A look at the Tokyo museum just for bizarre Japanese-to-English mistranslations
Whether it be on shirts, official forms, or advertisements, Japan has plenty of examples of things getting lost in Japanese to English translation. While there’s…
Language
“D for Dandy?” Japanese man confused by sign on Dutch bathroom door
When you go to the restroom, you’ll usually see a sign indicating entrances for men and women. In Japan, the signs are often pictograms like…
Cat and futon blown in the wind adorably brings Japanese pun to life
There’s a famous pun in Japan that goes: 「布団がふっとんだ。」 “Futon ga futtonda” means “a blanket was blown away.” There are many such puns like this…
Which is more popular in Japan; British English or American English?
As a Brit living in Japan, I’ve found myself on a number of occasions needing to defend my version of English against those from other…
Learn the lost art of the Ainu language
Like other indigenous groups, the Ainu people of Hokkaido and the north-eastern Honshu island of Japan have experienced marginalization. After the Japanese government annexed their…
The Japanese Taught At School Vs. Japanese Used By Japanese People
It’s an understandable given that studies in foreign languages begin with basic and formal sentences to establish familiarity with language rules and structure (as one…
Japanese Fans Aren’t Too Happy About A Reporter Asking Naomi Osaka To Answer In Japanese
In Japan, Naomi Osaka is arguably almost as big a star off the court as she is on it, and that especially holds true after…
Japanese Songs to Learn for Any Karaoke Situation
Karaoke in Japan isn’t about singing well, it’s about having a good time and bonding. And drinking. Source: プラナ / PIXTA(ピクスタ) Even if your pipes…
The Most Ridiculous Song For Learning Japanese English
With the approach of the 2020 Olympic Games and an uptick in foreign tourism, Japan has started a campaign to make traveling in the country…
Pool Player Naoyuki Oi Gives The Greatest Interview Ever
Naoyuki Oi had a nice weekend at the World Pool Masters this weekend, but it’s his performance away from the pool table that seems to…
Japanese Student Translates Trump Tweets For English Practice, Learns The Best Words
As may have been the case in America, Japan was never fully prepared for the possibility of a Donald Trump presidency. Media coverage of Donald…
Engrish in Japan : The Name of Shops and Brands
If you have visited Japan, you must have seen some weird and funny “Engrish” words somewhere at least once! Most of them seem to be…
Japanese Twitter Account Provides The Most Bizarre And Hilarious Material For Language Learning
English learning, particularly in Japan, can be rather monotonous. The same could be said of Japanese, with textbook sample sentences really not doing much to…
Japanese YouTuber Relies On Siri To Practice His English Pronunciation
It’s not a secret that English words are often hard for Japanese people to pronounce. People rely on schools, educational CDs, TV dramas and movies,…
Japanese Twitter User Finally Finds Use For “Most Useless English Sentence”
If you speak at length with anyone familiar with English language education in Japan, whether they are a student or a teacher, you will eventually…