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August 25, 2025
 

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LANGUAGE

Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 20, 2015
Ain't no cure for the salaryman blues
This is an excerpt from an interview with a salaryman who wishes to remain anonymous.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jul 20, 2015
Tarry awhile to learn sakki and, after that, ato
Today we look at various ways of using the colloquial nouns u3055u3063u304d (a short while ago) and u3042u3068 (after a while).
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Jul 20, 2015
Softbank's Pepper sells out instantly
Softbank Corp. announced on June 20 that 1,000 units of its humanoid robot Pepper sold out in just one minute after they went on sale on its website.
EDITORIALS
Jul 18, 2015
Honda makes English official
Honda is just the latest in a growing number of Japanese firms embracing English as its official language; now the nation's education system needs to respond with more effective ways of teaching the language.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jun 29, 2015
Sitting on the fence in Japanese depends on these sentence patterns
Sore-wa ashita-no tenki-ni yorimasu-ne (It depends on tomorrow's weather.)
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 26, 2015
Picking the right words to ban from campus
American universities have been trying to reduce use of words or behavior that might stigmatize or humiliate people, but they are overshooting the mark.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 22, 2015
When too much is not enough, just dial up the 'sugiru'
When something is in excess, English commonly uses the adverb 'too.' Japanese expresses similar things with the verb 'sugiru.'
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jun 22, 2015
Let your green-eyed monster loose with 'urayamashii'
Today we introduce the proper use of the adjective u3046u3089u3084u307eu3057u3044, meaning 'jealous' or 'envious.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jun 22, 2015
Let's discuss Japanese sake in the news
To differentiate it from foreign-brewed fare, the National Tax Agency is considering defining 'Japanese sake' as a home-brewed alcoholic drink made from Japanese-grown rice.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 15, 2015
Keep pounding away and eventually Japanese will reveal its secrets
If some patterns in Japanese don't make sense yet, just keep pounding the rock. With enough time and repetition, they'll click.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jun 15, 2015
Use -tara to herald the expected and the unexpected
Today we introduce the proper use of 'X (verb in ta form) u3089u3001Y (= phrase).
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Jun 15, 2015
Ireland's 'yes' to gay marriage
Ireland recently became the first country in the world to legalize gay marriage by referendum.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jun 15, 2015
Let's discuss voting age limits in the news
The move to lower the voting age will give an estimated 2.4 million people aged 18 and 19 suffrage.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 8, 2015
Too much 'ganbaru' could push anyone over the edge
For those trying their hardest or already at the end of their rope, 'ganbaru' can seem like a slap in the face rather than a gesture of encouragement.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jun 8, 2015
Though you may think you don't need to know mono-no, you do
Today we will introduce the proper use of 'Xu3082u306eu306eY,' which is used to connect contrasting phrases.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 1, 2015
To know bamboo is to know Asia — and a whole lot of Japanese
This fast-growing plant has found its way into much of the language of Japan, revealing a great deal about the history and culture of East Asia.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jun 1, 2015
Zuibun is more useful than you could have possibly imagined
Today we will introduce some uses of the adverb 'zuibun,' which is used when the speaker wants to say that the degree of something is higher than they were expecting.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Jun 1, 2015
New York comes out tops in youth survey
New York has been ranked as the most popular city for young people aged 15 to 29 years old, according to a survey.
EDITORIALS
May 23, 2015
Rakuten forges ahead in English
E-commerce giant Rakuten has managed to do what the educational system apparently can't — get Japanese people to speak English competently.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 18, 2015
With yoji jukugo, four little characters can say so much
Saying it in four characters seems to be a pervasive stylistic device permeating all areas of life in Japan, from the pedestrian to the profound.
Japan to revise romanization rules for first time in 70 years
The Agency for Cultural Affairs is recommending replacing the government’s long-standing Kunrei system with more widely used Hepburn-style spellings.
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.
At meeting rich in symbolism, Ishiba and South Korea's Lee agree to steadily build ties
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba shake hands at joint press announcement after summit talks in Tokyo on Saturday.
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.
Japan to boost support for joint ride-hailing services
Tatsuaki Igarashi, mayor of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, exits a ride-sharing vehicle at Tsukuba Station in January.
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.
As farm minister, Koizumi is held ‘hostage’ by Ishiba
Farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi (center) attends a Lower House session on Aug. 1. Locking Koizumi into the Cabinet is Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s way of turning a potential rival into a team player, according to one expert.

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

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Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy

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