Tag - english

 
 

ENGLISH

LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jun 15, 2015
Let's discuss voting age limits in the news
The move to lower the voting age will give an estimated 2.4 million people aged 18 and 19 suffrage.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Jun 10, 2015
Where to find Japanese films screening in Tokyo with English subtitles
When I first started watching Japanese films at cinemas in Tokyo nearly three decades ago, screenings with English subtitles were nonexistent. I spent a month with my Japanese teacher at the time studying the script of Akira Kurosawa's "Kagemusha"("The Shadow Warrior") so I could puzzle out its feudal-era...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 8, 2015
Too much 'ganbaru' could push anyone over the edge
For those trying their hardest or already at the end of their rope, 'ganbaru' can seem like a slap in the face rather than a gesture of encouragement.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jun 8, 2015
Though you may think you don't need to know mono-no, you do
Today we will introduce the proper use of 'Xu3082u306eu306eY,' which is used to connect contrasting phrases.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Jun 8, 2015
Zoo to keep monkey's name as Charlotte
A zoo in Oita will not change the name of a baby monkey despite an uproar over naming her after Britain's newborn princess.
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2015
Ministry announces new junior high school English exam
To fix Japan's English-learning failures, the education ministry will create a new test based on a European index and urge prefectures to compete against one another.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 1, 2015
To know bamboo is to know Asia — and a whole lot of Japanese
This fast-growing plant has found its way into much of the language of Japan, revealing a great deal about the history and culture of East Asia.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jun 1, 2015
Zuibun is more useful than you could have possibly imagined
Today we will introduce some uses of the adverb 'zuibun,' which is used when the speaker wants to say that the degree of something is higher than they were expecting.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Jun 1, 2015
New York comes out tops in youth survey
New York has been ranked as the most popular city for young people aged 15 to 29 years old, according to a survey.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
May 27, 2015
In international education in Japan, there's diversity between as well as within schools
Profiles of four schools demonstrate the wide range of philosophies and curriculums that families can choose from.
EDITORIALS
May 23, 2015
Rakuten forges ahead in English
E-commerce giant Rakuten has managed to do what the educational system apparently can't — get Japanese people to speak English competently.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
May 18, 2015
When it comes to you and your group, keep your verbs humble
Introducing another kind of keigo, known as 'humble expression.'
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
May 18, 2015
Maglev train sets world speed record
A magnetically levitated train run by Central Japan Railway Co. set a world speed record of 603 kph on April 21 during a manned test run.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 11, 2015
In Japanese, mastery of the space-time continuum is just a few words away
Words in Japanese that describe timing and conditions make it easy for speakers to be incredibly precise using very few words.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
May 11, 2015
Polish up your honorific verbs and show some respect
Today, we will introduce the proper uses of honorific expression, one of the forms of keigo.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
May 11, 2015
France bans super-skinny models
France will ban excessively thin fashion models and expose modeling agents and the fashion houses that hire them to possible fines and even jail, under a new law passed on April 3.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 11, 2015
Tokyo ramps up 'English village' plan as 2020 approaches
As Tokyo gears up to host the 2020 Olympic Games, demands for action are growing to overcome Japan's notorious English-speaking phobia.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 4, 2015
Dating in Japan never used to be this difficult — or creepy
It's spring and love should be in the air. But it's a bad, bad time to be out there in the dating scene.

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan