Tag - nihongo

 
 

NIHONGO

Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Jun 4, 2014
Humanize the dry debate about immigration
Lost in the immigration narrative in Japan is the idea that when we import labor, we import people. With lives. And needs. And voices to be heard.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
May 26, 2014
Letters: Kikokushijo encounter trouble upon re-entry
Japanese returnees and others discuss the trials and tribulations facing those educated abroad if and when they attempt to settle back in Japan.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
May 11, 2014
Returnees' experiences drive a will to give something back
The returnees profiled here highlight the potential that can be unlocked within individuals lucky enough to have the chance to live overseas and, crucially, receive the right support on their return to Japan.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
May 4, 2014
Kikokushijo: returnees to a country not yet ready for them
Though the number of returnee students has tripled since 1977, and despite the recent government push to develop 'global human resources,' the existence of this group of globally educated young people has been largely ignored by policymakers.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Apr 28, 2014
Fujisawa: What do you think of the new rules for standardizing English on public signs?
New transport ministry guidelines require that public signs use standardized English words to replace Romanized Japanese words. So what do tourists and residents in Enoshima think of the changes?
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Mar 12, 2014
With love and Japan, what you get out depends on what you put in
Moving to Japan makes an infant of us all, regardless of race, sex or creed. A major conflict in Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' comes from the fact that Prospero knew the language and Caliban the land, but when you first get to Japan, you know neither.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Mar 7, 2014
Early joys, trials put potter on path to the simple life
Growing up with severe asthma, Australian Euan Craig was acutely aware of the fragility of life from an early age.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Dec 15, 2013
The war on katakana starts at school
Eliminating katakana's use as a pronunciation aide would benefit Japanese students' ability to communicate, but that clearly can't be achieved overnight. However, it's still worth putting up a 'faito.'
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Oct 18, 2013
Norma Field, champion of Japan's leftist literature, retires — but not from anti-nuclear activism
A colleague once told me he didn't want to be attached to lost causes,' says academic Norma Field. 'I've never understood thinking like that. The bright spots in human history are so few. We should embrace and magnify them.
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Oct 16, 2013
Adoption and fostering, animal homes and a tribute: readers' mail
In response to a recent story about adoption and foster parenting in Japan, one woman recounts her life of doing both.
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Oct 7, 2013
Fukushima, suicide and nihongo fluency: readers' mails
A grab bag of readers' mail in response to recent Community articles.
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Sep 23, 2013
Let the world help at Fukushima No. 1
Readers' mails on the Fukushima fiasco and the late, great Mary Sisk Noguchi, Kanji Clinic columnist and friend to Japanese learners around the world.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Sep 9, 2013
If you're jōzu and you know it, hold your ground
Communicating in Japanese is not all that difficult. What's difficult is communicating with Japanese people, writes Debito Arudou.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Sep 9, 2013
A friend to kanji learners worldwide
Mary Sisk Noguchi helped readers unravel the complexities of Chinese characters, adding an element of fun to a process often fraught with frustration for many learners of Japanese.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 7, 2013
Young global talent discusses peace and language
Eight young foreigners shared their unique take on Japanese society and memories of a month-long visit to the country during a symposium Saturday in Tokyo.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 29, 2013
Bilingual beauty, straight and permed
Beauty must be a bilingual thing. At least that's the impression one gets from looking at signs outside hairdressers, beauty parlors and similar types of businesses in Japan.
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Feb 26, 2013
I've seen haras . . . haras that you've seen: when 'harassment' goes wild
In response to the article "Blame it on the hara: harassment vocabulary makes us all victims" (The Foreign Element, Jan. 28), we invited readers to come up with their own ideas for new types of "harassment." As you can see, one JT writer got a bit carried away.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Jan 19, 2013
Signs of Kansai
At the end of lunch with an old friend, I point out yet another hole in my Swiss cheese knowledge of Japan.
EDITORIALS
Jun 20, 2010
Adapting to the Digital Age
The pervasive influence of digital media was highlighted on June 7 by the announcement of recommendations for changes in the authorized list of kanji for everyday use. A government advisory panel has proposed adding 196 kanji and removing five for a total of 2,136 characters.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 23, 2008
In Japanese, flattery will get you everywhere
In directing plays over the years, it has always struck me how clever actors are at producing insulting dialogue in the early stages of rehearsals. From the first day of rehearsal, they have the invective of their characters virtually down pat. When their character is called upon to say something nice or tender to another character, however, it doesn’t readily trip off the tongue. Perhaps insulting others comes naturally to humans, while complimenting people has to be practiced and learned.

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree