Blogs edited and submitted by Chiho Kamioka

Japanese river crab Japanese river crab are usually served an appetizer in some Japanese restaurants. But in this language learner's blog, Someya sensei is not trying to eat these little crustaceans but to pet them ! Read this Japanese teacher's blog and watch the video for listening practice too. 沢蟹Sawagani freshwater crab By SOMEYA Sachiko １か月ほど前、我が家に沢蟹がやってきました。沢蟹とは、水のきれいな山の谷川や小...

Local Star festivals The Tanabata festival is also known as the Star Festival is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. It originally came from the Chinese Qixi Festival and celebrates the story of two star-crossed lovers that can only meet once a year on this day. It is believed that if that evening is cloudy, the lovers cannot meet that year and have to wait another year to ...

Japanese flowers Japan is a country obsessed with flowers. From sakura cherry blossoms and Ume plum blossoms in the spring, to a host of summer and autumn blooms, Japanese gardens can offer some wonderful day-trips for the nature lover. In this Japanese language learning blog, Hachiyama sensei has written about a trip she took during the Golden week holiday with JOI Managing Director Ms. Kamioka...

Buddhism in Japan Buddhism is one of the two official religions of Japan (Shintoism being the other) and has been practiced in Japan since 552 AD. Buddhist temples can be found all over Japan, and there is a high concentration of these religious sites in the cities of Kyoto and Nara. In this Japanese learner's blog by Oosawa sensei, she introduces a central feature of many temples; the 5 storie...

Rainy season in Japan The rainy season starts from the beginning of June until the middle of July in Japan. It's wet and humid and therefore not one of the seasons that is loved by many people here, but there are a few pleasures to be found including hot springs and mountain walks. However, most people just bear it until it ends, and then the full-blown summer heat takes over. In this blog from...