Japanese learning blog
Practical guides on speaking, grammar, pronunciation, listening, and study planning, written for learners who want to use Japanese in real life.
All articles · Page 74
Japanese ずにはいられない: When You Cannot Help Doing It
ずにはいられない describes an action or reaction you cannot keep yourself from doing.
4 min readJapanese てたまらない: A Feeling Too Strong to Bear
てたまらない expresses a feeling or sensation that is almost unbearable in intensity.
4 min readJapanese ことはない: Reassuring Someone There Is No Need
ことはない tells someone an action is unnecessary, often to reassure them.
4 min readJapanese ものだ: General Truths, Old Habits, and Strong Feelings
ものだ can sound like a general truth, a remembered habit or a heartfelt reaction.
4 min readJapanese に越したことはない: The Safer or Better Choice
に越したことはない says an option is ideal or safer, without making it a strict rule.
4 min readJapanese を問わず: Eligibility Regardless of a Category
を問わず says a rule or opportunity applies without making a distinction by a named category.
4 min readAsakusa and Sensō-ji Guide: Kaminarimon, Nakamise and Japanese to Use
Sensō-ji in Asakusa is Tokyo's oldest temple, entered through the Kaminarimon gate with its giant red lantern and a shopping street of snacks and souvenirs. It is free, the grounds never close, and it is the easiest place in the city to buy your first snack, draw your first fortune and ask your first question in Japanese.
13 min readMeiji Jingū Guide: Forest Shrine, Torii and Japanese to Use
Meiji Jingū is a Shinto shrine set in a planted forest of about 70 hectares, a few steps from Harajuku Station. It is free, open from sunrise to sunset, and the best place in Tokyo to learn the shrine routine and read your first shrine signs.
12 min readShibuya Crossing Guide: Hachikō, Shibuya Sky and Japanese to Use
Shibuya Crossing is the scramble intersection in front of Shibuya Station where every light turns green at once and the whole junction fills with people. It is free, it is busy at almost any hour, and finding your way out of the station to it is the perfect first test of your Japanese.
12 min readShinjuku Guide: Tochō View, Omoide Yokochō, Golden Gai and Japanese to Use
Shinjuku packs Tokyo's extremes into one walk: a free observation deck in the city government towers, a smoky post-war alley of yakitori counters, a lane of tiny bars and the neon of Kabukichō. It is also where a few words of Japanese open the most doors, literally, at counters that seat only a handful of people.
12 min readTokyo Skytree Guide: Tembo Deck, Tickets, Views and Japanese to Use
Tokyo Skytree is the 634-metre broadcasting tower in Sumida, with observation decks at 350 and 450 metres. Tickets, lifts and the shopping town at its foot are all well signed in Japanese, which makes it an easy place to practise buying a ticket and asking the way.
11 min readTokyo Tower Guide: Main Deck, Stairs, Zōjō-ji and Japanese to Use
Tokyo Tower is the red-and-white lattice tower that has stood over Minato since 1958, with a Main Deck at 150 metres and a Top Deck at 250 metres. You can ride up or, on the right days, climb about 600 outdoor steps, and the ticket counter is a friendly place for your first Japanese purchase.
11 min readPractical guides
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