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October 19, 2025
 

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VOCABULARY

LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 6, 2021
Using Japanese to discuss victory and defeat at the Tokyo Olympics
It's not accurate to say that anyone who doesn't medal at the Olympics is a loser, but the language of winning and losing is very much a part of Japanese.
LIFE / Language
Jul 31, 2021
Skateboarding slang comes to the hallowed halls of NHK
'Hella risky' and 'totally hot' are not the usual terms that NHK commentators use on air, but Ryo Sejiri isn't your usual commentator.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 30, 2021
Gold, silver and bronze aren't just words for the Olympics
With all the talk about gold, silver and bronze medals, take a look at some metal-related vocabulary that you can use even when the Games are done.
LIFE / Language
Jul 29, 2021
The many views of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony
Use Japanese words such as 'suki' or 'yoi' to tell people that you liked or didn't like the opening ceremony for this year's Olympics.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 23, 2021
Explore the vocabulary of beginnings ahead of the opening ceremony of the Olympics
The opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics may have you thinking about new beginnings and fresh starts. It's time to raise the curtain on some new vocabulary.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 16, 2021
Know the right words to use when speaking to the police in Japanese
With the Olympics less than a week away, police may be increasing the amount of random spot checks they regularly engage in. Learn some vocabulary to help you if you get stopped.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 9, 2021
Grow your Japanese with care, like the plants in a garden
Before you start planting seeds, make sure you know if you want 'yasai' or 'hana' — and make sure you know what those even are.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 2, 2021
‘PPAP,’ ‘golden jewels’ and other words that make the Japanese giggle
Website Omocoro conducted a survey of 365 Japanese people asking them what words in the language sound the funniest. Body parts, 'p' sounds and croutons all made the comedic cut.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 25, 2021
Japan's office workers get poetic on life during the pandemic
The nation's office workers express themselves on COVID-19 and pop culture for the 34th Senryu for Salaried Workers Contest.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / Vocabulary Boost
Jun 25, 2021
Variants, the Olympics and other boosters for your vocabulary
Frequent Japanese words popping up in the media have more to do with vaccinations, but could an Olympic shift be ahead?
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 18, 2021
Take in the beauty of Hokusai's wave and then give your verdict on it in Japanese
Learn the basics of art criticism in Japanese while taking in Katsushika Hokusai's iconic print, 'Under the Wave off Kanagawa.'
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 12, 2021
What exactly does it mean when someone tells you to ‘act your age’?
The phrase 'ii toshi shite' can make someone chuckle or could cause offense. Make sure you use it carefully.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 4, 2021
Dress like Naruto? Great cosplay. Speak like Naruto? Hmm, chotto …
With anime's popularity booming, some may see it as a shortcut to learning Japanese. But you wouldn't necessarily learn English from Donald Duck, would you?
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 14, 2021
When you find the right notes to learn Japanese, even karaoke can be your classroom
From children's lullabies to visual-kei, writing out lyrics and singing along to Japanese pop can help you with everyday conversation.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 4, 2021
Focus on sentence endings to 'see the future' in Japanese
Once you get an idea of what kinds of verbs come at the end of Japanese sentences, particularly in news reports, your brain can concentrate on deciphering the rest in more detail.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 30, 2021
With all due respect, here's how you give a speech at a Japanese wedding
Japanese uses a lot of set phrases on formal occasions, you'll need to know them if you're going to give a speech at a wedding.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 16, 2021
'Bidenese' returns interpreters and translators to a linguistic safe zone
Japanese translators made news when they expressed difficulties in translating former U.S. President Donald Trump. So, how are they doing with Joe Biden?
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 9, 2021
LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai gives us an object lesson in referencing proverbs
LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai was called out for using the term 'tazan no ishi,' which in English can be described as an 'object lesson.'
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 2, 2021
Put your yen to work with the language of investing
If you're looking at investing in your Japanese ability, check out some terms that center around the stock market.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / Vocabulary Boost
Mar 26, 2021
COVID-19 continues to infect the way we speak Japanese in 2021
Rebounds, dominoes and life after corona are some of the English terms that have been popping up in Japanese conversations recently.
Why I chose Japanese citizenship over permanent residency
Jon Heese (second left) takes part in a 2024 New Year's nihonshu barrel opening ceremony.
Tokyo ordered to pay damages to South Asian woman over police response
The Tokyo High Court held that, “even taking the woman’s consent into account” for sharing her personal information, the officers breached their duty of care and acted unlawfully.
Former PM Tomiichi Murayama dies at age 101
Former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama speaks during an interview in Tokyo in March 2007.
Japan's fractured politics could ensnarl Takaichi's economic plans
Sanae Takaichi, the newly elected leader of Japan's ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party, attends a news conference after the LDP presidential election in Tokyo on Oct. 4.
Tokyo homebuyers split on purchase plans as living costs soar, survey shows
A survey showed that some potential homebuyers in Tokyo are delaying purchases while others are wary of missing out on opportunities posed by rising home prices.
What does Jimbocho think of its unexpected ‘cool’ status?
Tokyo's Jimbocho neighborhood is a haven for book lovers, its rows of secondhand bookstores spilling over with printed materials.
What you need to see at this year's Tokyo film festival
Chloe Zhao’s "Hamnet"
New film explores how Japan and the U.S. found common ground through baseball
Masanori Murakami became the first MLB player from Japan when he made his debut with the Giants on Sept 1, 1964.
As they wrestle for power, Japan’s political parties must remember their base
Rengo's head Tomoko Yoshino speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Oct. 8.
Sumo is about to hit London and the West with a force previously unseen
Preparations advance on Monday for the Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Podcast

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

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building
By Patrick St. Michel

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Maruhachi never sleeps in quest for better futons
Maruhachi never sleeps in quest for better futons

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