The 2026 World Cup is almost here! In a few days, you’ll get to see 48 soccer teams, including Japan, compete against each other in a bid to win the world title.  If you are in Japan, how can you watch the World Cup? While you might not be able to watch the event live […]

As some Coto Academy students are adults who have been in a relationship with a Japanese partner, we might occasionally be asked, “How do I break up with my Japanese partner?”

Thanks to Japan’s Working Holiday Visa program, you can have a taste of what’s living and working in Japan like without needing to commit to a full-time job, join a university course, or have a visa sponsor.  

You’ve probably learned the Japanese word ちょっと (chotto), but did you know it can be used for almost any situation? While most people learn ちょっと as meaning “a little,” it actually has a much wider variety of uses for different contexts.  As we dive into how ちょっと is actually used in Japanese conversation, we will […]

In Japan, “rock paper scissors” is referred to as “じゃんけん”(Janken). Although it is called different names in different places, the rules of the game are generally the same in every country. The full countdown phrase is じゃんけんぽん (Janken pon!), equivalent to “Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot!”In Japan, janken is used to settle disagreements, select participants, and […]

Interested in someone at the office, at university, or at your local bar, but don’t know how to flirt in Japanese? Or maybe you just want to make your friend groan with a cheesy one-liner. Either way, you might be wondering: do pick-up lines even work in Japanese? It takes confidence to ask someone out, […]

Ever wondered about different ways to respond to “Thank you” in Japanese? In this article, we cover the various ways to say “You’re Welcome” in Japanese.

Ganbare (頑張れ) or ganbatte (頑張って) is a Japanese phrase that means “Come on!” “Let’s go!” or “Go for it!” in English.