Learn Japanese Online - JOI Teachers blog

Learn Japanese vocabulary, Kanji and phrases with this free blog with a YouTube video for audio learning, vocabulary lists and English Translation !
Every week, a professional Japanese teacher posts a new blog .

Previous blog archives from 2006 - mid-February 2014.

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Seasonal stories

Japanese seasons are part of the country's culture, folklore and traditions. The four seasons are observed diligently and many linguistic and social terms are based on this aspect of Japan.


Winter festivities in Japan All around Japan in the cities and towns, winter illuminations have become a popular attraction around Christmas and New Year. Many are romantic which runs according to the theme of Christmas season (especially Christmas Eve) as being a time for couples and lovers. Oosawa sensei is a Japanese teacher at JOI online school and she introduces this topic in this month's t...
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Winter goods in Japan There are many great and fun winter goods sold in Japan. The recent proliferation of USB powered products means there are some very unique little designs to be found all over the country. Tourists from China, Korea and Taiwan seem to find the cheaper products in the Daiso 100 yen shops, the quirky fun goods in the Don Quixote shops and the unique and well-designed products ...
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Autumn leaves in Japan In Japan, the viewing of autumn leaves is known and Koyo. It is almost as popular as viewing cherry blossom leaves in the spring months. There are many fantastic autumn leaves viewing spots all over the country. Since the practice has been popular for centuries, there are any number of forests and groves that were planted purposefully for this event. Inamoto sensei is one...
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Insects in Japan There are many insects and bugs that are indigenous to the Japan isles. Fortunately, not many are dangerous or poisonous – but it is worth finding out which ones are before venturing out into the mountains in Japan. The centipedes and wasps are generally the most harmful, although the media over here has been up in arms over an increase in blood-sucking worms recently... Ishiba...
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U-Turn Rush during Obon The teacher's blog this week by Ueno sensei, a professional Japanese teacher at JOI, talks about a phenomenon in Japan that happens during the holiday seasons. There is another similar phenomenon which is called “U-Turn Rush”. When the holidays are over, everyone floods back to their cities to start the working weeks. This creates huge traffic jams going into the big citi...
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Tagged in: Japanese culture