Have you ever heard the expression “yuuki yomeru” (空気読める – “to read the air”) in Japanese? Ever stumbled across the expression “Kuuki Yomenai”? This Japanese slang is literally translated as “cannot read the air” and jokingly applies to people who struggle to read social situations. Reading The AtmosphereKuuki Yomenai and Social AwkwardnessHow NOT to be KY? Reading […]

How do you express your emotions in Japanese? If you’re learning Japanese, it’s helpful to know how to let other know what you’re feeling. We’ve gathered a quick list of essential words that might come in handy. Nevertheless, don’t worry about memorizing too much! Japanese Verbs to Express Emotion Happiness 笑（わら）う – laugh 褒（ほ）める – encourage […]

You cannot travel in Japan without hearing at least a story or two about Japanese scary spirits. Are you aware that indeed, Japan is surrounded by a mythology of ancient traditions and superstitions? Each culture in the world has its own folklore about ghosts and spirits, but Japan can certainly be very proud of all […]

Inaya moved to Japan in March 2016 to pursue an exciting work opportunity in the Japanese headquarters of a global manufacturing company. “I have always been the kind of person who likes new experiences. When the company in which I did a summer internship offered me a position in their Japanese headquarters, I couldn’t say no!” She was […]

This is an older post – to see our upcoming monthly events – click here Monthly Events at Coto We are planning the following events in November 2016. Please send your request for participation to info@cotoacademy.com! Lunch Tour in Kagurazaka: Shozantei Thursday, November 2nd Have you ever been to Kagurazaka? It is an enchanting neighborhood located […]

When Nicolas got the opportunity to work in Tokyo, he jumped at the chance right away since he had always been very fond of Japan.  “The offer was perfect. I was not required to be fluent in Japanese and the overall process was easy. I considered myself very lucky to have found a Japanese company sponsoring […]

With September coming around, you were relieved to feel the weather cooling down. Or so you believed. As the typhoon season reaches its peak, your perfect kit to go out is an umbrella, a raincoat, and some good rain boots. A typhoon (台風（たいふう）) is a tropical cyclone with strong winds occurring in the west Pacific while in the […]

You might have heard of Silver Week (シルバーウィーク), an expression coined in 2009, referring to 3 consecutive Japanese national holidays in early autumn. But did you know that the Japanese Silver Week, in fact, does not occur annually?  The Respect for the Aged Day And… On that day, the Japanese pay their respect to the elderly and […]

Master the heat and humidity of the Japanese summer with our cool kanji guide.

This is an older post – to see our upcoming monthly events – click here Monthly Events at Coto We are planning the following events in October. Please send your request for participation to info@cotoacademy.com! Lunch Tour in Kagurazaka Thursday, October 6th 12:30-13:50 Each month, there are lunch tours to places just a short walk […]