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What’s the difference between San, Sama, Kun, & Chan?
I know this will be really basic for a lot of you, but recently, I’ve noticed a lot of people having trouble with which honorific to put on the end of a name. Not only have I gotten several emails specifically asking what the difference between them, but I’ve also had a barrage of folks [...]
Continue reading...Stare-apy for the Socially Inept (+ Edits)
As much as I want to be outrageously snarky in this post, I don’t think I can bring myself to do it. After all, social anxiety disorder is pretty serious stuff, especially in Japan, the birthplace of the hikikomori (引き籠もり or “pulling away”) phenomenon. In an attempt to help out those who are uncomfortable in [...]
Continue reading...Japanese people aren’t actually impressed with your Japanese
You know, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but sometimes it’s my job. If you’ve ever used your Japanese with a Japanese person, you know how impressed…they seem. You say something (anything, even if it’s only vaguely Japanese) and they will respond with ecstatic claps, squeals of joy, and “jyouzu jyouzu sugoi [...]
Continue reading...Maid Cafes Just Got Creepier: Mom Cafés.
Those silly otaku are finally wishing they had met their moms. See? Never leaving your room does have implications. They are finally putting down their Gundam model constructor kit. They are finally putting Street Fighter II down. Some of them are even facing that big yellow orb in the sky and huffing and puffing their way [...]
Continue reading...Use Mixi.jp to improve your Japanese (and make some friends, too!)
9. January 2008
Mixi.jp is Japan’s number one social networking site, much like America’s Myspace or Facebook. To get in, you have to be invited by someone who is already a member, which thankfully helps to make Mixi a lot less sketchy than Myspace (though I guess that doesn’t take much effort). I’ll be giving out invitations for [...]
Continue reading...Tofugu’s Japan Week in Review 1: Fukuda, Elevators, & Mochi Death
5. January 2008
December 27, 2007 - January 4, 2008 Every week (i.e. whenever time allows), I’ll be doing a “Japan week in review.” These segments will cover smaller news articles from throughout the week that we don’t want to cover individually. Although these articles of news won’t necessarily be very important, they’ll surely be interesting instead. Included after [...]
Continue reading...Our “First” Post
1. January 2008
Happy New Year, Tofugu! It’s now 5:19am (Hawaii time) on the first day of 2008. Why, you ask, for the love of cozy blankets and fluffy pillows, why am I awake? Well, I have to admit, when my alarm went off almost 20 minutes ago, I didn’t know, myself. But now I remember. I’m awake because [...]
Continue reading...Resolutions for Learning Better Japanese in 2008
1. January 2008
The New Year is a great time to break disgusting habits and set impossible resolutions…at least, it’s a great time to try to do those things. Most people come out from the rubble a couple of weeks later still smoking, drinking, or using Japanese words in English sentences, but everyone at least gets a little [...]
Continue reading...We Wish You a Merii Kurisumasu
25. December 2007
Unsurprisingly, we’ve recently gotten quite a few emails asking about Christmas (クリスマス or kurisumasu) in Japan. Though this might be a bit late, I thought I’d endeavor to answer those questions today, unwrapping my presents with one hand and typing this up with the other. A Brief History of Kurisumasu Christmas in Japan is an interesting creature. [...]
Continue reading...Top Japanese Impulse Buys of 2007: Part 2
24. December 2007
In the first installment of this series, I covered the top trendy items in Japan from 1-5. This time, I’ll be talking about items 6-10. Let’s get started, shall we? 6) Leggings/Tights: It wasn’t too long ago that I gave in to the trend and bought my first pair of tights. While showing a little leg [...]
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28. June 2008