Although once virtually unheard of in conversations among my Japanese friends, Facebook is now well and truly integrated into the lives of Japanese young people. More and more people seem to be becoming happy with the idea of using their real name and picture (although there are still an awful lot of pet pictures out [...]
Here’s a cool little phrase that is worth remembering that can really liven up your Japanese – at least when speaking to yourself! やってもうた emphasises a state of shock and disappointment at mistake you’ve made. You’ll certainly catch people’s attention by using it!
As punctual and reliable as Japanese public transportation is, there are unfortunately occasions where not everything goes according to plan. Tardiness just isn’t acceptable for the working adult, perhaps moreso in Japan than most other countries. So it is then that when even despite your best efforts acts of god seem to smite you, there [...]
One of the more iconic types of poster you’ll find in Japan are the fire safety posters. Often adorned with a cute girl or popular celebrity, they aim to raise awareness of accidental fires in the home and encourage people to be vigilant.
A seemingly simple sign in the local train station conceals a couple of juicy words to learn. No loitering or sleeping inside the station premises!
Tokyo Metro produce refresh their series of subway posters annually, with an unique design for each month. In recent years, the posters by graphic artist Bunpei Yorifuji have been particularly stylish and easy to understand, utilising clever visuals and bright colours to grab the attention of commuters.
Here are the lyrics to the famous Vocaloid song ‘Gugurekasu’ – Go Google it! The song was created by AaminP (あー民P) using the voices of vocaloid characters Megurine Luka and Kamui Gakupo -【巡音ルカと神威がくぽ】. I’ve also added translation notes and insights into the Japanese language used and slang terms from 2ch at the bottom of this [...]
Here’s a neat little conversation that I just spotted on Facebook that has a slang term and some pretty simple language. It definitely gives you a better feel for how an actual conversation between two young guys would play out! As you may have guessed from the title, コンプ simply means ‘complete’. As with many [...]
While not an overwhelmingly common sight, in some districts of Japan you may come across signs like the one below that warn against folk of stranger dispositions.
Recently I had an article published in the Hiragana Times (on sale in Japan this month) about Haikyo – Japan’s abandoned buildings. The main article is only available in the magazine, but there’s a small summary on the Hiragana Times homepage that makes for some good reading practice for beginners. Enjoy!
