JapanesePod101.com Blog

One day I was at a 上海1 sports centre2, playing table tennis with some friends. Table tennis is very popular here; the place I was at had about 10 tables in a gymnasium. While the others were playing doubles, I had a wander around the centre. Next to the table tennis hall, there was a gym where a group of approximately 20 people were practising 空手3. There were men and girls of many ages, all in neat formation, doing drills. The instructor was at the front, barking out orders and counting. He wasn't counting in English, or even Chinese, but was yelling out in a bloodcurdling voice 「いち・に・さん・よん」 Whenever people practice 空手, they do so using Japanese instead of the language of whichever country they are in. So all over the world, or at... Show more

Daniel here. Reporting for JapanesePod101.com. Romance is in the air here in Tokyo as Valentine’s Day approaches. And in Japan this year we have a three-day weekend as建国記念の日 (けんこくきねんのひ - Foundation Day) is moved to Monday in accord with the Happy Monday* policy. And since Valentine’s Day is on Wednesday, the department stores, bakeries and convenience stores will be busy catering to the romantically-minded. But, it’s not just those romantically-inclined that will be lining up. But, more on that momentarily. As the Japanese are masters of adaptation, they often take Western traditions and reshape them with a distinctly Japanese twist. And this is certainly true of Valentine’s Day. Whereas in the West the heavier burden of... Show more

Mina-san, It's been a busy few weeks here at JapanesePod101.com... on top of the recently launched Learning Center v2.0 and the Premium Podcast Feed, today we updated our homepage. Now when you visit our homepage, you'll see a new and streamlined 2-column design that makes it easier and faster than ever to find the information you're looking for. Take a look and tell us what you think by leaving us a comment or sending us an email at support@japanesepod101.com. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu. JapanesePod101.com

  Daniel here. Reporting for JapanesePod101.com. In the Samurai Theologian in Tokyo series, I plan to give a behind-the-scenes look at JapanesePod101.com and to provide reviews of places and events in and around Tokyo. Some reviews, like the previous one on anpan, will look at more traditional Japanese topics. However, I also plan to review spots where foreigners can get a taste of home. In this entry, I review the Blue Parrot, a used book store in Tokyo that caters to the needs of English-speakers. The Blue Parrot is located in Takadanobaba near the station. The station is on the Yamanote Line, the line that circles Tokyo. It is also served by the Seibu-Shinjuku Line as well as the Tozai Subway Line. From the train station,... Show more

The Premium Podcast Feed is the very latest in the line of groundbreaking innovations brought to you by JapanesePod101.com! Available to all Basic and Premium JapanesePod101.com members, this password protected RSS feed brings flexibility and convenience to whole new level. Simply subscribe to the feed on iTunes and automatically receive all media files including the audio podcast, any informal or bonus audio tracks, videos and all PDF lesson materials for each new lesson as they become available. To get started and to learn more about the new Premium Podcast Feed, click on the icon below: We would love to hear what you think about this new feature, so please let us know by posting a comment here. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.... Show more

I went to a concert last night, put on by a Japanese band playing African drums. Everyone I met was 日本人1.　Just before leaving, I went over everything I had learnt about saying goodbyes in Japanese. I rehearsed it in my head: 「でわ、さきにしつれいします」2.　Arms by my side, lowered eyes and a bow from the waist. A bow as deep as I could, look at the floor for 3 seconds, then come back up. I quite proud of my bowing technique, I'd practiced it in the トイレ3　earlier. But instead of returning my carefully rehearsed bow, everyone kept shaking my hand, patting me on the back, giving the half-hug. Everyone kept saying "see ya", "bye", "Thanks for coming", "再见"4. It was a bit strange. After hearing so much about ritualised traditions in Japan, and preparing... Show more

Daniel here. Reporting for JapanesePod101.com. In the dialog and explanation for Beginner Lesson Season 2 #10 - Morning Coffee, they discussed あんパン (anpan), which was described as a bun filled with sweet bean paste. Also, they discussed 木村屋 (Kimuraya), the bakery in Ginza, Tokyo, that is most famous for it. So, I headed down to Ginza to get a closer look. But, first, a look at the origin of anpan. Yasubei Kimura was a samurai in latter part of the 19th Century who, like many others, lost his job during the Meiji Era. He took on the role of baker and moved his business to Ginza. He was unsatisfied with taste of the bread at the time, and came up with anpan as a bread that was more to the liking of the Japanese palate. He knew he made... Show more

We have successfully rolled out version 2.0 of the Learning Center. Many thanks to our community whose fabulous suggestions and feedback helped shape the new design, which features a new look & feel, improved user interface, and superior site organization. For some screen shots and a partial list of features please visit the V2.0 Learning Center announcement page. We encourage everyone who has previously signed up for an account with JapanesePod101.com (Free, Basic, or Premium) to check out the new Learning Center and for those of you new to JapanesePod101.com, to sign up for a 7-Day Free Trial. Please note that while the Learning Center can be accessed by ALL active and expired subscribers, only active Premium subscribers can use... Show more

On Saturday, January 27th, 2007 from 12am to 3am EST, we will be releasing version 2.0 of the Premium Learning Center. During this time, the JapanesePod101.com will not be available! The next generation Learning Center will feature an entirely new layout, an improved user interface, and superior site organization. For questions concerning this upcoming release, please contact us by email at support@japanesepod101.com or post a comment here. We appreciate your understanding as we continue to improve the JapanesePod101.com site. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu. Eran

Well, here I am. Thrice I said that I would post my next entry, and today will make it thrice that I have fallen short of fulfilling that promise. On the upside, I've spent that time helping to make sure that you get your daily lessons! However, today, instead of simply telling you that I might post my entry next week, I will give you something a little different (that should be a much quicker writeup). As I mentioned previously, I have recently started attending a Japanese language school here in Tokyo. Whether it's been one or two weeks since I started, I can't quite remember. Nonetheless, I know this topic may be of interest to some of you, so I will intertwine updates about this experience with my kanji learning entries from time... Show more