This time we interviewed Fabrice who came to Japan from France with a working holiday visa and got a job at a major IT company in Japan after taking a 6-month course.

Everything is ready and you are good to go live your dream in Tokyo. And after your arrival…Opening a bank account will be your first challenge in Japan Opening a Japanese Bank Account in Japan The procedures for opening a bank account are known to be one of the most challenging tasks for expats living […]

The 40th Grand Sumo Tournament In Coto Japanese Academy every February we have an appointment with Sumo. Come with us and discover the picture of an incredible Grand Sumo Tournament at the Ryogoku Kokugikan, near the sumida river! We went just as viewers, of course! During the event, we enjoyed the exciting fights between the […]

Click Here to join our 30 day challenge to learn Hiragana Origins of Japanese Written AlphabetsExamples of Change Differences between Hiragana and Katakana Origin of the Japanese Alphabets Originally, the Japanese language did not have a phoenetic writing system. Around the fifth century, they starting using kanji, ideograms that were adopted from China and Korea. […]

In January, our students went on a Special Sentô Tour to discover the wonders of the traditional Japanese public baths and their artworks. The communal baths appeared in Japanese temple during Nara Era (710) but it is around the 13th century that commercial bathhouses opened across the country. The Showa Era (1926 – 1989) was the golden […]

  Do you know how to apologize in Japanese correctly? Apologizing is an important part of the Japanese culture, and it’s something that our students always notice and ask about when they come to Japan. You will often see Japanese people saying sumimasen and bowing repeatedly, and you’ll hear it many times throughout your time […]

This is an older post – to see our upcoming monthly events – click here Monthly Events at Coto We are planning the following events in February. Please send your request for participation to info@cotoacademy.com Lunch Tour in Kagurazaka Thursday, February 4th, 12:30-13:50 Let’s discover the very popular Kagurazaka area, also called the Little Paris, […]

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 […]

  Winter (冬) Photo Contest 2016! Coto Japanese Academy’s Winter Photo Contest is BACK! All you have to do to take part is to post a picture of your experience during Winter in Japan and you stand a chance to win up to 10,000yen worth of exciting prizes!   Contest details Theme: Winter in Japan 2016 Contest […]

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 […]