Are you listening to any good podcasts at the moment?  Maybe podcasts are not as popular as other services like YouTube or Netflix, but they’re still one of the most useful and entertaining forms of online media. As of April 2021, there were over two million podcasts (and over 48 million episodes) on various topics, including many helpful Japanese podcasts for learning the language.  Did you know that you could benefit from these useful podcasts by adding them to your Japanese study routine? Listening to podcasts in Japanese will allow you to learn the language efficiently and effortlessly from anywhere you are—even without having direct access to native speakers.  Since there are plenty of Japanese podcasts out there, choosing... Show more

If you’re like most aspiring learners, you may be wondering: How long does it take to learn Japanese? Some people think that learning Japanese is too hard, that it takes forever and requires tremendous painstaking effort. But is that really true? The answer to this question varies depending on multiple factors, such as your... ...mother tongue....educational background....previous language learning experience....level of interest and enthusiasm....learning goals....study methods. In this article, we’ll give you some insight on how long it takes to learn Japanese for the different proficiency levels, keeping these influencing factors in mind. We'll also provide tips to help you make the most of your study time.  Are you ready?... Show more

Stuck in traffic? Losing time in your car? Have you ever felt that in all this wasted time, you could have watched the 750 episodes of One Piece, finished the last Super Mario ten times, or even better…you could have learned Japanese? Between family, friends and work, in addition to this time-consuming commute, it can become difficult to find time to properly learn Japanese. Fortunately, every problem has a solution, and what could be a better solution than turning that commute time into learning time? Stop passing the time mindlessly listening to the radio and try some of our best tips for mastering Japanese in your car! Here are the 5 reasons why you should start learning Japanese! You can learn Japanese in your car,... Show more

Hello Everyone! Ai-chan here! Just a random guest who was given the opportunity to write on JapanesePod101’s blog! ヽ(*⌒∇⌒*)ﾉ First off, a big round of applause to JapanesePod101! Why, you ask? Cause they are awesome! I started using JapanesePod101 about two months ago and I LOVE it! To be honest, I was never the type to learn from websites or apps because I always find myself giving up halfway (too boring). So I took the Japanese classes offered in my university and learning it directly from a teacher was the best. Unfortunately, it had to come to an end when I graduated last year. Unable to give up on my passion for the language, I tried all sorts of method to keep learning Japanese...from playing Japanese games to reading... Show more

Japan is a country rich in pop culture that has started to gain recognition and popularity throughout the world. As popular culture changes quickly and drastically, we focus this lesson on the most recent pop culture. Popular Music Japan boasts the second largest music industry in the world after the United States. Pop music is especially popular in Japan, although you can find all sorts of music in Japan done by Japanese artists-including rock, rap, hip-hop, reggae, and more. Popular Movies Recently, the popularity of domestic Japanese movies has been on the rise, with the annual box-office revenue for domestic movies hitting an all-time high in 2008. Of the top Japanese films of 2008, the highest-grossing... Show more