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Practical guides on speaking, grammar, pronunciation, listening, and study planning, written for learners who want to use Japanese in real life.
All articles · Page 77
Climbing Mount Fuji Guide: 2026 Rules, Trails, Huts and Japanese to Use
Climbing Mount Fuji, 3,776 metres and Japan's highest peak, is a one-night summer adventure that thousands of people complete every season. The rules have changed in the last few years, with trail fees, bookings and night-time gate closures, so this guide explains them, then gives you the Japanese for the trail, the huts and the summit.
15 min readLake Kawaguchiko Guide: Fuji Five Lakes, Views and Japanese to Use
Lake Kawaguchiko is the easiest of the Fuji Five Lakes to reach from Tokyo and the classic place to see Mount Fuji across the water. Loop buses, a ropeway, lakeside parks and onsen hotels make it an easy base, and a good place to use your first bus and ticket Japanese.
12 min readChūreitō Pagoda Guide: Fuji Views, 398 Steps and Japanese to Use
The five-storey Chūreitō Pagoda with Mount Fuji behind it is one of the most famous views in Japan. It sits on a wooded hillside above Fujiyoshida, it is free and open at all hours, and it is a place where a little Japanese and good manners matter as much as a good camera.
11 min readMatsumoto Castle Guide: The Black Keep, Tickets and Japanese to Use
Matsumoto Castle is one of only twelve castles in Japan whose keep has survived since the feudal era, and its black five-tier tower reflected in the moat is unforgettable. Inside you climb steep original wooden stairs in your socks, which makes it a perfect place to use a few polite questions in Japanese.
12 min readKamikōchi Guide: Kappa Bridge, Alpine Walks and Japanese to Use
Kamikōchi is a high valley in the Northern Japan Alps where a clear river runs beneath 3,000-metre peaks. Cars are banned, the paths are flat and well kept, and it is open only from spring to mid-November, so a little planning and a few bus and trail phrases go a long way.
12 min readJigokudani Snow Monkey Park Guide: Getting There, Rules and Japanese to Use
At Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park, wild Japanese macaques sit in a steaming hot spring pool while snow falls around them. It is a half-hour forest walk from the nearest road, a short trip from Nagano, and close to two old onsen towns where you can take a hot bath yourself.
12 min readTateyama Kurobe Alpine Route Guide: Snow Walls, Dam and Japanese to Use
The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route crosses the Northern Japan Alps between Toyama and Nagano by cable car, bus, ropeway and electric bus, climbing to 2,450 metres at Murodō. In spring you drive between snow walls taller than a house; in summer and autumn you get alpine lakes, a giant dam and wide mountain views.
11 min readKaruizawa Guide: Forest Walks, Cycling and Japanese to Use
Karuizawa is a cool, green resort town at about 1,000 metres, just over an hour from Tokyo by Shinkansen. Missionaries made it a summer retreat in the 1880s, and today it is a place of forest paths, wooden chapels, lakes and waterfalls, best explored by bicycle with a few rental-shop phrases.
11 min readNakasendō Guide: Walking Magome to Tsumago and Japanese to Use
The walk from Magome to Tsumago follows an old stretch of the Nakasendō, the inland highway between Edo and Kyoto, over a forested pass between two beautifully preserved post towns. It takes about three hours, you can send your bags ahead, and the tourist offices at both ends make it an easy place to use your Japanese.
11 min readTakayama Guide: Old Town, Morning Markets, Sake and Japanese to Use
Takayama, in the mountains of Gifu Prefecture, has one of the best-preserved old merchant quarters in Japan, two morning markets, sake breweries marked by cedar balls and the only surviving shogunate government office. It is compact, walkable and full of small shops, which makes it a perfect place for everyday Japanese.
11 min readShirakawa-gō Guide: Thatched Farmhouses, Viewpoint and Japanese to Use
Shirakawa-gō is a mountain village of steep thatched farmhouses in the Shō River valley, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site with its neighbour Gokayama. Most visitors arrive by bus from Takayama or Kanazawa, walk the lanes of Ogimachi and climb to the viewpoint, and a few short phrases make the visit, and especially a night in a farmhouse inn, far richer.
14 min readKenroku-en Guide: Kanazawa's Great Garden, Lanterns and Japanese to Use
Kenroku-en in Kanazawa is one of Japan's three great gardens, a strolling garden of ponds, streams and ancient pines created by the Maeda lords of Kaga. It charges a small entry fee, opens free in the early morning, and is an easy, gentle place to practise ordering tea and asking the way in Japanese.
13 min readPractical guides
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