In Japan, “rock paper scissors” is referred to as “じゃんけん”(Janken). Although it is called different names in different places, the rules of the game are generally the same in every country. The full countdown phrase is じゃんけんぽん (Janken pon!), equivalent to “Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot!”In Japan, janken is used to settle disagreements, select participants, and […]

In Japanese, you can say Happy New Year with various expressions, so let’s get familiar with a few phrases.

If you’ve been to Japan long enough, you’ve likely run into nanpa, or the act of trying to pick up strangers in Japanese…

There are four basic Japanese greetings, or aisatsu (挨拶), that can be used at different times of the day. If you’re starting to learn Japanese, this will be the first thing you’re introduced to. After all, you don’t want to accidentally claim “Good morning” in the middle of the night or say “Have a good […]

Have you ever wanted to ask someone you are romantically interested in out on a date in Japan? The most straightforward way to do so in Japanese is デートしませんか (Deeto shimasen ka), which means “Would you like to go on a date?” While this is technically correct, you might notice that not a lot of […]

With a history of almost 1300 years in Japan, we explore the origins of Children’s Day, its connections to China, and some of its most revered traditions.

Celebrated annually on 4th May, this relatively young is linked to one of Japan’s youngest colours.

On 3rd May 1947 the Constitution of Japan, also known as the “Peace Constitution” was signed, and this date has been a national holiday ever since.