Category: Reading
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Time to Catch the Ferry
Here’s a little timetable I picked up last summer. While reading one sounds like quite a simple task, in the heat of the moment when rushing to catch a ferry, it can sometimes catch you off guard.
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Job Hunting for Study Abroad Students
Job hunting for soon-to-graduate students in Japan is a huge process and one that must be taken very seriously if one is to finish university with a job already secured. For young foreign nationals in Japan, it can be even harder.
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Party Travellers Only
A bit of Engrish found at Nagoya station. Can you guess what ‘Party Travellers Only’ was the translation for?
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Travelling with the 18 Kippu
Have you heard of the Seishun 18 Kippu? Meaning something like the ‘Youthful 18 Pass’, it’s a special ticket that anyone – regardless of age – can use to travel cheaply at certain times in the year.
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Bathhouse Etiquette
Do you know the correct etiquette for bathing Japanese style? During a trip to Naoshima last summer, I picked up this pretty little pamphlet that describes the process.
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House Omamori
Omamori are used in many different places around Japan. Most often you’ll see them being sold as colourful trinkets at Shinto shrines, but did you also know about gofu given out to protect houses?
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New Year’s Discounts
Printing New Year’s cards to send out to friends and family is a custom given much importance in Japan. Huge quantities of postcards are send out all over the country just to ‘check in’ with people, even if it is just once a year.
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Gargle to Prevent Influenza
As a recent flu victim myself, it seems a little ironic that I had already planned to write this post before becoming ill. It’s as much a cultural lesson as it is vocabulary.
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Undersea Bean Friends
A bit of a fun little lesson this time. A bunch of cute sea creatures from an aquarium product label. How’s your sea-life vocabulary?
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25 Years of Mario
Mario is celebrating his 25th anniversary this year and Nintendo are commemorating the event with a special edition boxset of the original Mario games.