JapanesePod101.com Blog

Daniel here. Reporting for JapanesePod101.com. Tokyo has no shortage of date spots. But, perhaps the most popular with the younger crowd (with the exception of Disneyland), is Odaiba (お台場). Odaiba is an manmade island in Tokyo Bay. It was originally built toward the end of the Edo Period (mid 19th Century) to protect Tokyo from attack by sea. After a failed attempt to make it into a high-rent district toward the end of the “bubble economy”, it was nearly abandoned. However, in the last ten years, it was rezoned as a commercial and entertainment district and has boomed in that capacity. The most common way for young people to reach Odaiba is by taking the Yurikamome (ゆりかもめ線) Line from Shinbashi (新橋), which is just a few stops from Tokyo... Show more

My girlfriend was writing a simple SMS for business. She often shows me the message before she sends it to make sure if the English is ok. It was something like: "Ok, thanks. See you on the 15th. " This was the last message of the SMS 'conversation'. I guess for this reason, she felt like it was missing a little something. "How do I write 「よろしくおねがいします」 in English?" she asked. 'Whoa,' I thought. How do I explain that the small island nation that she comes from is unique in the world with its layers of formality, unbroken dynasty, and turbulent history? How could I tell her how unique those 11 short syllables were in the linguistic pantheon of the world? How could I get that across in 5 seconds or less? I told her that we didn't... Show more

Since 中国1 is so close to 日本2 there are some 日本語3 words that almost everyone here knows. わたしは： Everyone knows how to introduce themselves. I guess it's the first (and sometimes, the only) thing that everyone learns how to say in Japanese. かわいい: Japanese people, particularly young girls, have a habit of yelling out this word at the top of their voices, while pointing at a small dog, foreign child, or tiny cellphone, where appropriate. Usually from the squeals of delight and giggling, the meaning can be ascertained. Also, it sounds very similar to the Chinese 可爱4, meaning 'cute' or 'lovely'. 何5： アニメ is shown daily here, with Chinese subtitles. A friend of mine told me that he often watches them, and somehow remembered this word. He... Show more

Daniel here. Reporting for JapanesePod101.com. In Tokyo there are many wonderful places to eat. Of course, there are many places to eat sushi, tempura, gyūdon (beef bowl), and other Japanese dishes. But sometimes, you want the taste of home. There are many diners (known here as family restaurants) like Denny’s which have pasta and other western type dishes on the menu (one side note: many Japanese people are surprised to learn that Denny’s did not begin in Japan). However, I find that most attempts at American food, or western food to be adjusted to the Japanese palate. Among the few places that come closest to tasting like home are McDonald’s and Mos Burger. But, if you want a really tasty burger in Tokyo, without having to fork out... Show more

Hello again. Remember me? So it's been a bit less than two months since I started attending a Japanese language school here in Tokyo. In that time, I've managed to attend three different class levels for varying amounts of time. The result is that, even though my time having attended the language school is still quite limited, I have a bit of insight into how things seem to work that I might not have noticed so clearly had I progressed in the normal fashion. So today I'll tell you just a bit about how my Japan-based Japanese language school seems to work. I think we can assume that it many of the others follow a similar model, but I of course cannot make any claims regarding this matter. First of all, the classes are conducted in... Show more

Brandon Fogerty, a talented young programmer from Georgia and a long time community member of JapanesePod101.com has just finished coding a beta version of an Installer application for our iLearning Center. This incredible application, which is currently in beta and available only for Windows users, simplifies the installation process of the lesson notes and sound zip files on the iPod by automating the entire process and removing the need to unzip, drag, and drop the the files manually. Premium subscribers who currently use the iLearning Center and are interested in beta testing this fantastic installer can get started by following these 3 simple steps: Step 1: Read the PDF Installation Guide, which outlines the requirements and... Show more

Daniel here. Reporting for JapanesePod101.com. Hay Fever, called 花粉症 (かふんしょう, lit. pollen sickness) here in Japan is a significant and growing problem. In most countries, grasses and weeds account for a large percentage of the cases of hay fever and reach their peaks in the Spring. However, the largest cause in Japan is 杉 (すぎ - sugi), which is usually translated as Japanese Cedar. Sugi (Cryptomeria japonica) is actually a type of cyprus tree found in large quantities throughout most of Japan and it usually begins pollenating in January and peaks in February. And as just as the sugi pollen season dies down, the pollination of 檜 (ひのき - hinoki, Chamaecyparis obtusa), another type of cyprus, begins. So, for the poor souls, like me, who... Show more

Mina-san, Blogging at JapanesePod101.com has just reached a whole new level. And if saying so isn't enough, we even gave our blog its own new website. That's right, JapanesePod101.com Blogs has arrived. The new blog features a fresh, clutter-free design, an infrastructure that can support several independent blogs, and a completely new category structure. We have a number of individual contributors who will be writing about various topics related to Japan and the Japanese language from their own unique vantage points. Max in Shanghai features Max, a student of Chinese and a JapanesePod101.com listener, discussing his Japanese learning adventures while living in China. Megumi's Matters features the thoughts and musings of... Show more

Mina-san, As many of you heard in the Saturday's news, JapanesePod101.com will be taking five days next week, February 19th through the 23rd, to take a look at everything that we've done over the past year, and then shuffle it all into order. Things are non-stop around here, with a small team constantly working to bring you, the listeners, high-quality content, released daily. With such a rush, it's easy for things to get a bit messy! That's why it's time to do a little spring cleaning here at JapanesePod101.com. Not only will we be getting things in order behind the scenes, but the improvements to our web site just keep continuing. Our blog, long neglected, will be brought back to life in a whole new way, with a whole new design. We... Show more

Heroes is a TV show from America's NBC. It follows a group of men and women who suddenly develop superhuman powers. There is a woman with a split personality, a man who can fly, another who can paint the future, and a girl who can regenerate her injuries. But my personal favourite1 character is 中村広2, who can bend time and space. Not only is his superpower the coolest, he has the added power of being able to speak Japanese at a native level. 中村広 (広 for short) has a sidekick, Ando, who he speaks almost exclusively in Japanese to. Try closing your eyes and listening to what they say; you might find out you will understand more than you think you could! Here are some words I have learnt from Heroes: 運命・うんめい　Destiny/Karma.... Show more