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 85
Mount Aso Guide: Caldera, Crater Status, Kusasenri and Japanese to Use
Mount Aso is an active volcano inside one of the largest calderas on Earth, with grasslands, grazing horses and towns living on the caldera floor. In autumn 2026 the Nakadake crater itself is closed under a volcanic alert, but Kusasenri, Daikanbō and the caldera are open, and knowing a few Japanese words for volcano warnings is genuinely useful here.
11 min readBeppu Hells Guide: Jigoku Meguri, Steam Cooking and Japanese to Use
The hells of Beppu are seven boiling hot springs for looking at rather than bathing in: a cobalt-blue pond, a blood-red one, bubbling mud and a geyser. Touring them, the jigoku meguri, is Beppu's classic outing, and buying the combined ticket and ordering steamed food are easy first conversations in Japanese.
10 min readYufuin Guide: Onsen Town, Lake Kinrin and Japanese to Use
Yufuin is a small hot spring town in a green basin below the twin peaks of Mount Yufu. It is known for quiet ryokan, a misty lake and a lively shopping street, and asking for a day bath or a private family bath is the perfect conversation to try in Japanese.
10 min readTakachiho Gorge Guide: Manai Falls, Boats and Japanese to Use
Takachiho Gorge is a narrow canyon of basalt columns in the mountains of northern Miyazaki, where Manai Falls drops into an emerald river. Rowing a boat under the falls is the highlight, and asking whether boats are still available is a real test of your Japanese on a busy day.
10 min readSakurajima Guide: Ferry, Volcano Views and Japanese to Use
Sakurajima is the smoking volcano across the bay from Kagoshima, a fifteen-minute ferry ride from the city centre. You can stand on a lava field, soak your feet in volcanic hot water and watch the crater puff ash, and every step comes with short, useful Japanese.
13 min readIbusuki Sand Baths Guide: Sunamushi, Saraku and Japanese to Use
In Ibusuki, at the southern tip of the Satsuma Peninsula, you put on a yukata, lie down on the beach and let staff shovel naturally heated sand over you. It is one of the most unusual baths in Japan, and it runs on a handful of polite phrases.
12 min readYakushima Guide: Jōmon Sugi, Moss Forests and Japanese to Use
Yakushima is a round, mountainous island south of Kagoshima, covered in ancient cedar forest and famous for rain. Its trails lead to trees thousands of years old, and every trek begins with the same few Japanese questions about time, weather and gear.
13 min readKurokawa Onsen Guide: Bath Hopping Pass, Ryokan and Japanese to Use
Kurokawa Onsen is a small hot spring village in the mountains of Aso, where about thirty ryokan share their open-air baths through one wooden pass. You walk from bath to bath along a river, and at every front desk you use the same short, polite Japanese.
13 min readShuri Castle Guide: The Rebuilt Seiden, Gates and Japanese to Use
Shuri Castle was the royal palace of the Ryukyu Kingdom, and its main hall, the Seiden, burned in 2019. The rebuilt hall opens to the public on 23 November 2026, with timed tickets for the interior, and a visit is a lesson in both standard Japanese and a few words of Okinawan.
13 min readKokusai-dōri Guide: Naha's Main Street, Market and Japanese to Use
Kokusai-dōri is Naha's main street, a mile of souvenir shops, restaurants and bars, with covered market arcades leading off it. It is where most visitors to Okinawa shop and eat, and a lively place to practise ordering, asking prices and your first Okinawan greetings.
12 min readOkinawa Churaumi Aquarium Guide: Whale Sharks, Tips and Japanese to Use
Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, on the Motobu Peninsula, is famous for the whale sharks and manta rays in its vast Kuroshio Sea tank. Its name is a small Okinawan lesson in itself, and a day there gives you plenty of chances to use simple, useful Japanese.
12 min readMiyako Island Guide: Beaches, Bridges and Japanese to Use
Miyako Island is a flat, coral-limestone island about 300 kilometres south-west of Okinawa's main island, known for white beaches, clear water and long bridges to its neighbours. It also has its own language, and a road trip here comes with plenty of easy Japanese.
12 min readPractical guides
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