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July 28, 2024
 

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NIHONGO

Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 16, 2016
In Japanese, the past tense is present where and when you least expect it
The Japanese past tense looks pretty easy to handle, but it can turn up in sentences about the here and now, as well as in adjectives and imperatives.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
May 16, 2016
Two of a kind: complementary compliments 'yasashii' and 'shinsetsu'
Introducing some uses of the adjectives u512a(u3084u3055)u3057u3044 and u89aau5207(u3057u3093u305bu3064)(u306a).
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 9, 2016
To be a more complete Japanese speaker, leave your sentences incomplete
Often, saying less can make you seem more of a complete natural Japanese speaker.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
May 9, 2016
Getting on the receiving end of the wide world of 'ukeru'
Ryōshin-no eikyō-o ukete, musuko-mo rokku-ga suki-ni natchatta-mitai. (My son was influenced by his parents and has come to like rock, I guess.)
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
May 9, 2016
Tokyo cat cafe ordered to suspend business
A Tokyo government has a cat cafe in Sumida Ward a 30-day business suspension due to improper management of the animals and poor hygiene.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 2, 2016
Stalking the elusive subtleties of Japan's political humor
Certain Japanese publications are rife with political word play, and deciphering these puns and riddles can be a fun challenge for language learners.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
May 2, 2016
Getting abstract in Japanese with 'koto' clauses
A look at X(noun modifier)u3053u3068, which forms noun clauses, and how it differs from Xu306e.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 25, 2016
Give my love to Kyoto — if you get to see her
The 'hometown of the Japanese heart' is bursting at the seams with foreign tourists. There just isn't any room for us indigenous Japanese folk anymore.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Apr 25, 2016
Using the 'no' clause in Japanese to add layers to your language
Introduce the proper way of using u306e to make a clause that can be used like a noun within a sentence.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Apr 25, 2016
Bear-shaped communication tool invented
KDDI Corp. has developed a communication tool in the shape of a teddy bear for use by young children and grandparents living apart from each other.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 18, 2016
In-out distinction raises linguistic issues for Japan's long-term 'inside outsiders'
In this culture, some basic distinctions are made between those who are Japanese and those who are not — differences reflected in both law and language.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Apr 18, 2016
Overdoing it and feeling the effects with 'amari'
A look at the use of u3042u307eu308a in affirmative sentences, in the patterns u3042u307eu308au306b(u3082) and u3042u307eu308au306eX.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Apr 18, 2016
Hokkaido shinkansen line opens
The shinkansen line directly linking Hokkaido with Tokyo officially opened March 26, promising shorter travel times and introducing slick new carriages.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 11, 2016
Ubiquitous and conveniently vague: Let's look at -ō and -shō
Let's-style hortatives serve a range of purposes in Japanese, running the gamut from polite prohibition to whole-hearted encouragement.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Apr 11, 2016
Emphasizing not very much with 'amari' and 'taishite'
Introducing two adverbs — u3042u307eu308aand u5927(u305fu3044)u3057u3066 — that pair with u306au3044 to mean 'not very much.'
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Apr 11, 2016
Google's artificial intelligence program defeats go master
The Google artificial intelligence program AlphaGo has defeated South Korean go grandmaster Lee Se-dol in a historic tournament in Seoul.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 4, 2016
Luckily for English speakers, machine translation still can't match a native's touch
The consensus is that translation will one day inevitably be taken over by computers — but we're not there yet.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Apr 4, 2016
Minding your manners and judging others' with 'shitsurei'
Introducing some ways of using u5931u793c (u3057u3064u308cu3044), meaning 'impoliteness.'
LIFE / Language
Apr 4, 2016
Pizza may get listed on UNESCO's menu
Sample newspaper article
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Apr 3, 2016
Seeking Japanese courses for mature students; reconnecting with a lost mother
A British reader is keen to come to Japan and learn the language, and a woman in the U.S. hopes to get in contact with her Japanese birth mother.
Japan's population continues to fall even as foreign resident count rises
The number of residents in Tokyo as of Jan. 1 rose by 0.03% from a year before, data shows, marking a year-on-year increase for the first time in three years, while the country's other 46 prefectures saw their populations continue to decline.
Ahead of the Olympics, Japan is still talking about the gymnast who won't be there
Japan's Shoko Miyata withdrew from the gymnastics team herself over her drinking and smoking, although it had already appeared as though the association was prepared to send her home from the team’s training camp in Monaco.
Yen melt-up nudges Japanese stocks into correction territory
Japanese stocks are down 10% from their July peak as the yen strengthens.
‘Crazy’ yen rally is at risk of shattering as soon as Wednesday
Some investors are warning that a yen rally is fragile, as was on show this week when the yen rapidly retraced an advance after Thursday’s stronger-than-expected U.S. economic growth figures.
Japan's average life expectancy rises for first time in three years
A decline in COVID-19-caused deaths likely helped boost the average life expectancy for Japanese men and women to rise for the first time in three years in 2023.
The Japanese Olympians looking to shine in Paris
Rim Nakamura, who is attempting to win Japan's first Olympic gold medal in cycling, will be one of the top Japanese athletes to watch at the Paris Games.
Japan’s minimum wage set for record ¥50 hike in major boost
Demonstrators rally to demand a big hike in minimum wages in Tokyo last week.
Japan loses top spot on strongest passport list to Singapore
Japan had the strongest passport for six years running from 2018, before being dethroned by Singapore on the 2024 list.
Why Japan's mysterious stash of classified funds escapes scrutiny
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (right) during a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Japan eyes gold — and the future — as Olympic men's soccer campaign begins
Japan midfielder Yu Hirakawa controls the ball during a match against the United States in Kansas City, Kansas, on June 11.

Podcast

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

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals
By Alex K.T. Martin

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JNTO promotes sustainable tourism initiatives

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