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May 04, 2024
 

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GRAMMAR

Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 9, 2022
The language of c-c-c-cold!: You can say more than just ‘samui desu’
The temperature may be dropping but that doesn't mean your vocabulary can't be on the rise. Start expanding on the ways you can express how you feel during the winter.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 30, 2022
How can you fight climate change in Japan? Learn how to talk about it.
A good approach to speaking about hot-button topics in Japanese is to use so-called softeners so that your don't come off as too direct with your opinions.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 27, 2022
Da trouble with da, the less formal cousin of desu
The simple 'da' in Japanese isn't so simple when you delve into the purposes it serves and the ways in you should be using it correctly.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 13, 2022
Finding the right words for when you discover a lost item in Japan
Take a verb and turn it into a noun simply by adding 'mono' to the end of it and you're halfway to verbalizing that you've found something that was lost.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 24, 2021
The holidays are here, but it’s not just the weather that’s cold
Christmas in Japan is a time for giving gifts, but make sure to save some of your money for the new year holiday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 19, 2021
Be active in discussions about crime by mastering the passive voice
With news about train-related crime appearing in broadcasts, we look at the basic structure of talking about victims and perpetrators.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 15, 2021
Visual elements make Japanese an easier language for those with dyslexia
Learning Japanese may seem daunting for those diagnosed with dyslexia, but it turns out that fundamentals of the language actually make it easier to learn than its Western counterparts.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 8, 2021
Pandemic or no pandemic, I need to get out of my house
A lot of people have had to spend more time at home during the pandemic and that has led to some getting stir-crazy.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 3, 2021
It's the question on everyone’s mask-covered lips: 'Wakuchin utta?'
Whether you have received a vaccine or not, you may be finding that conversations about Pfizer and Moderna are becoming more common than chats about the weather.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 28, 2021
Let the verbs do the work when it comes to pronouns and polite speech in Japanese
The verb forms in polite speech more distinctly refer to people in a way that makes it nearly impossible to confuse the actors in a sentence .
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Aug 12, 2021
Giving an overall take on the end of the Olympics in Japanese
What did you like and dislike about the 2020 Tokyo Olympics closing ceremony? Let's practice some terms that help when we want to give our opinion in Japanese.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 6, 2021
Using Japanese to discuss victory and defeat at the Tokyo Olympics
It's not accurate to say that anyone who doesn't medal at the Olympics is a loser, but the language of winning and losing is very much a part of Japanese.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Jul 29, 2021
The many views of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony
Use Japanese words such as 'suki' or 'yoi' to tell people that you liked or didn't like the opening ceremony for this year's Olympics.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 4, 2021
Dress like Naruto? Great cosplay. Speak like Naruto? Hmm, chotto …
With anime's popularity booming, some may see it as a shortcut to learning Japanese. But you wouldn't necessarily learn English from Donald Duck, would you?
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 28, 2021
Immerse yourself in the creativity and language of Japanese TikTok accounts
From creators who put together anime shorts to the daily trials of a para-swimmer, Japanese TikTok is a fascinating place to get lost in the language.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 21, 2021
The ‘wake’ structures that you can use to expand on your reasoning
The terms 'wake da,' 'wake dewa nai,' 'wake ga nai' and 'wake ni wa ikanai' help with giving reasons u2026 like maybe reasons why you don't want to cancel a major international event?
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 4, 2021
Focus on sentence endings to 'see the future' in Japanese
Once you get an idea of what kinds of verbs come at the end of Japanese sentences, particularly in news reports, your brain can concentrate on deciphering the rest in more detail.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 12, 2021
Achieving solidarity requires more than words
With the anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, we're reminded of the solidarity of the people of Tohoku. Now if only we could find that unity in our politics.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Dec 22, 2020
Dare to take action in Japanese with 'isso' and 'omoikitte'
The terms 'isso' and 'omoikitte' both convey the nuance of doing something daring, or even 'taking the plunge.' Learn when it's best to use them.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Dec 15, 2020
Certainly, 'tashika ni' is a Japanese term you'll want to know
While 'tashika' on its own in a sentence conveys the idea that something is most likely true, adding the particle 'ni' to it will make it more definite.
Biden calls ally Japan ‘xenophobic’ along with rivals China and Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in Syracuse, New York, on April 25.
Yen swings stir talk that Japan is in the FX market once again
An electronic screen in Tokyo displays the yen exchange rate against the U.S. dollar and the graph showing its recent swings, on Thursday.
Harajuku strives to reclaim its former glory — and surpass it
Laforet Harajuku, which celebrated its 45th anniversary last year, has been a witness to the district's evolution over the years.
Weak yen fattens tourist wallets in Japan
People visit the Ameya Yokocho market in Tokyo's Ueno district during the Golden Week holiday on Tuesday.
Japan's May 1 intervention may have cost ¥3.66 trillion, BOJ data suggests
An electronic screen displays a graph showing Japanese yen exchange rates surging against the dollar amid signs of intervention by authorities, in Tokyo on Thursday.
Kishida sets sights on energy and climate in South America trip
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will use a policy speech in Sao Paulo to set out his vision for ties between Japan and South America, almost 10 years after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe advocated for stronger ties between the two in the same city.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.
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.

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

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces
By Stephen Mansfield

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