- Audio Lessons
- Video Lessons
- Reference Materials
- My Tools
- Community
- Help Center
Welcome to the Help Center
Get Started with JapanesePod101First Steps with the System
My Account
How to Download
Basic and Premium iTunes Feed Setup
Innovative Language on your Gadget
Billing and SubscriptionsSubscriptions
Billing
Subscription Info and Pricing
FAQ, Tech Support and MoreMost Frequently Asked Questions
Tech Support
Text User Guide
Video User Guides
More about Innovative Language
The JapanesePod101 SystemLessons and Methodology

5 Most Recent Forum Posts
Sentance construction series
1:42 pm by
drennic6111
Favorite anime?
8:50 pm by
miljana3686
simple question about this greeting
4:04 pm by
sheffieldmuse12145
Missing Newbie Lessons
6:47 am by
mmmason8967
Audio lessons
6:35 am by
mmmason8967
Learn Japanese with JapanesePod101.com! Moving to Japan? Today we’re talking about gift giving, a traditional Japanese custom associated with moving in and moving out. Learn everything from A-Z about this customary act of Japanese politeness. After listening, stop by JapanesePod101.com and be sure to leave us a post!
About our Printer-friendly lesson notes
Follow along to our award winning lessons with detailed PDF Lesson Notes! These easy to print notes take a closer look at the grammar point and vocabulary words presented in the audio lesson. Plus, read more about language101 cultural topics related to the lesson.
Re-activate or upgrade your account to access the PDF Lesson Notes today!
Kanji Close-Up
Take a closer look at the kanji characters used in the lesson Dialogue with the Kanji Close Up Practice Sheets! You'll learn the meaning, readings, and stroke order of each character. Plus, improve your writing with kanji stroke order practice sheets!
Re-activate or upgrade your account to access the Kanji Close Up Practice Sheets today!
About our Review Audio Tracks
Listen and repeat with the Review Track. Hear the lesson vocabulary and main phrases and repeat after the native speaker - it's the best way to perfect your pronunciation!
Upgrade your account to access The Review Track and start perfecting your pronunciation today!
About our Lesson Audio
Our team of Japanese language specialists have been releasing new audio and video lessons weekly since 2005. That's a lot of Japanese language learning! All lessons are free for the first 2 weeks before going into our Basic and Premium Archive.
Re-activate or upgrade your account to access every single lesson we've ever created today!
About our Dialog Audio Tracks
The audio lesson is a comprehensive, easy to use lessons that makes learning Japanese fun for anyone. Each audio lesson contains can be downloaded in seconds to your computer, iPod, phone, or mp3 player so that you can learn quickly and be speaking Japanese in no time at all. The audio lesson is your ticket to learning to speak Japanese with confidence and accuracy, and from your very first lesson!
About our Dialog Audio Tracks
Don't have enough time for an entire lesson today? Listen to the Dialogue Only Track to hear the native Dialogue. Listening to a little bit of Japanese everyday, no matter how much, will greatly improve your listening comprehension. Guaranteed!
Upgrade your account to access the Dialogue Only Track and other Premium Tools today!
About our Grammar Audio Tracks
Tackle grammar head on with the lesson Grammar List. We break down the grammar piece by piece so you fully master the structure and formation.
Upgrade your account to access the Grammar List and other Premium lesson tools today!
About our Videocasts
Our team of Japanese language specialists have been releasing new audio and video lessons weekly since 2005. That's a lot of Japanese language learning! All lessons are free for the first 2 weeks before going into our Basic and Premium Archive.
Re-activate or upgrade your account to access every single lesson we've ever created today!
About our Learning Center
Listen and read the line-by-line breakdown of the lesson conversation with this Premium Tool. Listen to each line as many times as you need until you fully understand the conversation and pronunciation. Line-By-Line Audio Transcripts are the perfect way to improve your comprehension - fast!
Upgrade your account to access Line-By-Line Audio Transcript and other Premium lesson tools today!
About our Videocasts
Our team of Japanese language specialists have been releasing new audio and video lessons weekly since 2005. That's a lot of Japanese language learning! All lessons are free for the first 2 weeks before going into our Basic and Premium Archive.
Re-activate or upgrade your account to access every single lesson we've ever created today!










This entry was posted on Saturday, April 21st, 2007 at 6:30 pm and is filed under Japanese Culture Classes . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
14 Responses to “Japanese Culture Class #44 - Moving II”
Saturday at 6:30 pm
Mina-san, here is the final part of our two part Moving in Japan class. Do you have any gift giving customs when moving in your country? And for those of you living in Japan, have you every done this?
Sunday at 2:53 am
haven´t listened yet BUT can I say I love culture classes especially with a handful of “specialized” vocab thrown in
happy weekend all!
Sunday at 7:34 am
Boy, there was a lot of giggling in this episode.
Peterさん、
I think one reason Japanese people don’t need a reference from their previous landlords is that they need a guarantor anyway.
Sunday at 10:46 am
Being a silent listener up to now, I thought this might be a good opportunity for my first comment. AFAIK, the idea behind the “50% rule” is to keep and reinforce a relationship. On the other hand, paying back your gift completely means that you’re even and that you don’t owe each other anything. So if you give back 100%, this could be interpreted like you want to cut the ties.
Sunday at 3:05 pm
My girlfriend often says ‘room’ when she means ‘apartment’ or ‘house’. Is this because ‘heya’ can mean either ‘apartment’ or ‘room’ in Japanese?
Or do Japanese people really mean ‘room’ when they say ‘heya’? Does Natsuko live in what we would call a ‘room’ or an ‘apartment’?
