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 […]

Did you know that in Japan, not so long after the New Year’s celebrations, Japanese people celebrate the festival of the Little New Year? Historically, the “koshougatsu” took place around mid-February, celebrating the first full moon of the year, but nowadays the festival takes place on the 15th of January. The rites and customs are celebrated […]

Who doesn’t like to learn more about slangs? We believe that when you are learning a foreign language, studying slang is a nice and fun way to widen your vocabulary. Not only will you speak more fluently but you will sound more like a native speaker. Bibiru is a funny word to pronounce, and an interesting point […]

You can learn a lot about Japan just by looking at its calendar. Full of surprises and very interesting facts, the Japanese calendar is a door to the traditions and culture of Japan. For example, did you know that the 7th of January is called “nanakusa no sekku”? Written “七草の節句”, nanakusa no sekku means the […]

Did you know that until the Meiji era, the Japanese New Year calendar was similar to the Chinese calendar? It was only until 1873 that the Japanese New Year changed for the Gregorian calendar, however, all the traditional customs were maintained.  January is a great time to discover Japan! The Japanese New Year culture is also great occasion […]

Learn more about Japanese tradition and culture and discover the wonders of the New Year traditional dishes called “osechi ryouri” (おせち料理).

December and January are the busiest times for the Japanese post offices and it all come to one reason: the tradition of New Year‘s postcards (nengajo). And yes, it’s probably the biggest item on the calendar of annual events! New Year wishes postcard: 年賀状 年賀状 is composed of year 年,  congratulations 賀 and 状, meaning circumstances. With the […]

When leaving the office for your well-deserved winter holidays, don’t forget to wish your Japanese colleagues a Happy New Year with the correct expression! You may have learned the phrase 明けましておめでとうございます which translates Happy New Year. However, you can only use this greetings from first of January! If you have the unfortunate idea to greet your […]

Time passed quickly and here we are, already in December! It’s the perfect time to introduce a Japanese custom called “bounenkai”. Written “忘年会” in kanji, the phrase literally means “to forget the year party”. Composed of the kanji for “to forget (忘), the year (年) and gathering (会), a 忘年会 is a gathering of friends or coworkers, forgetting the unpleasant […]

What so special about the Japanese kotatsu table? Foreigners traveling around Japan during the winter are often very surprised by how cold Japanese homes can be. They wonder why such an advanced country is incapable of heating houses. Indeed, whether traditional or western, most Japanese homes don’t provide any type of isolation from the cold. One […]