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July 16, 2024
 

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BILINGUAL

LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 29, 2009
Web-based flash cards will dazzle language learners
Remember the days when it took markers, index cards and three hours to assemble a set of 100 flash cards? Remember all that time wasted that could have been better spent studying? It's amazing how much has changed in a few short years thanks to computers and the Internet.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 22, 2009
The world's best one-stop shop for Nihongo
"The number of people learning Japanese has increased and is currently estimated to be more than 3 million worldwide," says Nobuyuki Suzuki, deputy manager of a very special store in Tokyo.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 15, 2009
Japan resident, get set for your date with dentistry
They were four simple words that I never wanted to hear: "Ha wo warimasu, ne (歯を割りますね, I'm going to split your tooth, OK?)."
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 8, 2009
It's still tough being a man, but it's a whole new ball game
As a Japanese woman, I've always had this niggling suspicion that men had it better in my native land. They were encouraged and coddled and waited upon. They were allowed liberties that a female could only dream about. They considered entitlement a prerequisite, a birthright!
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 24, 2009
Stomach peko peko? Dig into these Japanese food words
One of the most enjoyable aspects of Japanese cuisine is how it stimulates the senses: exquisite presentation, delicious taste, enticing aroma, distinctive texture and unique sound.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 10, 2009
The scent of poverty must be just so in Japan
When times are tough, the Japanese get going, or something to that effect. My grandfather always held that as a nation, we were much better at being poor than being rich — "Nihonjinga kane wo motsuto rokunakotoni naranai日本人が金をもつとろくなことにならない, Nothing good comes...
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 27, 2009
Appreciating kanji can unleash your inner art critic
As exotic as kanji (Sino-Japanese logographs) may appear to the uninitiated, most of those we encounter in everyday situations are intended to convey notices and other mundane or essential information, such as 禁煙 kin'en (no smoking) or 駅長室 (ekichō-shitsu, stationmaster's office).
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 20, 2009
Fish kanji help you hook the perfect meal
Japan is blessed with an abundance of fish — drawn from the deep ocean to the coastal shores, lakes, rivers and streams. Making yourself familiar with the many kanji for different species of fish helps you get by when you run into all this slippery fare at a local restaurant, sushi counter or supermarket....
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 20, 2009
Fish kanji help you hook the perfect meal
Japan is blessed with an abundance of fish — drawn from the deep ocean to the coastal shores, lakes, rivers and streams. Making yourself familiar with the many kanji for different species of fish helps you get by when you run into all this slippery fare at a local restaurant, sushi counter or supermarket....
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 13, 2009
Being Nihontsū: Japanophiles in our own country
"Wakonyōsai (和魂洋才, the soul of a Japanese and the talents of a Westerner)" was a phrase once used to describe the ideal of the modern, enlightened Japanese. This perfect person supposedly combined the knowledge, logic and open-mindedness of the West with the principled restraint, sense of...
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 29, 2009
Ace your Japanese proficiency test with the best free Web tools
The Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) comes up on July 5, so it's time to get studying. What will be your strong points? More importantly, what will be your weak points? The test is divided into three categories — writing/vocabulary; listening; and reading/grammar — and most struggle...
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 22, 2009
An era of translation by everybody, for everybody
The Internet has brought us closer together than ever before, or so the cliche goes. But has it really?
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 8, 2009
Language shows the resurgence of being kechi
"Nai sode wa furenai (無い袖は振れない)" was a phrase that an old man in my neighborhood used to say many, many years ago. Whenever anyone within hearing range complained about their lack of money, the cost of living or rising taxes, he pulled out this standby comment as a way of summing up the...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 25, 2009
Brush up your Japanese the traditional way
Last week, I suggested that if you're really serious about mastering kanji, you should add brush calligraphy to your study regimen.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 18, 2009
Calligraphy still holds the key to mastering kanji
I recently encountered a new term that's a real mouthful: IT依存性漢字健忘症 (IT izonsei kanji kenbōshō, kanji amnesia due to dependence on information technology). The word acknowledges that the proliferation of word processors has weakened people's ability to recall both individual...
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 11, 2009
An A-to-O guide to Japan's obsession with blood types
The Japanese have a passion for filing and categorization that reaches fever pitch when it comes to the always-popular system of classifying people by their A, B, AB or O blood group — "ketsuekigata" (血液型, blood type)." Women, especially, will ask about the blood type of anyone we feel friendly...
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 25, 2009
The character of a culture resides in its language
Defining people by their ethnicity while virtually ignoring their cultural background has always been both dumb and dangerous, but there is a growing appreciation among business leaders, diplomats and politicians of the importance of understanding other cultures.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 18, 2009
A rainbow of kanji brightens Japan's palette of colors
Guys who received Valentine's chocolates from female friends or coworkers last Friday are expected to reciprocate with small gifts on ホワイトデー (howaitodē, White Day) on March 14. ホワイトデー is one of many color-related gairaigo (foreign loan-words, mostly English, written in katakana)...
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 18, 2009
A rainbow of kanji brightens Japan's palette of colors
Guys who received Valentine's chocolates from female friends or coworkers last Friday are expected to reciprocate with small gifts on ホワイトデー (howaitodē, White Day) on March 14. ホワイトデー is one of many color-related gairaigo (foreign loan-words, mostly English, written in katakana)...
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 11, 2009
Love not an option as the big chill settles in
A phrase heard often this winter is samusa ga mini shimiru (寒さが身に沁みる, the chill settles right into the bones), as everything — from the weather to office temperature to the predicted wintry fukeiki (不景気, bad economy, bad times) of Valentine’s Day chocolate sales —...
Bloodied Trump survives assassination attempt at political rally
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is surrounded and evacuated by Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Trump was rushed off stage at the rally after shots rang out.
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
Amid same-sex marriage ban, LGBTQ couples opt for 'photo weddings'
A lesbian couple, consisting of a 35-year-old woman (left) and 40-year-old woman, cover their faces with bouquets as they pose for wedding photos in Yokohama on Nov. 1.
China and Russia conduct joint Pacific military patrol
The Russian corvette Gromkiy enters the Chinese port of Zhanjiang as part of a joint China-Russia naval exercise on Saturday.
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
After Trump shooting, U.S. presidential race might take a violent turn
United States Secret Service Counter Snipers stand guard on a rooftop during a campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in Avoca, Pennsylvania, in 2020.
No AC this summer? No problem (for me).
Think air conditioning is a requirement for a Tokyo summer? Think again.
She’s paying ¥1 million to help behind the scenes at the Paris Olympics
Mai Tarumi, who previously volunteered at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has a travel budget of ¥1 million for her trip to volunteer at the Paris Games.
How to tweak your diet when temperatures spike
Most people think of hydration as a strictly liquid-based concept, but eating foods with high water content is an essential part of making it through a Japanese summer unscathed.

Podcast

You can often see generations of families enjoying performances together at Fuji Rock Festival.
Japan’s summer music festivals are feeling the heat in more ways than one

Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
By Tomoko Otake

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Exploring Japanese culturevia Tohoku’s festivals
Exploring Japanese culturevia Tohoku’s festivals

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