Language | MORNING ENGLISH Dec 24, 2018
The government on Friday pushed ahead with full-fledged land reclamation work needed to move a key U.S. air base to Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, despite stiff local resistance and legal wrangling.
Language Dec 24, 2018
Going back and forth with the language of giving and receiving in Japanese
by Kaori Shoji
It's that time of year when thoughts turn to プレゼント (purezento, presents) — 何をあげるか (nani o ageru ka, what to give), いつあげるか (itsu ageru ka, when to give it), and how will it affect the relationship between giver and receiver? In Japan, the act of ...
Language Dec 17, 2018
'Politically Correct Bedtime Stories' and a dose of 'Murphy's Law' to make learning Japanese fun
by Mark Schreiber
I am still waiting for someone to publish a concise history of humor from the 30 years of the Heisei Era. Thinking back, I can recall two bestselling books that conveyed American-style humor in translation. Both appeared in the 1990s, and they demonstrate how Japanese people, much to their credit, take a strong interest in what makes people in other cultures laugh. ...
Language | WELL SAID Dec 17, 2018
Finding the best way to chill out with the verb 'ochitsuku'
by Akemi Tanahashi and Hitomi Tashiro
There are many ways to use the verb 落(お)ち着(つ)く, which means to calm down, relax and be comfortable. ...
Language | NEWS IN NIHONGO Dec 17, 2018
Hirokazu Kore-eda's 'Shoplifters' among nominees for Golden Globes
A couple of Japanese directors, Hirokazu Kore-eda and Mamoru Hosoda, get Golden Globe nods in the run-up to America's awards season.
Language | MORNING ENGLISH Dec 17, 2018
Once a tradition firmly entrenched in the national consciousness, the nengajō (new year card) is facing extinction.
National Dec 10, 2018
Myanmar opens first training course for Japanese-language teachers
Myanmar's first-ever training course for Japanese-language teachers is opening as part of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plan to invite more Asian youths to work in Japan. The initial phase of the training program starts this month at the Yangon University of Foreign Languages for students ...
National Dec 10, 2018
Language skills among foreign care workers a concern for nursing home officials
While a new visa system approved by the Diet, set to take effect in April, has been welcomed by Japan's labor-short nursing care businesses, questions remain about how to provide sufficient Japanese-language education for foreign workers. Despite steps taken by the government in recent years ...
Language Dec 10, 2018
The third-wave coffee boom has resulted in a new wave of java-related Japanese vocabulary
by Claire Williamson
Coffee talk is more than just cream and sugar when it comes to cafes that specialize in third-wave coffee.
Language | WELL SAID Dec 10, 2018
Watch what you say when offering your boss a coffee
by Akemi Tanahashi and Hitomi Tashiro
When trying to figure out what someone wants in Japanese, your relationship with them is as important as their request.
Language | NEWS IN NIHONGO Dec 10, 2018
A parade to celebrate 23-year-old Yuzuru Hanyu achieving the first back-to-back wins in 66 years in men's figure skating at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, was held in his hometown of Sendai and had an economic effect of an estimated ¥1.85 billion, an organizing committee ...
National Dec 3, 2018
'Sodanē': Japan uses top buzzword of 2018 to end year on a high note
by Magdalena Osumi and Ryusei Takahashi
After months of scandals in sports, politics — and society as a whole — the top buzzword of 2018, announced Monday, struck a strikingly positive tone as the year winds down. "Sodanē," essentially a shortened form of sō da ne (that's right) that was popularized ...