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July 01, 2026
 

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NIHONGO

Watermelon is a favorite choice for beating the heat during a Japanese summer.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 26, 2026
Summer in Japan: The language and flavors of staying cool
From watermelon and shaved ice to riverside barbecues, discover how Japan stays cool while temperatures soar.
Visitors at a park in Budapest watch a traditional Japanese fencing demonstration by a classical samurai sword school during Japanese Cultural Program Day in July 2021.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 22, 2026
Is Cool Japan really the secret to soft-power success?
The part of Europe where Japanese culture is growing fastest is also where Japan has invested least.
A fortune teller in Tokyo's Yanaka district reads a client's palms.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 18, 2026
Predicting the future, one Japanese grammar point at a time
From fortune tellers to weather forecasts and prediction markets, learn how Japanese expresses uncertainty.
Before heading out to a public World Cup viewing, make sure you know the right words to support your team.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 11, 2026
The fighting words fueling support for Japan’s World Cup team
Learn how Japanese expresses support, perseverance and encouragement through World Cup vocabulary and everyday phrases.
Young Japanese soccer fans get ready to cheer on their team at a training center in Monterrey, Mexico, ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
LIFE / Language / Vocabulary Boost
Jun 11, 2026
Japanese sports terms you may hear on TV
Like in other countries, Japanese announcers are filled with colorful terms to describe what you’re seeing on air.
The number of public school students requiring special Japanese-language instruction reached a record high of 84,759 in fiscal 2025.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2026
Japan to launch language support project for foreign children
The number of public school students requiring special Japanese-language instruction reached a record high of 84,759 in fiscal 2025.
How Japanese-language instruction is provided currently varies widely according to region.
JAPAN / Society
May 26, 2026
Record number of students in Japan need help learning Japanese
As of May 2025, a total of 84,759 students at public elementary, junior high, high and special needs schools required support, a government survey shows.
A Vietnamese migrant worker who lost her job amid the COVID-19 outbreak studies Japanese language at a Buddhist temple in Tokyo in July 2020.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 22, 2026
Beyond the native speaker myth: Who ‘owns’ the Japanese language?
As Japan considers adding language requirements to permanent residency and other visa categories, it must also reconsider what “proficiency” means.
A mock poster uses the verb “hataraku” in its “tai” form to tell potential applicants “we want to work with you.”
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 22, 2026
In Japanese, saying what you want can be complicated
From softening requests to reading others’ intentions, expressions of desire in Japanese are rarely straightforward.
Even a slight brush with the law can be enough to cause reputational damage for public figures.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 15, 2026
How Japanese grammar captures the gap between legal outcomes and public judgment
Using “monono” and “ni mo kakawarazu” to explore contradictions between expectations and outcomes in Japanese.
Masako Suzuki (right) and Sosuke Seki, members of the plaintiff's legal team, speak to reporters Tuesday at the Tokyo District Court's press club.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 12, 2026
Tokyo court rejects refugee’s bid for naturalization over limited Japanese skills
The case highlighted the unclear criteria foreign residents face when wanting to become a naturalized citizen in Japan, with the plaintiff’s lawyers calling it a “black box.”
Sun hats, hoodies with built-in UV protection and parasols are on the must-have lists of Japanese moms this summer.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 8, 2026
When it comes to their kids, Japanese mothers look beyond pink and blue
A look at how evolving vocabulary around fashion signals changing attitudes toward gender and function.
The government is considering creating a Japanese language program for foreign people that would be a factor in residency screenings.
JAPAN
Apr 29, 2026
Japan considers making language programs a factor in residency screenings
This comes in response to calls from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party for measures to address problems between Japanese and foreign residents.
Under the new blue ticket system, cyclists will have one week in which to pay fines for minor traffic violations.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 24, 2026
The language around Japan’s new bike rules leaves no room for ‘maybe’
Blue tickets are now being issued for minor traffic offenses, but you have to watch you don’t get scammed.
Riku Miura (left) and Ryuichi Kihara celebrate in Milan after winning gold in the pair skating event.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 19, 2026
No one else will do: What a pair of figure skaters can teach us about familiarity in Japanese
An Olympic duo illustrates how honorifics and in-group dynamics can signal closeness across different contexts.
People admire the Kajimoto Family wisteria trellis during the Shindachijuku Wisteria Festival in Sennan, Osaka.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 16, 2026
After Japan’s cherry blossoms fade, spring keeps blooming
The fleeting beauty of cherry blossoms gives way to a rolling season of color, vocabulary and new ways to describe change.
The Nikkei 225 Stock Average is displayed outside a securities firm in Tokyo on March 2.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 28, 2026
It’s not too late — at least not when it comes to investing in Japanese stocks
Volatility meets vocabulary as common expressions shape how people think about money and timing.
In Japan, whistleblowing can clash with cultural expectations of loyalty to one’s company or group.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 11, 2026
Loyalty and the language of whistleblowing in Japan
How Japanese grammar and vocabulary reveal the cultural tensions surrounding hierarchy and whistleblowing.
Tokyo’s Jimbocho neighborhood has all kinds of bookshops and cafes, but it is mainly known for its abundance of stores selling secondhand books.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 2, 2026
Inside a Japanese bookshop: Words you need to browse in Jimbocho
Decode shelving systems, publisher groupings and reader slang before making the most of Tokyo’s famed literary district.
From 2026, applicants in Japan without residence cards will generally be barred from taking the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) in the country.
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2026
Tourists no longer allowed to take JLPT in Japan from 2026
The change was driven by problems linked to overseas applicants using Japanese addresses without permission or submitting invalid phone numbers.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar, breaking ¥162 level
Japan's currency broke ¥162 to the dollar on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Japan falls in gut-wrenching fashion as Brazil strikes late to win World Cup clash
Brazil's Gabriel Martinelli (right) shoots past Japan defenders Shogo Taniguchi (left) and Takehiro Tomiyasu to score in the second half of a match in the round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Houston on Monday.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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