The first time I went to Japan as an exchange student, I got a little too excited with the books. Books, and not just textbooks, are amazing language learning tools, and Book Off and the Amazon.co.jp marketplace were my weaknesses. It’s safe to say that my luggage was overweight from buying everything from Japanese classics…
Seeing Kanji as Color: Japanese in the Mind of a Synesthete
My mind is perhaps more colorful than yours–and I mean that in an objective sense. I have synesthesia, a condition in which one sense is stimulated automatically with another. These can come in all sorts of interesting jumbles: for me, I see color in the back of my mind with words and music, but I…
Visiting Prospective Apartments: What to Look out for in Japan
In my previous article, I shared 20 tips for research and communication as you go about the search for a new apartment. Hopefully, you will find a few apartments to your liking and want to go see them in person. This time, I want to share my top 20 pointers for what to check when…
Apartment Hunting in Japan: 20 Lesser-Known Tips to Find Your Right Match
Apartment hunting can be an exciting and/or daunting task, no matter your country. While there are many factors to finding the perfect place in Japan that overlap with apartment hunting abroad, there are likely many differences to be aware of as well. However, searching for general apartment hunting tips in English can sometimes even be…
Culture Shock: Dealing with Your Own Foreignness
“One day in Spain, I stepped into a puddle and just burst into tears. There was no reason for a puddle to have such an intense effect on me, but I now recognize that as being at my low point in culture shock during study abroad.” 19-year-old me smugly listened to this story by my…
3 Hacks to Better Keigo
Keigo—perhaps nothing strikes more fear in learners of Japanese than this intricate system of formality. It requires a mind shift to adjust to, but once you have the ropes, with enough practice, you too can become a keigo master. If you need a refresher, keigo is an honorific speech in Japanese. It can be divided…
The 3 Best Japanese Podcasts to Advance Your Translation Skills
Quick! How do you say…? Translation can make your head spin, especially when pairing two languages like English and Japanese that are from completely separate linguistic families. However, just because it takes effort doesn’t mean the art of translation can’t be fun! Podcasts are a fantastic resource for language learning, accessible to anyone with a…