Japanese alphabets The Japanese language is often known as being one of the most difficult languages to learn since it has not one but three different alphabets — hiragana, katakana and kanji — which can be differentiated both by the method of writing them, and their uses. In this weekly blog from one of the Japanese teachers at JOI, Itaya sensei, she explains some great language learning tips t...
Blogs edited and submitted by Chiho Kamioka
JOI Support staff and manager.
Japanese alphabets The Japanese language is often known as being one of the most difficult languages to learn since it has not one but three different alphabets — hiragana, katakana and kanji — which can be differentiated both by the method of writing them, and their uses. In this weekly blog from one of the Japanese teachers at JOI, Itaya sensei, she explains some great language learning tips t...
Japanese school entrance ceremonies The Japanese school year starts around the beginning of April, and ends in mid-March. At the start of the school year, it is common to have entrance ceremonies. These are formal affairs often with parents attending and taking pictures. Eguchi sensei, one of the professional Japanese teacher at JOI, writes this easy blog to help you to learn Japanese. Read the...
Japanese school lunches Japanese school lunches have been in focus in recent news and magazine articles. The level of nutrition and the culture of student participation in the serving and cleaning is usually the focal point of the news' stories. And a lot of countries are looking to Japan's example when reforming their own school lunch menus. Kamiyama sensei introduces this topic in this Japanes...
Toys in Japan Japan is well-known as a creative hub for art, fashion and technology and weird things too. So it is not surprising that you can find some imaginative toys in the country. In this weekly blog, for Japanese learners, Ishibashi sensei; one of the teachers at JOI online school, introduces some popular toys that are a little on the weird side... Listen to the video to learn Japanese l...
Wasai : The Art of Making Kimono For formal occassions, Japanese people usually wear kimonos. The word Kimono actually just means 'something to wear' but, these garments have become an art form and a form of fashion stretching over a long history and culture. Yanaka sensei is a Japanese teacher at JOI online school, and she explains the tools used in Wasai, the art of kimono-making. Yanaka sense...