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 75
Tsukiji Outer Market Guide: Street Food, Manners and Japanese to Use
Tsukiji Outer Market is the maze of food stalls, knife shops and sushi counters that stayed in Tsukiji when Tokyo's wholesale fish market moved to Toyosu. It is free to wander, it runs from early morning to early afternoon, and it is the best place in Tokyo to order food in Japanese one small bite at a time.
11 min readUeno Park Guide: Museums, Shinobazu Pond, Zoo and Japanese to Use
Ueno Park is Tokyo's great cultural park, a short walk from Ueno Station, with Japan's oldest national museum, several major art and science museums, the country's oldest zoo, shrines, temples and a lotus pond. The park itself is free, and its museum counters are the perfect place to practise buying tickets in Japanese.
11 min readAkihabara Guide: Electronics, Anime Shops, Tax-Free and Japanese to Use
Akihabara is Tokyo's Electric Town, packed with electronics stores, retro game shops, anime and manga megastores, arcades and maid cafés. It is free to wander, busiest on weekends, and a place where a few shop-counter phrases can save you from buying a gadget that will not work at home.
11 min readGinza Guide: Wakō Clock, Depachika, Kabuki and Japanese to Use
Ginza is Tokyo's classic shopping district, with department stores, flagship boutiques, the Wakō clock tower and the Kabukiza theatre. On weekend afternoons its main street closes to cars, and in the basement food halls you can practise the politest shop Japanese in the city.
11 min readShinjuku Gyoen Guide: Gardens, Cherry Blossoms and Japanese to Use
Shinjuku Gyoen is a former imperial garden a short walk from the busiest station in the world, with a Japanese garden, a French formal garden, English lawns and a large greenhouse. It charges a small entry fee, keeps clear rules, and is a calm place to practise gates, tickets and polite questions in Japanese.
13 min readHarajuku and Omotesandō Guide: Takeshita Street, Style and Japanese to Use
Harajuku and Omotesandō sit side by side between Shinjuku and Shibuya: one a narrow street of kawaii fashion and crepes, the other a broad avenue of flagship stores and striking architecture. Both are free to wander, and both are perfect for the Japanese of shops: trying things on, asking for sizes and paying.
12 min readImperial Palace East Gardens Guide: Edo Castle, Nijūbashi and Japanese to Use
The Imperial Palace East Gardens are the inner rings of old Edo Castle, now a free garden of giant stone walls, guardhouses and lawns in the middle of Tokyo. Add the palace plaza and the Nijūbashi bridge outside, and you have a morning of history, security checks and polite Japanese questions.
14 min readOdaiba Guide: Rainbow Bridge, Fountain Show and Japanese to Use
Odaiba is Tokyo's waterfront island: a ride over Rainbow Bridge on a driverless train, a sandy seaside park, malls, museums and, since March 2026, one of the world's largest fountain shows. It is also a good place to practise train and ticket Japanese, because getting there is half the fun.
12 min readYanaka Guide: Old Tokyo, Yanaka Ginza, Cemetery and Japanese to Use
Yanaka is the Tokyo of wooden houses, temple walls, cats and small family shops, a short walk from Nippori Station. It is free to wander, best on foot, and ideal for the Japanese of a neighbourhood shopping street: ordering a croquette, asking the way and chatting with shopkeepers.
13 min readShimokitazawa Guide: Vintage Shops, Small Theatres and Japanese to Use
Shimokitazawa, Shimokita for short, is Tokyo's laid-back district of vintage clothes, record shops, small theatres and live music, seven minutes from Shinjuku. It is free to wander and full of independent shops where a little Japanese goes a long way.
11 min readKichijōji and Inokashira Park Guide: Swan Boats, Alleys and Japanese to Use
Kichijōji is the west Tokyo neighbourhood locals dream of living in: a lively shopping district on one side of the station and Inokashira Park, with its pond, swan boats and woods, five minutes away on the other. It is an easy, relaxed day out and a great place to practise everyday Japanese.
12 min readGhibli Museum Guide: Tickets, Getting to Mitaka and Japanese to Use
The Ghibli Museum in Mitaka is Studio Ghibli's own museum, a hand-built house of wonders on the edge of Inokashira Park. Every ticket is for a set date and entry time and must be bought in advance, so planning is everything; a few Japanese phrases make the day smoother.
12 min readPractical guides
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