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April 28, 2025
 

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NIHONGO

Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 8, 2021
Apologetic words abound amid a new wave of coronavirus cases
The vocabulary surrounding the state of emergency is back in the headlines as Tokyo gets set for new guidelines. When people go against those guidelines, well, the excuses start.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 29, 2020
Raise your glasses to 2020: Good riddance!
Drinking culture changed in a lot of ways in 2020. On one hand, we drink alone more. On the other hand, we don't have to worry about the last train as much.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Dec 29, 2020
Learning how to use 'ira-ira' without getting frustrated
The onomatopoeic terms 'ira-ira' and 'unzari' can help express feelings of frustration and being fed up in general. Therefore, they're helpful during a pandemic-related lockdown.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 22, 2020
The secret is out: This kanji will remain closely associated with the pandemic of 2020
The Japanese have spoken, 'u5bc6' (mitsu) is the kanji of the year for 2020. But what is this kanji trying to say to us?
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 / BILINGUAL
Dec 15, 2020
Cook up a sweet Japanese lesson … and some good food at the same time
Following a recipe in Japanese can be a language lesson all on its own. Get some grammar, add some vocabulary and serve fresh.
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.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 8, 2020
Japan's 2020 buzzwords still contain a sense of whimsy in spite of trying times
At the start of the year it was expected that 2020's buzzwords would all be related to the Olympics. Oh, how quickly that can change.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Dec 8, 2020
Study 'mushiro' and 'kaette' rather than falling behind on your Japanese
The adverbs 'mushiro' and 'kaette' indicate alternative preferences, but the difference lies in whether the alternative comes down to personal judgement.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 1, 2020
I'm sorry, but I think you can complain a little bit better than that
Japanese is well-known for being an indirect language, but that doesn't mean you can't make your dissatisfaction with a situation clear to others.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Dec 1, 2020
A verb tense for when you've been the subject of someone else's machinations
When you've been made to do something against your will, try and wrap your tongue around the causative passive to express yourself.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 24, 2020
A few tips on what to focus on in the final stretch leading to the JLPT
If you haven't started recapping for the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test yet, consider this your warning.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Nov 24, 2020
We won't force you to learn 'yogi naku,' but you can't help doing so anyway
Ano suigai de ōku no katagata ga hinan-seikatsu o yogi naku saremashita.
China seizes disputed reef near key Philippine military outpost
China Coast Guard officers unfurl a national flag on Sandy Cay reef, near the Philippine-held Thitu Island, in disputed waters of the South China Sea this month in this screen shot taken from Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
Japan to resist Trump efforts to form trade bloc against China
As Japan gears up for the trade talks, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is also seeking to cushion the blow that the U.S. tariffs may have on the domestic economy.
As many as nine dead after driver plows into Vancouver festival crowd
An ambulance is parked at the site of the Lapu Lapu day festival, where a vehicle drove into a crowd killing several people in Vancouver on Saturday.
Arunima Mazumdar: ‘Japanese literature has a niche but deeply engaged readership in India’
Arunima Mazumdar, a New Delhi-based communications professional, began sharing her love of Japanese literature online in 2022. The platform has grown into a robust community known as Dokusha Book Club.
Japan struggles with gray zone of AI deepfakes exploiting children
AI-generated content — including those made using pictures of real people, which are known as “deepfakes” — is not explicitly covered under Japan's current legal framework, nor are human-drawn illustrations that depict child abuse.
‘Wildcat Dome’ challenges Japan's historical narratives
On the surface, "Wildcat Dome" tells a personal story of damaged children — now adults — bound together by tragedy. Underneath, there’s a constant undercurrent of political consequence, invisible and pervasive like radioactive particles.
Reclaiming Sanya, one meal at a time
Magokoro Yoshihira (center) is the managing director of Yui Associates, which operates the neighborhood fixtures of Sanya Cafe and Juyoh Hotel. Yusuke Takahashi (left) met Yoshihira during a difficult period in his life and now works as the cafe’s chef. Nancy Anne (right) has worked for over 10 years at Juyoh Hotel and enjoys the multicultural environment.
Amid uncertain tariffs, is now the time to buy a new iPhone?
An Apple store in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward in September. Prices for the newest iPhone models start at around ¥100,000 ($700) in Japan.
Built in a flash, Osaka Expo pavilions wrestle with sustainability
Kengo Kuma & Associates oversaw the construction of the Malaysia pavilion, which is encased in interwoven rows of bamboo that appear to ripple.
Japan weighs using U.S. rice imports as tariff negotiation tool with Trump
A restaurant owner pours California-grown Calrose rice into a rice cooker at his restaurant in Tokyo

Podcast

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

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami
By Alex K.T. Martin

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