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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. They only used the phonetic reading of the kanji, regardless of their meaning. At that time, the ideograms were called manyogana (万葉仮名). […]
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 […]
Do you know how to apologize in Japanese correctly? Apologizing is an important part of the Japanese culture, and it’s something that our students always notice and ask about when they come to Japan. You will often see Japanese people saying sumimasen and bowing repeatedly, and you’ll hear it many times throughout your time […]
Every language has its jokes and word games, delightful and refreshing for the minds. Japanese people are particularly fond of what they call “oyaji gag”, a type of joke very popular in the 80’s, made by combining same or similar sounding words. Literally the father’s gag, “親父ギャグ”, it would be more accurate to translate it […]
