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Japanese culture

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


Trends in Japan Japan is a famously faddish nation. There are trends that pop up, only to disappear soon after they become popular. And there are fashion and pop culture fads that become global phenomena in their own right. There are also many Japanese language trends that can be limited to certain age groups or even gender. In this blog for Japanese learners, Ms. Akari Ueno, a Japanese teacher...
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What is Japanese Kanji? The word for Kanji in Japanese comes from two characters, Kan = the ancient name for China, and Ji = which means script of style of writing. The style of writing was brought to Japan in the 5th Century. Much later after the second World War,it was simplified into the Japanese style that is used today. Most Kanji characters have two ways to read them, and these are called...
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Japanese education system The Japanese education system is often described as unique both culturally and in terms of educational goals. This has been a pro and in some cases a con for the population. The pros being the cultural emphasis on discipline and ethics while the cons being the system of memory focused education. But there have been some changes occurring in Japan, and Someya sensei, a J...
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Japanese Anime Japanese Anime has become a genre of entertainment of its own. In most of the world, the word ‘Anime’ points to Japanese animation products, but did you know that in Japan, the word ‘Anime’means all types of animation, not only domestic products? In this blog by a Japanese language teacher, Noriko Yokozuka, she talks about one of her favorite Anime. And it is a very popular Anime ...
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Japan’s Ekiben culture At Japanese train stations, you can find lunch boxes on sale which are meant to be eaten during your train journey. Some train stations have become famous for their ekiben lunch boxes which are made from local specialties. In this blog by a Japanese teacher at JOI, Miki Oosawa, you can read about her memory of one special and nostalgic Ekiben lunchbox. You can also learn...
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