TCJ Blog

This article is intended for those residing in Japan, planning to visit, or interested in the Japanese language and culture. Japan’s national holidays are deeply rooted in its history and traditions. We will examine the holidays observed in Japan in 2026, exploring the significance of each occasion, the cultural aspects associated with them, and ways to appreciate these special days. Familiarity with Japan’s holidays will not only enrich your experience during your stay but may also serve as a meaningful starting point for your journey into understanding Japanese culture and language.

In this article, we’ll introduce how Japanese is generally spoken in everyday life, using examples from anime. I believe you can enjoy anime even more after learning some important points about Japanese!

Counting animals in Japanese has some special rules. We’ll introduce some of the most common counters used for animals—“hiki”, “tou”, “wa”, and “bi”—in an easy-to-understand way. Imagine the illustrations as you learn, and have fun exploring these counters. After reading, you’ll probably want to try counting the animals around you yourself!

If you’ve ever studied Japanese even a little, you’ve probably come across the words “お父さん otōsan” and “お母さん okāsan”, which are used to address parents. However, you might have wondered: “I just learned ‘父 chichi’ and ‘母 haha’ in my class, but in the movie I watched last week, they said ‘親父 oyaji’ and ‘おふくろ ofukuro’. Which one is correct?” Today, we’ll dive into the fascinating world of how people in Japan address their parents in various ways.

There are people who find loanwords “difficult” and others who find them “easy to understand.” Why is that? By understanding the characteristics of loanwords, I encourage you to learn them and give them a try.