Blogs edited and submitted by Chiho Kamioka

Japanese Shinto culture The Japanese culture has a religion of Shinto embedded within it. This is followed at the many shrines around the country. One of their important jobs is the process of purification for health and good luck. In this blog about one of these cultures, Aizawa sensei gives a brief introduction to one of these Shinto beliefs and traditions. Read the Japanese to learn more voca...

Japanese roll sushi There are many types of sushi in Japan. But in the United States and around the world, the most common type you can find is the sushi roll. This is usually composed of colorful ingredients and wrapped in Nori seaweed. One type of sushi roll is popular in Japan during the month of February. Below Igarashi sensei gives us a brief introduction to this new custom that has been sw...

Seven Lucky Gods The seven lucky gods are images that you can find all over Japan. They have long histories and have been worshiped all over Asia as part of local folklore and Buddhist and Taoist cultures - all except the god Ebisu who seems to have origins in Japanese culture. Ueno sensei, a Japanese teacher at JOI introduces this interesting topic and explains more about these traditional figu...

Japanese supermarkets The first supermarkets opened in Japan in 1953 and now almost 65 years later they are part of the nation's landscape. Many supermarkets have began 24 hour opening services which is convenient for the busy working man and for last minute shopping in the middle of the night ! But in this week teacher's blog, Takase sensei talks about an alternative to the supermarket... Read ...

New Year Resolutions The practice of making New Year Resolutions is an ancient one, dating back to the Babylonian and Roman empires and religions. The most popular resolutions deal with health and money including mental health, social well-being and self-improvement. In the first teachers' blog for 2017, Someya sensei comes up with a simple yet profound quote. Read this blog to study Japanese w...