Auspicious Plants ー Pine, Bamboo, and Japanese Plum
Are you familiar with these three Japanese plants 松 (matsu), 竹 (take), and 梅 (ume)? These are pine, bamboo, and Japanese plum respectively. Japanese people often refer to them altogether …
Knowledge
Unique Way to Count Things in Japanese
How do you count in English? In English, you can add “One, two, three, four…” in front of the object for most things, except for some peculiar circumstances when wanting …
Why do Japanese people…?”Putting your palms together: 手を合わせる＝合掌”What does it mean in Japan?
In situations where we Japanese say “Itadakimasu: いただきます,” “arigatou: ありがとう,” and “gomennasai: ごめんなさい,” we put our hands together. That is a custom not only in Japan, but also over Asia. …
Japanese Experiences in Temples
Welcome to my new blog post about Japanese experiences. Many HTJ writers have posted pictures of various shrines and temples and explanations of them in wonderful articles. I had the …
Ryu 龍 (Dragons)
Hello. Do you know what the zodiac animal will be in 2024? 2024 is the year of Ryu 龍 (dragons). In Japan, the twelve Chinese zodiac signs are called Junishi, …
Unraveling the Unique Osaka-ben (Part 1)
Japan has many different dialects. One reason for this is that words originated in the capital or cultural centers and spread to the regions through transmission. This happened because the …
The Beauty of Miso’s Mix of Old and New ; Hatcho Miso (八丁味噌)
What’s miso? Miso is the traditional Japanese fermented condiment made of soybeans, water, and koji mold. The way of making it is not rocket science, so you can make it …
Japanese seasonal beautiful words ~Autumn~
Do you know what the shortest form of poetry in the world is? It is the haiku, a three-line poem of only 17 syllables (5-7-5) that describes a natural scene …
Sumimasen Culture in Japan
Have you often heard or been called “sumimasen すみません” in public places or stores? When you’ve heard the word “sumimasen” as an apology, did you wonder, “Why do Japanese people …
♪Japanese Phrase Having a Good Ring♪ 〜Ton〜
♪Ton, Ton, Ton♪ Welcome to the third edition of “Japanese language fun time!” Today’s sound is ”Ton(とん/トン)!“ First of all, it has nothing to do with a big amount of …