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May 20, 2024
 

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BILINGUAL

Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 24, 2019
The Japanese words 'mono' and 'koto' can make things tricky
Both 'mono' and 'koto' mean 'thing' in Japanese, but they're used in different ways. And the thing is, nuance matters.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 17, 2019
In praise of the perfect Japanese compliment
The Japanese haven't traditionally complimented one another in the workplace, but a book on the power of positive reinforcement has garnered a following.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 10, 2019
Here’s to nattō, Japan’s original superfood
One of the country's most notable u5065u5eb7u98dfu54c1 (kenku014d shokuhin, health food products), u7d0du8c46 is made from u5927u8c46 (daizu, soybeans) fermented with u67afu8349u83cc (kosu014dkin, bacillus subtilis).
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 3, 2019
Don't give up yet on giving and getting in Japanese
One of the first things taught in anthropology classes is that presents exchanged in a given society hardly ever come for free. When someone gives another person something, that always entails some sort of obligation. Acts of giving and receiving are hence highly sensitive social endeavors, and so is...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 27, 2019
Speaking up in Japanese for quality time off work
Decades ago, the mid-1980s to be exact, I complained to my mom that my dad worked too much. Like legions of middle-aged Japanese salarymen, my father was never home before 9 p.m. and spent his weekends on 海外出張 (kaigai shucchō, overseas business trips). He was also big on 休日出勤 (kyūjitsu...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 20, 2019
Matching the ins and outs of two common kanji
From April 1, the 入国管理局 (nyūkoku kanri-kyoku, Immigration Bureau), which operated under the auspices of the 法務省 (hōmushō, Justice Ministry), was upgraded from a bureau to an agency. Its Japanese name changed to 出入国在留管理庁 (shutsunyūkoku zairyū kanri-chō), which can...
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 29, 2019
A few parting words in Japanese for when you retire
Japan needed to pass a special law before the Emperor was able to 'retire,' but for the rest of us the process is a bit easier — as long as you know the vocabulary involved.
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 / BILINGUAL
Apr 8, 2019
Use 'shin' to make a new start in the Reiwa Era
Spring is the time for new life, the new school year, new coworkers and, in 2019, a new Imperial era.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 1, 2019
Heisei it ain't so! An era of great vocabulary is ending
In the beginning there was the word. More precisely, the prefix. When the Heisei Era officially started, on Jan. 8, 1989, Japan's economy was still merrily bubbling along. That must have been one reason for the popularity of 超 (chō, hyper-). The prefix itself is anything but new, but the idea to make...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 25, 2019
To differentiate a 'piri-piri' throat from a 'muzu-muzu' one, you'll have to know your onomatopoeia
If you ever want to take a break from grammar and reading when studying Japanese, dive into the world of 'giongo' and 'gitaigo.'
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 18, 2019
Hay fever season gets people sneezing and talking
A good way to start a conversation in Japanese at this time of year is to talk about allergies and hay fever in particular. Learning the vocabulary for sore eyes and runny noses can also help at your local pharmacy.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 4, 2019
Wake up and smell Japan through new vocabulary
The world is full of smells. Good smells and bad smells, pleasant and unpleasant smells, fragrant and pungent smells. Though the nose is not our most reliable advisor in perception — eyesight is far more important, as is well known — smells clearly have a say in our view of the world. And there is...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 12, 2018
Don't worry about slipping up in spoken Japanese, you're only carrot after all
Come commiserate with perpetual learners of the language over a shared ability to fill an everyday conversation with gaffes.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 29, 2018
'Ghost kanji' lurk in the Japanese lexicon
Floating around the murky regions of digitized Unicode values are anywhere between 60 and 100 yu016brei-moji — literally, 'ghost characters' — haunting the Japanese kanji lexicon.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 22, 2018
Halloween in Japan: Make up, dress up — and hook up?
Halloween has become one of the coolest days on the calendar, and it's less about sweets for kids than it is an occasion for grown-ups to deck themselves out in costumes for all-night reveling.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 15, 2018
Counting the ways to talk about numbers in Japanese
From 'ban' and 'go' to 'kazu' and 'su,' there are a variety of ways to refer to numbers in Japanese depending on the situation.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 1, 2018
Nothing is left undone with the plethora of negative prefixes in Japanese
Everything in life has a negative side to it. This nasty fact has also left its mark on Japanese, in the form of negative prefixes that will turn just everything into its opposite.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 24, 2018
How to sum up Japan's summer of disaster in Japanese?
The summer of 2018 was one for the books — busting meteorological records, wreaking havoc and devastating entire regions along the coast of western Japan.
America wasn’t made for walking, and it’s killing them
A 2010 study found that U.S. adults averaged 5,117 steps daily and that this was lower than the averages found in similar studies in Switzerland, western Australia and Japan.
Rare sequel to 'My Neighbor Totoro' to play at Cannes
A screening of "Mei and the Baby Cat Bus," which is being billed as a "mini-sequel" to the Studio Ghibli classic "My Neighbor Totoro," is set to take place at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday.
Japanese stripper bids to have her porn movies taken off internet
Plaintiff Miyuki Ariga (left) speaks at a news conference along with her lawyer, Yoshitomo Morohashi, after filing a lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court on Monday.
Saudi crown prince seeks soft power in game hub Japan
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman welcomes Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, last July.
Japan survey finds 30% of student interns experience sexual harassment
The proportion of recent graduates in Japan who have worked as interns have experienced sexual harassment during their internship was 30.1%, according to a labor ministry survey, up 4.6 percentage points from the previous survey in fiscal 2020.
Fuchu Prison adapting to foreign prisoners
From the outside, the light-brown complex that is Fuchu Prison in western Tokyo could easily be mistaken for a city hall.
The politicians moving Japan forward on climate
While not the most outspoken politician on the issue, digital minister Taro Kono has a track record of being serious in his commitment to addressing the climate crisis.
Seoul's eclectic Art OnO shines light on Japan's artists and galleries
Art OnO, which took place from April 19 to 21 in Seoul, featured a modest number of 36 participating galleries from 15 countries.
Want to be a voice actor? Stay 'true to the character'
SungWon Cho is a veteran with more than 10 years of experience portraying characters in anime, cartoons and video games.
Local theater in Japan is more than a hobby — it’s a community
Japan Times contributor Laura Pollacco (front right) was offered the role of one of her all-time favorite heroines, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Bennet, in the Tokyo International Players’ production of “Pride and Prejudice.”

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

Things may look perfect to the outside world, but today's mom is fine with some imperfection at home.
How 'Reiwa moms' are reshaping motherhood in Japan
By Mai Yoshikawa

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there
Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there

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