How long have you been in Japan and why did you decide to move here? I’m back in the U.S. now; I was in Tokyo for two months. I’ve always been attracted towards Japan and the Japanese language, going all the way back to when I was a kid collecting Japanese pressings of Beatles records. […]
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 […]
Contents: Subject Omission Referring to more than 2 People… Why should I avoid using あなた (Anata)? Subject Omission Japanese is not always easy to use, especially when it comes to identifying the sentence’s subject. A sentence in English always requires a subject, but that’s not the case for the Japanese. In particular, personal pronouns such as […]
Ki o Tsukuete! Meaning of 気を付けて (Ki o Tsukete)When to use 気を付けて (Ki o Tsukete)? What does 気を付けて (Ki o Tsukete) Mean? Have you ever heard of this Japanese expression before? When learning foreign languages, some nuances can often get lost when we try to translate a certain word or phrase into our native language. We found […]
It is well known that Japanese summer can be unbearably hot and humid, especially during July and August. All day long people will drag themselves from a building’s shadow to the cool undergrounds of Tokyo’s metro and shopping mall, resting from the heat. One would hope that at sundown, the heat would die down… But alas! During summer, when […]
Expressing GratitudeWhat is 助かります (Tasukarimasu)?Usage ExamplesBeing more Respectful Expressing Gratitude Learning Japanese is not always easy, especially when you have to understand some very tricky nuances. When you received help and want to express your gratitude, what should you say? What is “I appreciate that” in Japanese? The answer is a simple word… tasukarimasu! What is 助かります […]
In our fifth interview, we asked Mr.Ajay, who came to Japan in January 2014 and took the Coto intensive course for four months, about his improvements in Japanese and how his everyday life has changed.
This time we talked to Nadine from Belgium who has worked in Japan for five years, and who is now married and has a seven month old baby with a Japanese man. We asked how she managed her time studying Japanese and how improving her Japanese completely revolutionized her life in Japan.
Erika came to Japan from Peru in 2003 and has since been studying Japanese while working and trying to advance her career. We asked her how her Japanese has developed since she started lessons with Coto (formerly ILS).
As part of our new series of interviews with students, we talk with Sven from Germany about the difference of studying Japanese in Germany and in Japan.
