If you or someone else you know admires Hello Kitty, then it might not be a bad idea to give them something involving this character, like this original present which boils your eggs in the shape of Hello Kitty. Of course, it would be nice to know if this person likes eggs, otherwise the gift [...]

It is not a secret that the Japanese are known worldwide for their kindness and politeness, but once they have been given the ‘go ahead’ to leave all formalities behind, it is quite astonishing to see how quickly aggressive they become, sometimes even more so in comparison with other nationalities that are supposedly more violent. [...]

The main Nintendo character (or one of them) is known by probably everyone all over the world. Now that we are learning Japanese by translating the story of Issunboushi in our classes, I found a video that brings these two characters together. We will continue with Issunboushi’s story, but this time in anime starring Mario. [...]

What better way to learn Japanese than translating a little bit from the story of our hero Issunbousshi. Issunboushi had just left his house and was heading upriver in a bowl of rice to find some more adventures…   みやこい　ついた　いっすんぼうしは　はじめに　だいじんの　やしきに　いきました。  Miyako ni tsuita issunboushi wa hajime ni daijin no yashiki ni ikimashita.   As always, [...]

Although I have seen some examples of negative expression, I have not been given any explanation in terms of grammar. It’s not as easy as, for example, in the English language, where any expression can be turned into a negative one. But then again, it’s also not something extremely difficult. Keep in mind that what [...]

The people of a small village in Japan made sure they took the warning written on an old stone pillar seriously, which said “Remember the calamities caused by the great tsunamis, do not build your houses below this sign.” This might seem like something out of an RPG, in which they point out the gateway [...]