Love Japan? You’ll love these posts all about life in Japan and Japanese culture.
Ever wondered how to crack a joke in Japanese? The majority of Japanese jokes are based on wordplay (kotoba asobi / 言葉遊び) and puns (dajare / 駄洒落) and if you’re able to say one smoothly, you’re sure to impress even the most stoic of your friends! Why are wordplay jokes so popular in Japanese? They … Read more
Japan is no stranger to the cute, weird, and all things in between. With the popularity of kawaii culture, Japanese mascots or yuru-kyara (ゆるキャラ) became part of the fun and quirky side of their culture! These mascots are designed to be cute, strange, or even something straight out of a nightmare. Yuru-kyara often make appearances … Read more
“If we spoke a different language, we would perceive a somewhat different world.” ‒ Ludwig Wittgenstein Do you agree with this quote? I know I do. Many languages have beautiful and unique words which cannot be translated precisely. These words often represent concepts which are so unique to that culture, there is simply no equivalent … Read more
The 12 zodiac signs or juunishi (十二支) are an important element of Japanese culture, especially when a new year rolls in. It is part of the astrological system called eto (干支). The Japanese zodiac uses special kanji that are different from the usual characters for each animal. The Japanese zodiac is separated into 12 animals … Read more
Did you know that the famous saying ‘fall down seven times, stand up eight’ actually originated from Japan? Japanese quotes go way back, rooted in cultural practices and philosophy. Japanese proverbs or kotowaza (諺 / ことわざ) can be used in daily conversation or literature. There are three types of kotowaza: Iinarawashi (言い習わし / いいならわし): short … Read more
Are you new to anime? Maybe you’re reminiscing about some of your favorite childhood series? Whether you came from classics like Naruto or One Piece, or newer favorites like Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen, there are a lot of Japanese words you commonly hear in anime episodes. Some famous anime words can be used as … Read more
We can’t think of Japan without associating it with the word kawaii! Not only is kawaii (かわいい) an adjective to describe something that is ‘cute’, ‘lovely’, or ‘adorable’, but it is also part of a bigger culture in Japan. Kawaii culture encompasses the cute and quirky, from Harajuku fashion to anime and manga, mascots, games, … Read more
Do you have someone in your life who’s obsessed with Japan? (It’s ok if that person is you… I won’t tell anyone 😉 ) Are you looking for cool Japanese gift ideas for Christmas or a birthday? Start by checking out my list of dream Japanese themed gifts! I’ve put together this gift guide of … Read more