It’s quite likely that you have heard the phrase, “fall down 7 times, get up 8”. But did you know that it originated as a Japanese saying? Nana korobi yaoki (七転び八起き), which translates to “7 falls, 8 rises” is a very well-known kotowaza (ことわざ), or proverb. Here is our list of 10 more famous Japanese proverbs.
The “Silver Week” Holidays in Japan
You may have heard of Golden Week in Japan, but how exactly is Silver Week different?
Top 10 Best Places to See Hydrangea in Japan
Every year in June, along with the rainy season, pretty clusters of colorful hydrangea flowers bloom across Japan. The beautiful flowers are called ajisai (あじさい、紫陽花) in Japanese. Some places are even famous for the incredible number and variety of hydrangea flowers. Here are 10 popular hydrangea-viewing spots in Japan!
How To Speak Casual Japanese ~7 slang expressions
When you speak casual English to friends, you don’t use perfect grammar and full sentences like you would when writing a paper, correct? Japanese is the same way. When speaking conversational Japanese, people rarely use the exact words and long phrases that you’d find in a textbook. Here is a 5-minute mini lesson to help you speak Casual Japanese.
10 Fun Things to Do in Japan in May
May in Japan is packed with a number of festivals – this is in part due to the Golden Week holiday period that happens every year for several days in early May. Then, the rest of the month is filled with good weather, sunshine, flowers, and lots of food and festivities! Here are 10 fun things to do in Japan … Read More
Japan’s Top 10 Wisteria-Viewing Spots
The end of cherry blossom season is certainly not the end of flower festivals in Japan! Every year, following the cherry blossoms, lush purple wisteria flowers arrive in Japan, blooming from April to May. The beautiful purple flowers are called fuji (ふじ, 藤) in Japanese. Here are the Top 10 wisteria-viewing spots in Japan!
The Most Popular Japanese GESTURES!
Have you ever been to Japan? You may have noticed that several of the common gestures used by Japanese people are actually quite different from the ones used in your home country. Here is a picture guide of the most commonly used gestures in Japan, along with their meanings!
感謝の言葉 Kansha no kotoba: Appreciation words in Japanese
Have you heard of “Power of appreciation or gratitude”? To receive help from Japanese, showing gratitude in advance works! Let’s learn variety of useful Japanese thank you words! This is YouTube Live lesson on 1 June 2020 – YT Japanese Live Lessons on every Mon & Wed 9am JST. Please turn in if you like 🙂 Here are the words … Read More
The Best Day Trips From Tokyo
Are you coming to Japan and staying in Tokyo? Thanks to Japan’s convenient public transportation, you can easily make a number of great side trips if you’re using Tokyo as your home base. Get out of the city for a bit and get lost in the beauty of rural Japan – just for a day or two. Here are the … Read More
How to Keep Warm During Winter in JAPAN
Winter in Japan usually lasts from December until February, and can be pretty unforgiving if you’re not used to the cold. Temperatures average around 2ºC~10ºC (35°F~50°F) in city areas, and can get as low as -6°C (21°F) in country side and even colder in Hokkaido! If you’re visiting Japan during the winter months, you’ll definitely want to take care to … Read More