Fashion, fast and slow: Discussing shopping ethics in Japanese
Whether it’s a trendy top from a chain store in Shibuya or a vintage piece from the backstreets of Kichijoji, know how to shop with a mind to sustainability in Japanese.
Long story short, cont’d: Brevity rules in Japanese grammar
The Japanese don't just abbreviate their vocabulary, when you're short on time even grammatical structures can get the chop.
Summer festivals like Tanabata are back in full force (yay!), and so is heatstroke (boo!)
Get to know the vocabulary surrounding symptoms of heatstroke, heat exhaustion and how to ask someone if they need help.
Grammar for grumps: When you just don’t feel all that genki
We can't feel "super genki" all the time, even if that's the prevailing mood that Japanese textbooks try to encourage. Here are some ways to express your dissatisfaction.
Make sure your nouns and verbs match when talking about what to wear
Did you notice more kimono than usual being worn on Jan. 9 this year? That's because it was Coming of Age Day, an occasion for which Japanese youth sport their "Sunday best."
Sticking to your Japanese New Year’s resolutions
When speaking about resolutions, it's better to use a more decisive grammatical structure in Japanese than the regular "I want" pattern.
How can you fight climate change in Japan? Learn how to talk about it.
A good approach to speaking about hot-button topics in Japanese is to use so-called softeners so that your don't come off as too direct with your opinions.
Finding the right words for when you discover a lost item in Japan
Take a verb and turn it into a noun simply by adding "mono" to the end of it and you're halfway to verbalizing that you've found something that was lost.
Getting to know Japanese castles and picking out your favorites
The warmer weather has arrived and that provides a great opportunity to get out to some of Japan’s many historical sites, starting with its castles.
The rules for deciphering the Japanese words for regulations
While the Olympics are proving fun to watch, it seems not many fans have checked the rulebook.
A look at the kanji that helps us turn nouns into adjectives
The kanji for "teki" can be seen in many words, and it's a rather versatile one that works particularly well as a suffix.
The holidays are here, but it’s not just the weather that’s cold
Christmas in Japan is a time for giving gifts, but make sure to save some of your money for the new year holiday.
