2019
Japanese that's so beautiful it belongs in a museum
What if there was a Museum of Exceptional Japanese? Daniel Morales discusses the kinds of words he would like to see in such an institution, but what words would you donate?
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Sep 17, 2018
When stumped in Japanese, go where stumped Japanese go
Reading Japanese explanations of Japanese grammar patterns is a surefire way to improve your reading ability and to make sure you're getting unadulterated content.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 25, 2018
At 180,000 entries, Jim Breen's freeware Japanese dictionary is still growing
Even if they haven't visited Jim Breen's site directly, every Japanese learner will have come across his dictionary material in some form.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 14, 2018
Whose line is it anyway? Tips for deciphering dialogue in Japanese fiction
Dialogue in Japanese fiction has its own set of rules, and if you're not paying close attention, you may have trouble understanding who is saying what to whom.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 16, 2018
OK Google, auto-fill the gaps in my Japanese
If you are stuck for what to say in Japanese, Google search — and in particular, its auto-fill function — can be your friend.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 12, 2018
Cheat your way to better Japanese with walkthrough video game guides
Learners of Japanese, why not try offsetting the guilt of cheating at video games by changing your device's settings to Nihongo and checking Japanese online walkthrough guides?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Feb 17, 2018
Yoshihisa Arai: Floating on air in Chicago
At rehearsal a week before the debut of the Joffrey Ballet's latest production in Chicago, dancer Yoshihisa Arai sat on the ground in the back of the rehearsal space with his legs in a split, stretching and checking his smartphone.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 15, 2018
Yonkoma manga: Lives told, lessons learned in four frames
The internet has provided would-be manga artists with an easy way to publish their own yonkoma (four-frame manga), resulting in a wide variety of different stories that are easily accessible and free.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 13, 2017
Blue Sky Books is a literary treasure trove
Aozora Bunko is an electric internet library that contains works of literature in the public domain.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 25, 2017
Learn Japanese as you travel the world
Japanese guidebooks are more than just vocabulary lessons. They provide subtle insight into Japanese grammar as well.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 14, 2017
Enka gives lessons in Japan's unattainable love
You may groan and think me an oyaji, but enka songs offer great language lessons and also provide insight into how the Japanese conceive of love.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Jul 8, 2017
Leading cancer researcher Yusuke Nakamura pursues answers
Yusuke Nakamura could easily have had a long, successful career as a surgeon in Japan, but he isn't the kind of person who is satisfied with unanswered questions.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 26, 2017
Asking questions to the Japanese internet
The website Yahoo! u77e5u6075u888b (Chiebukuro, literally 'bag of knowledge') is a great resource for language learners and for anyone interested in observing Japanese interact online.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 22, 2017
Tanka help Japanese express emotions
Tanka are one of the oldest forms of poetry in the world with a 1,300-year history.
When will Japan intervene to support the yen?
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki has reiterated the government's readiness to take an appropriate action as the yen continues to slide against the U.S. dollar.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Raising kids in Japan as a single parent? It takes a village.
Making things work as a foreign, single mother in Japan isn't easy, but these tips and tricks can help you through the hardest parts.
Yen rebounds strongly after first slide past ¥160 since 1990
The yen dropped to ¥160.245 per dollar on Monday before heading into the other direction to ¥155.01 amid speculation of an intervention by Japanese currency authorities.
JAL cancels international flight after captain gets drunk at Dallas hotel
A Japan Airlines' flight from Dallas to Tokyo was canceled last week after its captain got drunk at a local hotel.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability
Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER