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August 15, 2024
 

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LANGUAGE

Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 22, 2015
When too much is not enough, just dial up the 'sugiru'
When something is in excess, English commonly uses the adverb 'too.' Japanese expresses similar things with the verb 'sugiru.'
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jun 22, 2015
Let your green-eyed monster loose with 'urayamashii'
Today we introduce the proper use of the adjective u3046u3089u3084u307eu3057u3044, meaning 'jealous' or 'envious.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jun 22, 2015
Let's discuss Japanese sake in the news
To differentiate it from foreign-brewed fare, the National Tax Agency is considering defining 'Japanese sake' as a home-brewed alcoholic drink made from Japanese-grown rice.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 15, 2015
Keep pounding away and eventually Japanese will reveal its secrets
If some patterns in Japanese don't make sense yet, just keep pounding the rock. With enough time and repetition, they'll click.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Jun 15, 2015
Use -tara to herald the expected and the unexpected
Today we introduce the proper use of 'X (verb in ta form) u3089u3001Y (= phrase).
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Jun 15, 2015
Ireland's 'yes' to gay marriage
Ireland recently became the first country in the world to legalize gay marriage by referendum.
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
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.
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.
Japan Times
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
May 25, 2015
Advanced Eiken levels elude almost half of high school English teachers
Only a little more than half of English teachers at public high schools are certified with advanced levels of English proficiency tests, and the rate is less than 30 percent for those at junior high schools.
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.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 18, 2015
With yoji jukugo, four little characters can say so much
Saying it in four characters seems to be a pervasive stylistic device permeating all areas of life in Japan, from the pedestrian to the profound.
Japan Times
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
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
May 16, 2015
Language of science key to wisdom
Today I'm going to try something a little different — at first, anyway. First, let me tell you a bit about my job.
Japan to revise consumption tax exemption for overseas tourists
Tourists walk through Nakamise shopping street near Sensoji Temple in Tokyo in April
Japan's tourism industry hit by cancellations after megaquake alert
A beach closed due to a megaquake alert in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, from Friday to Thursday.
Focus shifts to incoming typhoon as Tropical Storm Maria dissipates
Newly formed Tropical Storm Ampil, which is forecast to approach eastern Japan this weekend, is seen on the left side of this satellite image.
Kishida to step down in September in bid to show ‘LDP has changed’
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a news conference Wednesday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
Publisher finds surprise audience after translating history textbooks
Yamakawa Shuppansha president Takeshi Nozawa holds the publisher's textbook on Japanese history — used in high schools across Japan — alongside the new English version in Tokyo on May 23.
Economic security is about strengthening and sustaining growth, former minister says
Former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi says changes in the international balance of power, along with deepening economic interdependence, have led some countries to attempt to use their economic power to impose their will on others.
Ice bandanas, convenience store breaks: Running under Japan’s summer sun
Blistering heat is becoming a fixture of summer in Japan, but a few tweaks to your routine can make your outdoor runs bearable — if not enjoyable — until cooler temperatures return.
Japan issued its first-ever megaquake alert. What does that mean?
Naoshi Hirata (center), chairman of a committee tasked with evaluating the risk of a Nankai Trough earthquake, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
France brings down the curtain on its Olympic party with Tom Cruise and Leon Marchand
Fireworks are set off during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics at Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Sunday.
Japan fuels U.S. LNG boom even as climate targets and impacts loom
Flaring at the Cameron LNG export terminal in Hackberry, Louisiana. Flaring, a common sight at LNG plants, is a controlled burning of gas for reasons ranging from depressurizing equipment to disposing of gas that can’t be used. The practice is a "waste of money" and negatively impacts climate change and human health, says the International Energy Agency.

Podcast

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

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’
By Thu-Huong Ha

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Azabudai Hills, Tokyo’s green new downtown ‘village’
Azabudai Hills, Tokyo’s green new downtown ‘village’

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