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Learn Japanese vocabulary, Kanji and phrases with this free blog with a YouTube video for audio learning, vocabulary lists and English Translation !
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Japanese culture

Learn about Japanese culture from this Japanese language blog by the JOI's professional Japanese teachers.


Japanese traditions and superstitions Japan is a country with various traditions and superstitions. There are many traditions surrounding food and superstitions surrounding death and making a mistake can be a big taboo in the country. Learning the best way to navigate the world of Japanese cuisine and traditions can be difficult. I would advise eating out with Japanese people and finding out fir...
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Japanese literature Japan is a treasure trove for bookstores and literature. There are Nobel prize winning authors, and a large number of domestic book competitions and prizes that create a buzz in the local media like the Akutagawa Prize and the Naoki Prize, both awarded to new, up and coming artists. Bookstores in Japan feature a large selection of genres. And although the number of brick and ...
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Green Tea in Japan In England when we say, “I'd like a cuppa...” we mean a cup of black tea, with milk and or sugar added, but in Japan when someone says they'd like some tea, they usually mean a cup of green tea. Green tea is the most popular hot drink in Japan and is used in ceremonies (especially the tea ceremony) and is commonly paired with Washoku Japanese cuisine. The most well-known area...
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Japanese fireworks Fireworks festivals (or hanabi taikai) in Japan are usually summer events. There are hundreds of events during the season, with some notably larger than others. The most popular fireworks shows draw huge crowds and people travel from far to view them. In this blog by Murahara sensei, she focuses on a fireworks show in Kagoshima city that was held out of season. Find out more b...
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Japanese Sumo Sumo (or 相撲 in Japanese ) is a wrestling bout in which the wrestlers (or rikishi) try to push one another out of a round arena (or dohyō) or make another wrestler fall down in the ring. The sport is considered as the national sport of Japan, and there are many foreign rikishi in recent years competing professionally in Japan. This interesting blog by Kinoi sensei, a professional J...
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