Sunday at 9:06 pm
maxiewawaさん、it’s a bit of a cultural thing (size of housing in japan).
部屋・へや is used for small apartments for 1 person, because they are typically one-room apartments in Japan.
but if you & your gf get an apartment together which is bigger, she won’t use 部屋・へや anymore. in this case she might just say 家・いえ・うち.
Monday at 4:33 am
i knocked on the neighbours doors (6) nearest and introduced myself and gave a a small useful gift of towels and soap powder .Not expensive things .If they didnt answer then I left it at the front door with a note of my name and yoroshiku onegaishimasu written
Monday at 10:43 am
i, too, have heard of “heya” instead of apartment. I guess it’s different in the UK, where i often say “flat” because it is usually on a level of a building. regardless of size. ^^;; in nyc, i think everything is an apt..even if it is one room.
and, i know, that for me, i do like to introduce myself to my neighbors. whether they ever talk to me or not. at least they know i am about. I think,perhaps, it’s a non-american thing? dunno.
Wednesday at 8:25 am
I love your Culture Classes and I always wait eagerly to see the next one. I can’t wait until I move to Japan and get to test out some of these culture classes. =D
I would love to hear about Yakuza if you could, I would be so, so interested in that! ^_^;;
Wednesday at 4:19 pm
Dear Peter & the gang,
Well, I have what the your group mentioned, paid a hefty upfront of 6 months to move in to a brand new 3 storey apartment comprising of 15 units including mine. Of course with a Guarantor.
Then I moved in last October 2006, and there was only 2 people moved in to this new apartment. The 2nd storey, corner, single Japanese guy neighbour and myself, a single foreign lady at 3rd storey corner unit. I did not carry out this “greet & gift” things, thinking that it will be more dangerous for a lady to approach & introduce yourself to a guy (imagine the whole new block of apartment, only two of us). Moreover, my country does not practise this.
A couple of days passed, it was pretty good and I felt ii kimochi to stay in this quiet place. After two weeks or so, the one and only neighbour of mine started to make “noises” like closing the window loudly and his loud and heavy footsteps. At first, I thought he is a SUMO size guy where his footsteps tremble the whole apartment (as far as I am concerned, I can feel the vibration in my unit when he walks around in his house).
Actually he is just a skinny short guy when I tried to look out from my window in some morning, when heard his footsteps going down the staircase to see if my neighbour is a SUMO!
In December 2006, I went back to my country because it’s too cold in Japan and came back to this apartment again in April this year. (cos I have paid a year rental to my trusted guarantor). Now I am back, and learned that all the rest of 13 units was occuppied. And there are all Japanese. Here comes the next headache, the next door unit on my level, lives a fat guy, and he usually comes back around 10 ~ 11 at night as I would hear a “bom” sounds, 2 to 3 times when he opens and closes his balcony window and entrance door.
Here is my question, can I call a police or inform the house agent to complain about this matter, estate management? Or should I approach him directly as I would’nt want to! What should I do?? I usually sleep around 10pm and was awake by the noise from this 2 LOUSY Japanese neighbours.
I am getting very exhausted and furious!
Sorry for the wrong message posted. Please advise and earnestly waiting for your reply.
Thank you and gambatte!
Wednesday at 8:11 pm
Not sure what to tell you about this situation. But my guess is the police won’t do anything.
You’re probably best off having a chat. Introduce yourself, and explain the situation. On the other hand, my apartment is the same way. It’s an old building and noisy. I can hear the nextdoor neighbor when he sneezes. But asking him to stop sneezing or walking won’t solve my problem. But maybe this fat guy will tiptoe. That’s about all I can say. Not sure if I helped….
Marky
Friday at 2:55 pm
Thanks Marky for your reply
Well, too bad! I think I have to tolerate for another few months or so before I go back to my country.
But please don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to ask my neignbours to stop sneezing or walking (it is rediculous to do that and NO OTHER HUMAN BEINGS has THE RIGHT to STOP people from doing so).
What I don’t understand is that, back in my country I have Japanese colleague who is so WELL MANNERED that I fall in love with the Japanese culture and find the Japanese are so lovable. And that was the reason I came to Japan to explore more about this Gentle and Nice country.
But when I am here, facing these two inconsiderate Japanese neighbours, I am totally “BIKURIMASHITA”
by their INCONSIDERATE behavour - -BANGING the sliding windows loudly and walking like a KINGKONG in the night where the floor shaken like earthquake multitude 3degrees.
Generally the majority of Japanese I met are so far pretty “SHINSETSU”, that’s a bonus during my stay here so far
Friday at 3:12 pm
Thanks Marky for your reply
Well, I guess I have to tolerate till the day I go back to my country this Autumn.
Please do not get me wrong! I don’t mean to stop my neighbour to sneeze or walking in their apartment. (That will be rediculous and unreasonable
, NO OTHER HUMAN BEINGS in this world has the RIGHT to do so either!).
Infact, my trip to Japan is to explore this WELL-MANNERED and CULTURED country further because I am very impressed by the good social ettiquite shown by my Japanese colleagues back in my country.
But, here I am, totally “BIKURIMASHITA”
by the behavour of my two Japanese neighbours — BANGING the sliding door LOUDLY when they come back at night 10pm~12am and walking like a KINGKONG where the floor shakens like earthquake multitude 3degrees.
Emh, luckily, majority of the Japanese I met so far are pretty “shinsetsu” and count that as a bonus for this trip.
Thursday at 6:38 am
…….
Leave a Reply