Is it actually necessary to be able to write Kanji? You’ve probably started learning Japanese and have only now realised that this means that you also have to study more than 2000 kanji characters. I know what that feels like, I’ve been there… So, is there a way to somehow study Japanese without actually learning how to write the kanji characters? Should you learn how to write kanji? Well, that’s what I’m going to show you in this article. What Is Kanji Photo by @felipepelaquim on Unsplash If you’ve found this article, you probably already know what kanji is. But you should still read th ..read more

Are you planning on taking the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT)? Well, be aware that most people don’t pass – especially at higher levels like the JLPT N2 or N1, where most of the words you have to know rarely appear in everyday conversation. I, myself passed the N2 after just one year of studying Japanese. I had also planned to take the JLPT N1 last December but as you probably, know 2020 wasn’t the year of many people sitting in a room. Anyway, in this article, I will show you how to effectively study vocabulary for the JLPT. Table of Contents Study Vocabulary with Immersion ..read more

Immersion clearly is the most effective and the most fun method to learn Japanese. One particularly useful tool is Netflix. Not only does it have a catalogue of thousands of Japanese movies, dramas and anime shows, you can also watch movies wherever you are – and that at a low price. I myself learn Japanese with Netflix and have made enormous progress in my listening and speaking skills. Netflix even helped me pass the JLPT N2 one year after I had started learning Japanese. So, in this post, I will give you 11 tips on how to effectively learn Japanese with Netflix. 1. Switch Your Netflix L ..read more

Japan is a country where etiquette and choosing the right words is incredibly important. This is also reflected in how the Japanese greet each other. There are countless ways to greet someone in Japanese. That’s why I wrote this post show, where I show you how to greet someone in Japanese. Table of Contents How to Adress People in Japanese Choosing the right words and expressions when talking to a Japanese person is pretty important (here’s why). If somebody is older or more important than you, you must use honorifics. But when you speak to friends, family, younger or “less important ..read more

You have probably seen pictures of Japanese high school students or anime characters wearing a school uniform. But what do they actually look like? And what kinds of uniforms are there? I went to a Japanese high school myself and will gladly give you the answer in this post about “what do Japanese high school uniforms look like?”. In this post you’re going to learn: what types of uniforms exist in Japan what Japanese high school uniforms look like whether all high school in Japan have uniforms I will also show you many pictures and tell you what my experience wearing a Japanese high school ..read more

Tamago-Kake-Gohan or often called TKG by raw egg loving young people in Japan is one of the simplest yet most delicious Japanese foods. Yes, eating raw eggs does sound weird and dangerous at first. But trust me, it tastes phenomenal. In this article, you’ll learn what tamago-kake-gohan is, how you can make it and why the Japanese eat raw eggs. What is Tamago-Kake-Gohan? 卵かけご飯 (tamago-kake-gohan) translates to “rice topped with egg”. And this pretty much sums it up. All you need to prepare a delicious bowl of TKG is cooked white rice and a raw egg. But most Japanese people also use a bit ..read more

Japan – the country of cute little characters and kawaii culture. Nowhere else will you come across so many girls talking in a high-pitched voice dressed in Lolita dresses. Here you will see childish characters advertise everything, be it food, hotels, travel destinations or credit cards. Frankly speaking, no other nation has mastered the art of cuteness like Japan has. That’s why in this article I’m going to discuss why everything in Japan has to be so cute. Cute Things in Japan - Some Examples When I arrived in Japan to start my one-year study abroad, I was astonished by the number of ..read more

You’ve probably heard of Japanese bathing culture. Japan truly is famous for its many public bathhouses and hot springs. But what is the difference between an onsen and a sento? Why do the Japanese like bathing so much? And what is the right etiquette? Here are 8 things to know about Japanese bathing culture. Table of Contents 1. The History of the Japanese Bathing Culture The Japanese bathing culture has a long history. I bet people have been washing their bodies there forever but one day they must have realised that the hot water coming from volcanos could be used to bathe in it. The ..read more

In the past couple of weeks, I had something like an existential crisis. Ok, maybe not that bad actually, but again and again, I asked myself why I’m even studying Japanese – like is learning Japanese even worth it? The thing is, I’ve been studying Japanese for almost three years now and achieved quite a lot. I can hold conversations in Japanese easily, understand pretty much everything when I watch Japanese YouTube videos and I am starting to become better at reading too. But what for? How is all the effort I’m putting in right now going to pay off? In simple terms, is learning Japanese wor ..read more

Ok, so I’ve been immersing myself in spoken Japanese for quite some time now. And obviously that greatly improved my Japanese. But whenever I saw a page of written Japanese, my brain turned on panic mode. I knew that if I wanted to get good at Japanese I needed to start reading. That’s where the Amazon Kindle comes into play. So, in this post, I will show you why you need an Amazon Kindle to learn Japanese. Reading Japanese Books The thing is, I had tried reading books in Japanese before. One day after school, I went to the closest book shop, picked up some random book and started readi ..read more