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April 28, 2025
 

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NIHONGO

Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Apr 7, 2020
What to do when a Japanese word shows signs of needing 'meku' attached to it
Attaching the verb 'meku' to certain Japanese words can emphasize the idea of showing signs of something or appearing to look like something.
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Apr 7, 2020
Virus outbreak boosts convenience store sales in February
Let's look at some business terms via a Japanese news article about a rise in sales at convenience stores during the early days of the new coronavirus outbreak.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 6, 2020
Cancellations, postponements, suspensions — words that define the times
March was a month of cancelled classes, postponed planes and sudden suspensions. Let's take a deeper look at the ways we express delays.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 31, 2020
The Japanese words used to encourage self-restraint
As concern over the new coronavirus increases so does a Japanese learner's vocabulary. Get to know the words that are most commonly being used in news stories about the outbreak.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Mar 31, 2020
The 'ni ataranai' structure is actually a grammar point that's worth learning
The terms 'ni(wa) ataranai' and 'made mo nai/naku' point out things that aren't worth doing, but they have slightly different nuances.
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Mar 31, 2020
Local governments short on volunteer interpreters in emergencies
A Kyodo story looks at the lack of multilingual volunteers that would be able to help Southeast Asian communities in Japan in an emergency.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Mar 24, 2020
Entrance fee to Mount Fuji to become mandatory
An expert committee that advises the “Mount Fuji World Cultural Heritage Council” working group comprised of prefectures such as Yamanashi and Shizuoka, had confirmed a discussion as of (Feb.) 18th for an entrance fee for Mount Fuji.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Mar 24, 2020
Pointing out the family with 'ni ataru'
Mari-chan wa Nana no obasan ni ataru. (Mari is Nana’s aunt.)
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 24, 2020
Can’t find tissues? Get some towels, it’s moving time
It’s a bad time to run out of toilet paper and tissues. March is a month of big life changes in Japan such as 入学 (nyūgaku, entering university), 入社 (nyūsha, entering a company) and 転勤 (tenkin, company transfers), and those will often require your moving to a new apartment. A 空っぽな...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 17, 2020
Looking for luck in Japanese amid a pandemic
It's St. Patrick's Day and with the spread of coronavirus taking place it's a good time to talk about lucky charms.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Mar 17, 2020
Celebrating special occasions with 'ni atatte' and 'ni saishite'
A more formal construction, 'ni atatte' is used when you are marking the occasion. 'Ni saishite' has a similar nuance, think of both as a fancy way to say 'when.'
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Mar 17, 2020
Will the coronavirus wreck Tokyo's cherry blossom season?
Tradition has come down with the flu this year as the virus known as COVID-19 has people rethinking their party plans.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Mar 11, 2020
'Masaka,' it's good to know this expression in a pinch
The adverb 'masaka' can be used to express the level of an emergency or a certain level of disbelief.
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Mar 10, 2020
School closures begin as Japan steps up coronavirus fight
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a 'request' to close schools, not an 'order.' Let's look at the language of a Kyodo News piece on the subject.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 7, 2020
Your Japanese vocabulary can expand as the new coronavirus spreads
When news of a virus began to surface we took the opportunity to review the Japanese for things like 'symptoms' and 'cough.' Now we're learning terms like 'pandemic' and 'state of emergency.'
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 3, 2020
'Emergency' Japanese can help build fluency
One trick to improving your fluency in Japanese is to keep a list of stock phrases that can be deployed in multiple situations.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Mar 3, 2020
Talking about other people in Japanese using the 'garu' structure
You can tack 'tai' on the end of a verb to express what you want to do, but if you're going to speak for someone else then it's best to get a handle on the 'garu' ending.
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Mar 3, 2020
'United by Emotion' revealed as the motto for the Tokyo Games
An article reports the announcement of the new Olympic and Paralympic motto and gets a little emotional.
LIFE / Language
Feb 25, 2020
Shinjiro Koizumi and the new Japanese father
Shinjiro Koizumi joins the growing ranks of 'ikumen,' dads who challenge the norm of the Japanese father by taking stronger interest in raising their kids.
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.
Expo '25 gives the world a masterclass in mascots
2025 Osaka Expo mascot Myaku-Myaku dances on the stage during the event's official opening ceremony on April 12.
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.

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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