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 76
Tokyo Disney Resort Guide: Tickets, the App, Queues and Japanese to Use
Tokyo Disney Resort, in Urayasu just across the bay from Tokyo, is home to Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, two of the most visited theme parks in the world. Planning ahead matters, and a little Japanese helps too: most signs, announcements and cast member small talk are in Japanese.
12 min readIkebukuro Guide: Sunshine City, Otome Road and Japanese to Use
Ikebukuro is north-west Tokyo's big, busy hub: one of the world's busiest stations, two giant department stores, Sunshine City with its aquarium and observatory, and anime shops to rival Akihabara. It is also the best place in Tokyo to practise one essential skill: finding the right exit.
12 min readKamakura Guide: Great Buddha, Hase-dera, Hachimangū and Japanese to Use
Kamakura, an hour south of Tokyo, was the samurai capital of Japan and still feels like a temple town by the sea. In one day you can stand beside the open-air Great Buddha, look over the bay from Hase-dera and climb the steps of Tsurugaoka Hachimangū, reading the signs and asking the way in Japanese as you go.
14 min readEnoshima Guide: Island Shrines, Caves, Sea Views and Japanese to Use
Enoshima is a small, steep island joined to the coast by a bridge, an hour from Tokyo and one Enoden ride from Kamakura. Shrines to the goddess Benzaiten, a lighthouse tower, sea caves and grilled seafood fill one easy day, and every stop gives you something new to read and ask in Japanese.
13 min readYokohama Minato Mirai Guide: Harbour Walks, Red Brick and Japanese to Use
Minato Mirai is Yokohama's modern waterfront, a skyline of towers, a Ferris wheel and old brick warehouses along the harbour, half an hour from Tokyo. It is an easy, flat walk full of signs you can read and short questions you can ask in Japanese.
13 min readYokohama Chinatown Guide: Gates, Temples, Street Food and Japanese to Use
Yokohama Chinatown, Yokohama Chūkagai, is the largest Chinatown in Japan: a grid of narrow streets packed with restaurants, steaming bun stalls and two brightly painted temples, half an hour from Tokyo. It is also one of the best places in the country to practise ordering food in Japanese.
12 min readNikkō Tōshōgū Guide: Carved Gates, Kegon Falls and Japanese to Use
Nikkō, two hours north of Tokyo, is where the first Tokugawa shogun is enshrined in Tōshōgū, the most lavishly decorated shrine in Japan. Carved monkeys, a sleeping cat, a vermilion bridge and a mountain waterfall make it an unforgettable day, and a busy one for reading signs and asking about buses in Japanese.
13 min readHakone Guide: Onsen, Ōwakudani, Lake Ashi and Japanese to Use
Hakone, in the mountains south-west of Tokyo, is where Tokyo goes for hot springs, volcanic steam and views of Mount Fuji across Lake Ashi. A classic loop of mountain train, cable car, ropeway and boat links the sights, and every change of vehicle is a chance to ask a question in Japanese.
12 min readKawagoe Guide: Little Edo's Warehouses, Sweets and Japanese to Use
Kawagoe, half an hour from Ikebukuro, keeps a street of black clay-walled merchant houses that earned it the nickname Koedo, Little Edo. Old sweet shops, a wooden bell tower and a temple with pieces of Edo Castle make it an easy day trip, and a friendly place to shop, sample and chat in Japanese.
12 min readMount Takao Guide: Trails, Tengu, Yakuō-in and Japanese to Use
Mount Takao, Takaosan, is Tokyo's own mountain: 599 metres of forest, a mountain temple guarded by winged tengu, and on clear days Mount Fuji from the summit, less than an hour from Shinjuku. It is an easy hike and a perfect place to ask about trails, cable cars and times in Japanese.
12 min readHitachi Seaside Park Guide: Nemophila, Kochia and Japanese to Use
Hitachi Seaside Park, on the Pacific coast of Ibaraki, is famous for one hill: Miharashi no Oka, blue with millions of nemophila in spring and covered in round kochia bushes that turn red in autumn. It makes a long but rewarding day trip from Tokyo, full of bus stops, ticket windows and flower words to practise in Japanese.
13 min readKusatsu Onsen Guide: Yubatake, Yumomi, Public Baths and Japanese to Use
Kusatsu Onsen, high in the mountains of Gunma, is one of Japan's most celebrated hot spring towns, built around the Yubatake, a steaming field of hot water in the middle of the streets. It is the place to learn onsen Japanese, from the ticket window of a public bath to the paddles of a yumomi show.
13 min readPractical guides
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