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!

N1, the highest level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), is difficult even for Japanese people. It is sometimes said that “even Japanese people find it difficult to pass the N1 test,” and that “there are words and grammar that we don't usually use,” but this is not true at all. However, this is not the case at all. You can pass the test if you study the important points. In this article, we will explain the format and sample questions of the JLPT N1.

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!

This article explains the automatic verbs that Japanese people often use in their daily lives. Depending on the learner's native language, the distinction between automatic and transitive verbs may not be very clear, which can be difficult, but we encourage you to study with this article as a reference.