When I first started learning Japanese, the amount of progress I could make in the course of a few months was astounding. Most of you will recognize this sharp beginner’s learning curve, either because you’re riding it now … [Read more...]
Nowadays, people see their dogs as part of their family, and they treat them - and spend on them - accordingly. There’s day care, organic food, health insurance, personalized birthday cakes... it all makes some people … [Read more...]
Different cultures not only eat different foods, they have different beliefs about eating, and both can seem equally bizarre to an outsider. To an American, some Japanese folklore about food is just as implausible as the … [Read more...]
By Koichi In the past we've written a bit about Google Image search and how it's useful for Japanese learning. For example, if you don't know what a Japanese word means, or if you just aren't sure about the translation … [Read more...]
When I was in Taiwan (learning Mandarin to learn about learning Japanese... and attending a friend's wedding) we took an off-day to visit Jiufen, the town that inspired the town and bathhouse in one of Miyazaki's greatest … [Read more...]
If you look up the food "konnyaku" in a common Japanese to English dictionary or translator, chances are you'll get something along the lines of "jelly made from the starch of devil's tongue". Well what the heck is that? … [Read more...]