Tofugu.com – Wonky Japanese Language and Culture

I came upon this Ninja Akasaka’s website while planning a trip to Japan with the Tofugu team; when I presented the idea of going there to the boys, they were excited, to say the least. Even when I started to have second thoughts and tried to talk them out of going, they wouldn’t hear of it. They pouted, they whined, they eventually won me over. Ok, so only Koichi pouted.

So it was, one chilly Tokyo winter night, we found ourselves in Akasaka (赤坂), anxiously awaiting our dinner. “I will be very disappointed if we come out of this restaurant alive,” said Viet. Read more…

When learning Japanese, you can get by for a few years without worrying about transitive and intransitive verbs. As things start making sense, though, you’ll begin noticing that there are verbs that sound and look similar, but have very slightly meanings. Some common ones are:

1. 始める vs 始まる (to begin vs. began)
2. 起こす vs 起きる (wake up someone vs. wake up on your own)
3. 入れる vs 入る (to insert vs. to enter)

Transitive Verbs: These verbs are descriptions of actions that are being done by yourself. For example, “I opened the door” would be transitive, whereas “the door opened” would be intransitive. These are actions in which Read more…

We’ve been down for a while, but we thank you very much for your patience. I killed nested comments on accident the other day, so I figured it was time to make some big changes (still no nested comments, though, sadly). As you can see, we have a new theme. My plan was to add a few more features than I did, but time is running short, and the site has been down a little too long. Those new features will be listed below and finished over the next couple weeks. There are, however, a couple of new things I’d like to throw out there, before I get into the “soon to be” section.

New Features

Guest Writers

That’s right, we’re accepting articles from anyone. That is to say, we’re accepting articles, though not necessarily publishing them. We would like your experiences shared, your opinions stated, and your knowledge out there for the world to see. You’re probably asking, “what do I get out of it?” Well, you get a little bit of fame, your picture (if you want), and a link to your website / youtube channel / blog / whatever … That way, Read more…

So, you are planning that trip to Japan, but you have no clue what to do short of gawking at school girls or skimpily dressed women. Fear not, I have a suggestion for you. If you’re in the Tokyo vicinity, then I suggest visiting the Mori Tower at Roppongi Hills. There you get to see the giant spider, make the poor Japanese teens working at Cold Stone Creamery sing in Engrish (without tipping!) and meet people who aren’t Japanese!

Sounds very exciting, huh? But wait… there is more! Read more…

If you’ve ever seen the absolutely brilliant movie Tampopo (タンポポ), you’ll probably share my disgust at the idea of The Ramen Girl. If you haven’t seen Tampopo, you really should. It’s old, but maybe you could find a copy at your library if you’re lucky.

Tampopo‘s central story is that of a widowed mother (the movie’s namesake) who wants to become a true ramen chef at the restaurant her husband left her. Guided by a cowboy trucker named Goro, her shop eventually becomes the most popular in her neighborhood. Accompanying the main narrative are a handful of quirky little vignettes, all having to do with food and the way people enjoy or interact with it. While it sounds strange, the movie is, honestly, one of my favorites; it’s entertaining, whimsical, and, most of all, extremely sincere.

Now, sadly, Hollywood is $#@!ing it all up D: Read more…

In America, we tend to be encouraged to be show our individualist side, take initiative, tell people about our accomplishments, and stick out as much as possible from the rest of society. That’s all fine and dandy, I have nothing against being outgoing/initiative/individualistic. I wish I could be more outgoing, but I was raised to hide, to not stick out. I’m the nail that was hammered down, way down.The worst problem I have is with compliments: When someone says something nice, I don’t know what to say. I usually try to deny it, deflect it, or downright deny it. Doing this whole youtube/blog thing has been very tough for me. I hate getting out there, and the only way I’ve been able to do it is by not telling any of my friends. That’s right, my best friend doesn’t even know I ‘tube; it’s too embarrassing for me.

But I digress. In Japan, you need to be humble. Don’t let anyone compliment you, they are only Read more…

It’s been a long time, I know, and this post is definitely a cop-out. I’ve been on vacation, I’ve been tired, and for the most part, I’ve been away from the internet (unless it involved my job). I did, however, think I should let everyone know that one of my videos will be featured on the front page of youtube (any time now, they say), thanks much to the guest editing of psychomelody. I’ve embedded them below (click through). If you are interested in these videos, they are available on my other channel, Koichiben. Read more…

Hey, this is Erin. I bet you’re all tired of hearing from me, huh? Anyway, this article is about music (duh), more specifically, it’s about the Tofugu writers’ personal favorites. Since Viet is busy (I can only assume) and Koichi is traveling at the moment, you get to hear from me first, haha.

My taste in music is pretty eclectic. I’m usually not into the flavor of the month idol or boy band, though I do have my “pop” moments every so often. Anyway, here are some of my favorite artists:

Ayano Tsuji. If you’ve seen The Cat Returns (猫の恩返し), then you’ll recognize her from the theme song, Kaze ni Naru (風になる). She’s geek-chic, she plays the ukulele, she makes artsy music videos, what more could I want? The ukulele is my favorite part, as someone who grew up with it. She has that simple sort of untaught voice that’s absolutely charming, and consistently so, in all her songs. Read more…

While every country has its own unique foodstuffs, Japan definitely has some strange flavor combinations. Somehow, though, I think this is one of the most unappetizing ones I’ve come upon so far. Wendy’s Japan has created product with a pun-derful name: The An Burger (あんバーガー, pronounced ahn baa gaa)!

It’s basically cheese, an (sweet azuki bean paste normally used in mochi), and unidentifiable white stuff on a bun. Seriously, what is that white stuff? It kind of looks like tuna salad, but that can’t be right… can it?

It’s just… just wrong. Almost as wrong as ウルトラローライズデニムビキニパンツ. Almost.

Edit: After digging through a bunch of Japanese blogs (thanks, Google JP), the white stuff has proved to be margarine, which is not much of an improvement over the tuna salad idea D:

Hey ladies! Running out of ways to tell men “I’m available and easy”? Got a festering wound on your lower hip that needs to be aired out? Can’t think of a birthday gift for your great aunt Melba? Well, allow me to introduce you to the product of the unholy union of Brazil and Japan: Ultra Low-Rise Denim Bikini Pants (9,240 円, about $75)! Intrigued? Horrified? Bear with me. Read more…