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August 26, 2025
 

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LANGUAGE

Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 13, 2016
For 'overtime refugees,' home is where the heart isn't
At night in Japan's big cities, overtime refugees roam the streets in search of alcohol, solace or a quiet place to sit with their laptops.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jun 13, 2016
Just say 'no' to top off informal questions, answers and requests in Japanese
Introduce some proper uses of the sentence-ending particle u306e, which is used in informal conversation.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Jun 13, 2016
Healthy aging has little to do with age
When it comes to maintaining health in your older years, age means little and obesity may not be so bad after all.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Jun 8, 2016
Is the Eiken doing Japan's English learners more harm than good?
Critics argue that the Eiken proficiency exams focus too heavily on vocabulary, grammar and the written word at the expense of fluency.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 6, 2016
Trilingual actress Yuho Yamashita proves that sheer drive can bring fluency
Yuho Yamashita, who has acted in Japanese, English and German during her career, talks about her approach to learning languages.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jun 6, 2016
Making suggestions without being pushy using 'demo' and 'ka nani ka'
Introduce some uses of Xu3067u3082 and Xu304bu306au306bu304b, expressions that identify one example among others.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jun 6, 2016
Let's discuss Okinawan anger over U.S. military crimes
This week's featured article
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 30, 2016
How breaking news bulletins in Japan evolved from lights to bytes
From news tickers to TV alerts, a look at the ways breaking news was disseminated in the days before the internet and social media.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
May 30, 2016
Compounding the good or the bad with 'ue ni' and, on top of that, 'sono ue'
Introduce the sentence pattern u3046u3048(u306b) and conjunction u305du306eu3046u3048.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
May 30, 2016
Cool Biz energy-saving campaign kicks off
The government has kicked off its annual Cool Biz campaign, during which workers are encouraged to dress more casually to help reduce energy use.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
May 29, 2016
Industry helps Chinese game their way into and through U.S. colleges
The advertisements were tailored for Chinese college students far from home struggling with the English language and an unfamiliar culture.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 23, 2016
The secret joy of being a Japanese woman (no, really)
This patriarchal society provides a lot more wriggle room for women, leaving men with precious little in terms of loopholes and options.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
May 23, 2016
Doing it your own sweet way with 'nari ni'
Introducing the proper use of u306au308au306b, which attaches to a noun or verb.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
May 23, 2016
Tokyo 2020 Olympics finally get new logo
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic organizing committee unveils a new logo to replace the original choice, which was scrapped over a plagiarism scandal.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 16, 2016
In Japanese, the past tense is present where and when you least expect it
The Japanese past tense looks pretty easy to handle, but it can turn up in sentences about the here and now, as well as in adjectives and imperatives.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
May 16, 2016
Two of a kind: complementary compliments 'yasashii' and 'shinsetsu'
Introducing some uses of the adjectives u512a(u3084u3055)u3057u3044 and u89aau5207(u3057u3093u305bu3064)(u306a).
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
May 16, 2016
Government guesthouse in Tokyo opens year-round
Akasaka Palace, a state guesthouse in Tokyo, is now open to the public throughout the year.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
May 16, 2016
Let's discuss the burden of 'double care'
An estimated 253,000 people in Japan are shouldering the double burden of raising children while also caring for sick or elderly family members.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 9, 2016
To be a more complete Japanese speaker, leave your sentences incomplete
Often, saying less can make you seem more of a complete natural Japanese speaker.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
May 9, 2016
Getting on the receiving end of the wide world of 'ukeru'
Ryōshin-no eikyō-o ukete, musuko-mo rokku-ga suki-ni natchatta-mitai. (My son was influenced by his parents and has come to like rock, I guess.)
Character-crazed Japan has little appetite for Labubu
A pop-up advertisement for the newly opened Chiikawa Park in Tokyo's Ikebukuro neighborhood demonstrates how the country is chockful of cute characters — to the detriment of trends like Labubu.
Are 'coolcations' the answer for Japan's heat-weary tourists?
Hikers on a trail in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture. As extreme heat continues to grip Japan, a tectonic shift may be underway in the nation’s summer tourism scene as more people gravitate toward cooler destinations.
JICA to designate four Japanese cities as 'hometowns' for African nations
The Japanese flag (left) with the flag of the African Union
Man arrested in Kobe stabbing had been staying at hotel near victim’s home
Masashi Tanimoto arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of a woman in Kobe, is sent to prosecutors on Sunday.
Tokyo releases AI-generated video of Mount Fuji erupting
A screenshot from an AI-generated video showing what could happen to Tokyo if Mount Fuji erupted
Are 'coolcations' the answer for Japan's heat-weary tourists?
Hikers on a trail in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture. As extreme heat continues to grip Japan, a tectonic shift may be underway in the nation’s summer tourism scene as more people gravitate toward cooler destinations.
Germany's first sakemaker offers a bold brew of ideas
Reigen, Germany's first sake brewery, makes a diverse, nontraditional range of sake that includes fruit-flavored sips and wine barrel-aged renditions.
Alicia Keys closed Summer Sonic, but J-pop owned it
Summer Sonic’s 2025 lineup demonstrated its strength, showcasing the latest in J-pop, including “new kawaii” act Fruits Zipper.
Is the LDP’s catch-all approach to politics still effective?
Former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi visits Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Aug. 15. Political commentator Toru Hashimoto has suggested that Takaichi ought to lead a group of like-minded hawkish politicians out of the Liberal Democratic Party and form their own party.
Fingers sore from too much phone time? You might have ‘sumaho yubi.’
A catch-all term for tendonitis and arthritis caused by excessive smartphone use, 'sumaho yubi' may be difficult to treat for gadget-crazy Japan.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after
Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

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