Japanese Learning Blog Japanese Blog

March 10, 2016

Coto's events in April 2016: hanami, sushi & calligraphy!

This is an older post – to see our upcoming monthly events – click here Monthly Events at Coto We are planning the following events in April 2016. Please send your request for participation to [email protected] Ohanami party in Kitanomaru park お花見パーティin 北の丸公園 Sunday April 3rd, 12:00-17:00 in Kitanomaru park Let’s enjoy the beginning of Spring […]

March 9, 2016

Discover the top of Japanese names

Did you know that Japan has about 100,000 family names, and probably just as many given names? Thanks to the wonders of Japanese characters, Japanese names are quite interesting to learn. They are a door to Japanese culture, history and traditions and studying them is a very good way to steady your knowledge of kanji through […]

March 4, 2016

How to take a bath in a Japanese sento

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In February, we visited beautiful 銭湯（せんとう） (public baths) with our students. Have you ever been to one? Do you know the manners to follow when taking a bath in a Japanese sento? If you don’t want to make a ‘gaijin mess’, we recommend you reading this article! Open between from 1 PM to 2 AM Japanese public baths […]

March 2, 2016

Everything you need to know about Japanese cherry blossom: sakura

Japanese Study

In the Japanese culture, one very important theme is the seasons and the flowers symbolizing the passage of time. Among them, one kind is particularly iconic, capturing the attention of visitors and locals: the cherry blossom, also very well known as sakura. All year round Japanese people long for the sakura season and wait with […]

February 29, 2016

Japanese Etiquette: "After You", どうぞ、お先に (Douzo Osaki ni)

Japanese Etiquette & MannersPlease go ahead…Going the extra mile to be even more Polite Japanese Etiquette & Manners Travelling abroad forces us to reconsider our manners and to think about the other culture’s rules. For many expatriates in Japan adapting to the local culture is not always an easy change! Behaviors, rules, manners can […]

February 19, 2016

Coto’s events in March 2016

This is an older post – to see our upcoming monthly events – click herehttps://cotoacademy.com/monthly-events/ Special Cooking Class〜 Nigiri-Sushi 特別料理クラスにぎりずし Tuesday, March 1st 11:00-13:30 in GinzaWould you like to try making Nigiri Sushi? This lesson will be held at a restaurant in Ginza, where a professional sushi chef will teach participants how to make “Nigiri […]

February 17, 2016

Seishun 18 Kippu: The perfect train to discover Japan in 2023

Do you have plans for the next spring in Japan? Do you like travelling by train? Staying in Japan for a few months want to explore without going bankrupt? We have just the solution for you! It’s made from paper, it’s very small, green and its name is Seishun 18 Kippu! How the Seishun 18 […]

February 16, 2016

Employed as IT engineer in Japan after 6 months

Student Testimonials

This time we interviewed Fabrice who came to Japan from France with a working holiday visa and got a job at a major IT company in Japan after taking a 6-month course.

February 12, 2016

Opening a bank account in Japan: What you need to have and phrases to use

Everything is ready and you are good to go live your dream in Tokyo. And after your arrival…Opening a bank account will be your first challenge in Japan Opening a Japanese Bank Account in Japan The procedures for opening a bank account are known to be one of the most challenging tasks for expats living […]

February 9, 2016

Have you ever seen live sumo? The Grand Sumo Tournament

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The 40th Grand Sumo Tournament In Coto Japanese Academy every February we have an appointment with Sumo. Come with us and discover the picture of an incredible Grand Sumo Tournament at the Ryogoku Kokugikan, near the sumida river! We went just as viewers, of course! During the event, we enjoyed the exciting fights between the […]

February 2, 2016

Origins of Hiragana (ひらがな) and Katakana (カタカナ)

Click Here to join our 30 day challenge to learn Hiragana Origins of Japanese Written AlphabetsExamples of Change Differences between Hiragana and Katakana Origin of the Japanese Alphabets Originally, the Japanese language did not have a phoenetic writing system. Around the fifth century, they starting using kanji, ideograms that were adopted from China and Korea. […]

February 1, 2016

Sentô: the Japanese public bath!

Japanese Culture

In January, our students went on a Special Sentô Tour to discover the wonders of the traditional Japanese public baths and their artworks. The communal baths appeared in Japanese temple during Nara Era (710) but it is around the 13th century that commercial bathhouses opened across the country. The Showa Era (1926 – 1989) was the golden […]