About Japanese Language

Barley Tea � Mugicha

2009-06-24T08:55:33Z

When the weather gets warm, I crave mugicha (roasted barley tea). It is often served cold and is a refreshing summer drink in Japan. It is probably similar to ice tea in North America, but mugicha is not usually sweetened. When I was a child, a big jar of mugicha, made by my mom, was always in the fridge. When I saw the jar of mugicha, I felt summer had arrived. I still like drinking mugicha in the summer. Studies show it may help to reduce stress, which is also good news for me. Japanese translation

Teruterubouzu

2009-06-17T23:44:43Z

June is the rainy season (tsuyu) in Japan. It lasts until mid-July in most parts of Japan, except the northern island, Hokkaido. The Japanese children make a little doll called, "teruteru-bouzu" when they wish for a sunny day. They look like little ghosts that you�d see at Halloween. When I first saw little Halloween ghosts in North America, they reminded me of teruteru-bouzu. There is a song about "teruteru-bouzu." When we were little, we sang this song and flipped a shoe to the sky, and if it lands on its face it would be sunny tomorrow. Such simple fun, isn't it? Japanese translation

Memorial Day for My Grandmother - Sobo no Meinichi

2009-06-10T08:52:50Z

My beloved grandmother passed away ten years ago this week. My family lived with my grandparents. It used to be quite common for three generations to live together, but it is getting rare now. Looking back, I feel I was fortunate to live with them. "Sofu" and "sobo" are the Japanese words for one's grandfather and grandmother. Children often call refer to them as, "Ojiichan" and "Obaachan". I especially loved my grandmother and am greatly influenced by her. She was very open-minded and charming, too. I still miss her sometimes. Japanese translation

Rainy Seasons - Tsuyu

2009-06-03T08:17:57Z

June is a rainy season in Japan. I don't mind rainy days as long as I wear proper clothing and shoes so that I don't get soaking wet. Also, I like watching rain from inside of the house. There are many songs rain themed, but one of the most well known Japanese songs is the child's song, "Amefuri." I like the song, "Raindrops Keep Fallin� on My Head" by B.J. Thomas and "The Raindrop Prelude" by Chopin. I also like the last scene in "Breakfast at the Tiffanys," when Audrey Hepburn rushes through the rain to rescue her cat. Do you have any favorite songs about rain? Japanese translation

Japanese Tongue Twisters

2009-05-27T08:06:33Z

Many languages have their own tongue twisters. I played with them when I was young. They are good for practicing Japanese pronunciation. Here are some common Japanese tongue twisters. Please don't think about the meanings deeply since most tongue twisters don't make sense. Let's have fun! "Namamugi namagome namatamago (Raw wheat, raw rice, raw egg)," "Tonari no kyaku wa yoku kaki kuu kyaku da (The customer next to me eats a lot of persimmons)," and "Bouzu ga byoubu ni jouzu ni bouzu no e o kaita (The monk drew a picture of a monk very well on the screen.)" Japanese translation

Learning Hiragana

2009-05-18T23:14:42Z

How is your Japanese study going? Have you started learning Japanese writing? If you are new to Japanese, I recommend you learn hiragana first. Japanese children usually start with hiragana as well. They practice each character repeatedly until they master it. It might feel a little tedious, but it is very important to write Japanese with the correct stroke order. There are various Japanese sites that allow you to download free hiragana worksheets. I like the Kids Nifty site as it has cute pictures to make studying fun. It is also pretty easy to follow the instructions, even if you can�t read Japanese. I have also updated my hiragana lessons. I think it will be very rewarding if you start to recognize some hiragana characters. I hope you enjoy studying hiragana. Japanese translation

Mother's Day - Haha no Hi

2009-05-06T08:53:15Z

Next Sunday is Mother's Day (Haha no hi). Although "Happy ~" can be translated as "~ omedetou," there is no Japanese equivalent of "Happy Mother's Day." Sending a Mother's Day card is not too common in Japan, but giving flowers (especially carnations) is a popular thing to do. I am very close with my mom. She is very open-minded and has been very supportive of whatever I have done. Since hugging parents (except by children) is not a common practice in Japan, I sometime wonder if words are enough to show love. Besides, I feel a little embarrassed to express my feelings in front of her, but I always appreciate her open mindedness. Japanese translation

Golden Week

2009-04-29T08:44:32Z

April 29th is Japan's National holiday, Showa No Hi. This day leads Japan into Golden Week, a succession of holidays. When Saturdays and Sundays are included, this week becomes one of the longest holidays of the year. This year�s Golden Week consists of five consecutive holidays (Saturday-Wednesday). Since the weather is nice in this season, many Japanese make trips during Golden Week and it is one of the busiest travel times. Japanese translation

Writing Letters

2009-04-22T08:31:29Z

Email is a fast, easy and convenient way to correspond, but I still like writing and receiving letters. Handwriting adds much more personality to a letter, too. It always makes me happy when I find a letter from a friend in the mailbox.

A Story From My Childhood

2009-04-15T08:53:41Z

Since the Japanese school year starts in April, it is the month of new beginnings. I like the feeling when everything starts afresh. When I was in a school, I always liked getting new textbooks on the first day. I liked the study of the Japanese language (kokugo) the best. I used to read all the stories in the textbook in one sitting. A few years ago I had an opportunity to teach grade three students (Japanese children living abroad). When I looked in the textbook, I was surprised and happy to see the one of the stories that I read many years ago. The title is "Tsuribashi Watare (Crossing the Suspension Bridge)". I found that the story is available online and I think it would be great practice for you to read it. If you haven�t mastered kanji yet, "Hirahira no hiragana megane" is a very useful site that displays furigana above the kanji. I hope you enjoy reading it. Japanese translation