Japanese Language Learning

Furoshiki are square cloths for storing, wrapping, and carrying items. They are also used to cover things that are important to protect from dust.

Gagaku is a traditional Japanese art form which combines singing and dancing elements from classical Japanese styles such as kagura (shinto music and dancing) with elements from the ancient Asian continent such as from China.

Origami is a traditional form of Japanese entertainment in which you make various shapes such as cranes, boats, and helmets by folding colored paper.

In contrast to the type of paper that originated in the West, there is also a type of paper made through a traditional Japanese manufacturing method called washi(Japanese paper).

Lacquerware that uses Japanese lacquer is known as shitsugei (lacquer art).

An ingredient that is always used in making dishes like clear soup, broths for soba and udon, and in cooking vegetables and fish is dashi.

Gion, located in Kyoto's Higashiyama, serves as Kyoto's bustling downtown area.

Yakushima is an island that floats in the sea off the southernmost tip of the mainland of Kyushu, ar

Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture is one of the big cities that represents the Hokuriku region.

It is said that the Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri began in the Edo period as a festival for praying for a good harvest.

A traditional way to celebrate children's growth and pray for their good health is shichi-go-san, which typically occurs on November 15th.

The Yoshida Fire Festival, held in Yamanashi Prefecture's Fujiyoshida City on August 26th and 27th every year, is an autumn festival that marks the end of the Mt. Fuji climbing season.

The Nebuta Matsuri in Aomori Prefecture is one of the summer festivals that represents Japan's Tohoku region.

One of the classic activities for autumn in Japan is otsukimi (moon viewing).

Joya no kane are temple bells rung late at night on December 31st, the last night of the year.

November 23rd is a public holiday in Japan called "Labor Thanksgiving Day".

Compared to cherry blossom viewing in spring, observing autumn leaves is referred to as momijigari "hunting for autumn leaves".

The festival that brightens up autumn in Takayama City in Gifu Prefecture is the Takayama Festival, which happens every 9th and 10th of October.

Tori-no-Ichi (day of the rooster), held at Otori shrines across Japan every November, is a festival where people wish for good fortune and thriving business for the coming year.

The costume play (cosplay) boom in Japan began in the latter half of the 1990s.