Everyday Conversation

What’s the difference between “Shungiku” and “Shinjuku”?

My boyfriend and I grow vegetables every summer in Canada. Last year, because of the pandemic, we moved to the countrysi...
Everyday Conversation

How do you say “Never mind” in Japanese?

In Japanese, when people want to say "never mind", they say,
Everyday Conversation

How do you say “What do you mean?” in Japanese?

In Japanese, "what do you mean?" is "どういうこと(ですか)?' or "どういう意味(ですか)?"
Everyday Conversation

How do you say “Delicious” in Japanese?

In Japanese, "delicious" is "oishii". It's an i-adjective. Here is the conjugation.
Haiku

A white skull

A white skullOnce you're also the onePursue the dream しゃれこうべ君もかつては夢追い人か When I was in high school, I often spent time dr...
Everyday Conversation

How do you say “It’s hurting” in Japanese?

In Japanese, "it's hurting" is "itai". When you want to say which part of your body is hurting, you can say "(a noun) ga...
Haiku

Grandfather

memories crumbledeyes wander on my facestill, love is there When I was little, I was afraid of my grandfather because he...
Everyday Conversation

How do you say “I’m hungry” in Japanese?

When you want to say "I'm hungry" in Japanese, you can say,
Everyday Conversation

How do you say “It’s just your imagination” in Japanese?

When you want to say "It's just your imagination" in Japanese, you can use, "気のせい (ki no sei)".
Everyday Conversation

How do you say “definitely” in Japanese?

Yesterday, we talked about how to say "maybe" in Japanese. Today, we are going to learn how to say "definitely".
Everyday Conversation

How do you say “maybe” in Japanese?

"Maybe" in Japanese is "tabun". Japanese people like using this word, so you will hear it very often when you talk with ...
Haiku

My Haiku may be a bit different from the one written by English poets

I started writing Haiku and Tanka in English on Medium. Here I am writing on Substack for one of my newsletters, and I t...
Blog

Why do Japanese people want to be white?

"Why do Japanese want to be white?" My boyfriend asked me at dinner yesterday. He said that there was a session about ra...
Blog

Writing a book is lonely work

Last summer, I published one of my ebooks in English. The first draft of this book was a collection of essays that I wro...
Japanese Reading

Reading Japanese: How to write just as who you are

This was the question that someone asked on Quora in Japanese, “自分らしい文章を書く方法はなんですか?” which means “How to write just as w...
Kanji

歩(to walk): Kanji Meaning and Pronunciations

Origin of Kanji "歩" 歩 Meaning: to walkPronunciations: ho, bu / aru(ku), ayu(mu) 歩 is formed from the symbol of left and ...
Blog

Are things Expensive in Japan?

At the end of the 1980s, the growth of the Japanese economy reached its peak. Executive golf courses, luxury brand shops...
Tanka

Hurry up to see her before my mum’s gone: Michinoku no Hahano inochi…

みちのくの 母のいのちをひと目見ん ひと目見んとぞ ただにいそげるMichinoku no Haha no inochi wo Hitome-min Hitome-min tozo Tadani isogeru To the Tohoku ...