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July 02, 2026
 

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NIHONGO

A mother and daughter take part in a buffet of sweets and desserts — a perfect way for many to spend Valentine’s Day this year.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 13, 2026
In Japan, Valentine’s Day has become a personal luxury
Valentine’s Day in Japan is shifting from obligation to indulgence, as people embrace life’s small luxuries for themselves.
Leonardo Doin, head of engineering and research for DeepL Voice, in Berlin on Jan. 23
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 4, 2026
DeepL to release AI-powered interpretation software in Japan this year
The software will integrate speech recognition and machine translation technologies as well as speech synthesis that mimics the tone of speakers’ voices, a company official said.
Students originally from overseas attend entrance exam preparation classes for high school advancement at YSC Global School in the city of Fussa, Tokyo, on Jan. 22.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 3, 2026
Calls grow to improve Japanese language education
According to the education ministry, the number of students requiring Japanese language education reached a record high of 69,123 in fiscal 2023.
Japanese trains are usually full of advertisements that all fight for your attention.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 2, 2026
How Japanese advertising breaks grammar to get your attention
Japanese advertising may look chaotic, but the strange grammar, puns and omissions are carefully engineered to grab your attention.
The English “I” has gendered equivalents in Japanese that give the listener hints as to how the speaker identifies.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 23, 2026
Just between you and me: Gender and Japanese pronouns
Japanese pronouns reveal gender in unexpected ways, complicating how speakers express identity compared with current English.
True improvement comes from a long-term strategy to change unhealthy habits. Don’t worry if you slip from time to time, just keep up your initial efforts.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 15, 2026
Just because you broke your resolution doesn’t mean you failed
Breaking a New Year’s resolution doesn’t equal failure. Japanese grammar offers a gentler way to rethink goals and progress.
While the 23 Japanese words that the Oxford English Dictionary added to the English lexicon in 2024 were predominantly gastronomic in nature, the latest list of 11 terms is somewhat unexpected.
LIFE / Language
Jan 9, 2026
From ‘senpai’ to ‘love hotel’: 11 new Japanese words enter the Oxford dictionary
Japanese culture keeps reshaping the English language — sometimes in unexpected ways.
Whether it’s working out or cheering on your favorite team, fitness and sports look like they’ll play a large part in public life in 2026.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 2, 2026
What — and who — helps us stick to our New Year’s goals
How emphasis, intention and social support shape the words we use when we promise ourselves we’ll stick to our resolutions.
While making it to 100 is cause for a celebration, there are a few other ages that get you an extra piece of cake in Japan.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 28, 2025
Japan’s milestone birthdays: Why 60, 77, 80, 88 and 99 matter so much
A look at Japan’s milestone birthdays, the traditions behind them and how the grammar pattern “ni totte” expresses their personal meaning.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party says that an envisaged new requirement of Japanese proficiency for obtaining permanent residency was prompted by many reports of issues involving foreign residents in local communities and administrative procedures resulting from their lack of Japanese language skills.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 20, 2025
Japanese proficiency eyed as permanent residency requirement
To obtain the status, foreign nationals will also be mandated to take a program aimed at helping them smoothly integrate into local communities.
There are more tools in the Japanese songwriter's toolbox than rhymes alone.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 19, 2025
Why Japanese musicians don’t need rhymes to sing
Japanese pop rarely relies on rhyme. Instead, its lyrics draw power from mora-based rhythm, repetition, sound symbolism and traditional poetic devices.
Crowded with links, icons and graphics, Japan’s major web portals deliver information at full volume, echoing an online culture that favors abundance over empty space.
LIFE / Style & Design / Longform
Dec 15, 2025
Why Japan’s internet looks weird — unless you live here
A closer look at Japan’s maximalist web design shows how cultural values and practical needs create an online world richer than it appears.
A sign in the woods uses the kanji for "bear" to warn hikers of their presence in the area.
LIFE / Language / 2025 IN REVIEW
Dec 14, 2025
The ‘bear’ defined kanji in 2025. The internet defined almost everything else.
Japan’s kanji and buzzwords of 2025 reveal a split: old-media traditions colliding with the chaotic, meme-driven language of new media.
Seihan Mori, chief priest of Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, writes the kanji "kuma," which was chosen by the public as the character that best represents 2025, at the temple on Friday.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 12, 2025
‘Kuma’ selected as kanji of the year after surge in bear sightings and attacks
The character for bear, or “kuma,” has been selected as kanji of the year for 2025, after a surge in bear sightings and attacks.
People in Japan are increasingly opting for digital New Year greetings as postage prices rise.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 5, 2025
Are new year postcards becoming a thing of the past in Japan?
Japan’s new year postcard tradition is fading as more people opt for digital holiday greetings.
Visitors head to Shirakawago, a popular tourist spot, in Gifu Prefecture in November.
JAPAN / Explainer
Dec 4, 2025
The key points under discussion on policies affecting foreign nationals
Policymakers are looking at tighter restrictions on real estate purchases, higher visa-related fees and better Japanese language education, among other things.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends a ceremony Monday in Tokyo after her comment referring to her determination to work hard as president of the Liberal Democratic Party was awarded buzzword of the year for 2025.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 1, 2025
Takaichi’s work ethic sound bite wins Japan’s buzzword of the year
“Work, work, work, work and work” was named 2025’s buzzword of the year.
Sit or stand? A gender-specific question is being discussed in the bathrooms of the nation.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 26, 2025
As bathroom behavior changes, these Japanese expressions can help explain why
A subtle shift seems to be happening in the bathrooms of the nation. Learn how to describe it using structures that indicate tendencies.
While older generations in Japan view dad jokes with disdain, Gen Z has embraced a new style of intentionally lame wordplay as a way to spice up text-based communication.
LIFE / Language
Nov 19, 2025
Old-man puns are getting a Gen Z glow-up as ‘neo-dajare’
Japan’s youngest generation raised on texting is embracing wordplay — and pushing old dad jokes further than ever before.
The reference text A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar recently underwent a revision for the first time in nearly four decades.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 19, 2025
A dictionary revision illustrates how Japanese keeps on evolving
The newly revised Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar updates example sentences and grammar notes to reflect language shifts since 1989.
Japan triples departure tax in push to combat overtourism
Tourists in Yanaka Ginza, Tokyo, on Wednesday. Japan tripled its International Tourist Tax (departure tax) to ¥3,000 from ¥1,000 on Wednesday for all travelers leaving Japan, regardless of nationality.
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men’s restrooms
A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men's restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
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.
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
‘My dream is broken’: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
Six of the best: rikishi of note in each sumo division
Kazuma (right) faces off against future <i>yokozuna</i> Onosato during the All Japan Amateur Sumo Championships at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in December 2020.
Some startups see opportunity in an aging Japan
Yasmin Baba, CTO of Amilis, wins the Grand Prize at the Pitch2Tokyo Grand Final on Feb. 19.
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."
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
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.

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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