A foreigner’s guide to Japanese honorific, humble and polite forms.

Coto Academy’s 3-month JLPT course is a strategic, result-proven program that has helped hundreds of learners successfully pass the JLPT year after year.

Despite all the good of convenience stores, sometimes what we need is just not there. And if you want to survive in Japan, you should know about the Japanese supermarket, because chances are, you’ll be spending a lot of time in them to find ingredients for your next meal or to get necessary household items. […]

Have you ever wondered how to describe a position in Japanese? Picture this: you’re wandering through the busy streets of Tokyo and want to ask a local which way leads to the nearest train station. Or maybe you’re sitting in a Japanese classroom, and the teacher is giving directions like “Look up,” “Turn right,” or […]

What’s the difference between kudasai (ください) and onegaishimasu (おねがいします)?

When meeting a new client in Japan, one of the first things you need to do is exchange business cards, known as 名刺 (meishi). In many other countries, business cards are often seen as a formality, or just a way to pass along your name, title, and company info. But in Japan, meishi exchange is […]

Dining at Japanese restaurants can be a delightful experience, from savoring delicious sushi to enjoying a hot bowl of ramen. However, at the end of the meal, you may find yourself wondering how to ask for the bill. If you’re traveling or living in Japan, dining out is one of the best ways to experience […]

For many of us, our love for Japan began with manga, whether it was action-packed cult classics like One Piece or something more niche in the shoujo (genre for young women) comics. So why not turn that passion into a way to learn Japanese? We get it—you might be thinking: Is that even possible? Don’t […]