Speaking and pronunciation
Practical guides on speaking, grammar, pronunciation, listening, and study planning, written for learners who want to use Japanese in real life.
Speaking and pronunciation · Page 43
Drinking Party Etiquette for Work in Japan
The rules of a work drinking party are fewer than the internet suggests, but the ones that exist are noticed every single time.
6 min readPunctuality in Japan and How to Talk About Time
On time means five minutes early, and being late by three minutes still requires a message.
6 min readPublic Behaviour in Japan: Queues, Trains, Noise
Most of what feels like strict etiquette in Japanese public space is one idea: do not make your presence someone else's problem.
5 min readSeasonal Gifts in Japan: Ochugen and Oseibo
Twice a year, department store basements fill with boxes that are less about the contents than about the relationship they acknowledge.
6 min readJapanese Holidays and When Everything Closes
Three periods a year, the whole country moves at once, and if you have not planned around them you will find out the hard way.
6 min readJapanese for Working in a Convenience Store
A konbini shift is the same twelve sentences repeated four hundred times, which makes it the most learnable job in Japan.
6 min readJapanese for Waiting Tables in Japan
Front-of-house Japanese is almost entirely fixed phrases, and the hard part is hearing the order back over a noisy room.
6 min readJapanese for Warehouse and Logistics Work
Warehouse Japanese is mostly numbers, and getting a number wrong is the one mistake that costs real money.
5 min readJapanese for Call Centre and Phone Support Work
A call centre is the hardest listening environment in Japanese and the most completely scripted job, which is a strange and useful combination.
6 min readJapanese for Sales and Business Development
The hardest part of selling in Japanese is not the pitch; it is recognising that you have already been turned down.
7 min readJapanese for Driving a Taxi in Japan
A taxi shift is a hundred short conversations, and almost all of the difficulty is in the address.
6 min readJapanese for Food Processing and Factory Kitchens
In a food plant the Japanese that matters most is the vocabulary of hygiene, because that is the part with rules rather than preferences.
6 min readPractical guides
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