Today’s kanji is 祭り matsuri – Festival.

Autumn is the time for local festivals or matsuri around Japan. If you are lucky, you can accidentally wonder into a shrine or temple and experience the festivities first hand. While wondering through Akasaka in Tokyo, I walked up the steep hill to Hikawa Shrine and found the locals winding down their festival after the 3rd day of celebrations.

In these pictures you can see local participants finish carrying the 御神輿 omikoshi, a portable shrine and saying prayers of purification as they put it away for next year.

Hikawa Shrine holds a matsuri around the second weekend in September with festivities starting on the Friday and running through to Sunday.

人力車 jinrikisha – Rickshaw

Rickshaw comes from the original Japanese 人力車 jinrikisha.

人 jin (also pronounced hito) means person. 力 riki (or chikara) means power and 車 sha means cart or car.

The kanji on the back of that guys’ top is 嵐 arashi which literally means storm and refers to 嵐山 arashiyama in Kyoto where this photo was taken.

呉爾羅 ゴジラ Gojira

OK, I know, I know, this isn’t the first kanji you should be learning to survive in Japan. But hey, now you can impress someone at a party with your amazing random kanji knowledge.

呉爾羅 “gojira” is written with “ateji” which are kanji chosen for their phonetic sound rather than meaning. There are a few theories out there as to how our green gigantic green friend got his name. Some say “Godzilla” or “gojira” as it is pronounced in Japanese, is a cross between “gorira” (gorilla) and 鯨 kujira (whale).

You can see this temporary statue of gojira in the garden behind Midtown in Roppongi Tokyo.

On my travels throughout Japan, I have found Japanese people to be extremely welcoming and helpful to visitors to their country. They are highly appreciative of people who show interest in their culture and language.

Unfortunately, even with the best of intentions, the traveler to Japan can unwittingly, raise a few disapproving eyebrows by committing a social faux pas. The problem is, because the Japanese tend to be modest and polite, they might not tell you directly that you have caused offense.

So here’s a top 10 list of etiquette mistakes to avoid when coming to Japan.

1) Eating on commuter trains

There are a set of posters on the Tokyo Metro that display in graphic comic detail how you shouldn’t conduct yourself on the train. A lot of these are common sense but perhaps one thing visitors to Japan might not be aware of is eating on commuter trains. Don’t do it. It’s considered a little shabby and not very good manners. This is especially true in a crowded carriage at rush hour.

Also, eating while walking on the street isn’t generally done. Drinking from a can or bottle on the street is usually OK but you don’t see it so much on trains. One exception to this rule is eating and drinking on the Shinkansen. Bentos and snacks are provided which are of course OK to eat.

2) Speaking in a loud voice on a mobile phone on trains and buses

This is of course rude in most countries. However, the Japanese are generally very good about not speaking in a loud irritating voice on mobile phones on trains and buses. From an early age, Japanese people are taught not to disturb or annoy people around them.

迷惑 meiwaku – or causing a nuisance is a social faux pas you don’t want to commit. You will sometimes see the odd salaryman taking an important call but will usually adopt the “hand-cupped-over-the-phone-I-know-I’m-bad” cowering posture. Commuters are often reminded to switch their phones to “manner mode” or vibrate. So, turn off your phone  you noisy gaijin, yeah, I’m talking to you!

3) Not being on time

There is a phrase in Japanese “申し訳ございません”　- “moushi wake gozaimasen” which literally means “I have no excuse”. This is perhaps the most commonly used phrase for being late in formal situations and a clue to how important punctuality is in Japan. This is usually true for private engagements and especially so for business appointments.

If you do turn up late, get ready for some profuse apologizing and a night in the dog house followed by some more grovelling and a large helping of shame. I exaggerate for purposes of comedy but it’s generally true that being late is entirely your fault and excuses are simply excuses. Oh and by the way, you’re fired.

I suppose with advent of smart phones and text messaging, younger people in Japan possibly feel a little more flexibility in turning up almost on time. However, for work and with older people punctuality is important. It’s generally good to turn up about about 10 minutes before an appointment.

4) Talking about yourself and showing off

You’re probably not going to win friends and influence people at a party when you say “well enough about me, what do you think about me?”. In Japan, modesty is a virtue, so cutting down on the me, me, me and the blah, blah, blah is a good idea. Japanese people tend to be a little more reserved when talking about their accomplishments. So try to resist going on and on about how incredibly amazing you think you are.

If you do show off, your Japanese friends will obligingly laugh, clap and compliment you on what a wonderful human being you are. They’ll then go home and immediately complain about what a boorish showoff you are… Also, try to listen more when someone else is speaking. Japanese people tend to interrupt each other much less than we crazy foreigners do.

5) Never apologizing

You can never apologize enough in Japan. Here are the two golden rules:

1) If it’s your fault, apologize.

Example: I’m so sorry I’m late. I’m a worthless, pathetic excuse for a human being. Please slap me in the face. (see point 3)

2) If it’s not your fault, apologize

Example: I’m so sorry for the terrible weather.

OK, I’m only slightly kidding here. However, a sincere apology with a large helping of modesty related to how awful you are goes a long way to repair relations when you mess up. It shows that you are grown up enough to accept responsibility for your transgressions. It’s the social glue that holds relationships together showing modesty and good will between people.

Now, there are times when you mess up big time. I’m talking about one of early afternoons when you wake up in strange hotel room somewhere in Tokyo, with a baby tiger and perhaps a body in the bath. Or perhaps you didn’t apologize enough or a similarly terrible crime. Then you need a letter of apology. That is the nuclear option and in some cases, literally speaking, your get out of jail free card.

Apologizing is an art, so learn it well young Jedi.

At this point, I would like to apologize for the poor quality of this pathetic excuse for an article on Japanese culture. I’m so sorry.

How to apologize in Japanese – Read more…

6) Open displays of affection or hugging ain’t the done thing

Again, modesty is the keyword here. Japanese people are generally quite reserved when it comes to public displays of affection.  This is especially true for older people who tend to be more modest and conservative. Even a friendly hug has the potential to make people feel uncomfortable.

This is changing a little for the younger generation who feel less constrained by the older social rules however.

Be aware of the social dynamic you find yourself in and when in doubt, do as the locals do. To be on the safe side, keep your hands to yourself…at least till you get to the love hotel.

7) Blowing your nose in public

This one depends on who you ask but it’s usually quite rare to see someone blowing their nose in public.
You may hear more sniffling rather than nose blowing in the winter which some westerners might find surprising.

Many Japanese prefer to take preventative measures which is why you see so many people wearing masks during winter and the hay fever season. Oh, and by the way, Japanese people think YOU are weird for not wearing a mask when you have a cold.

8) Not separating your garbage

If there’s one thing that really, really, really raises your neighbors’ blood pressure, it’s not separating your garbage properly. There’s nothing more they hate than seeing…gasp…the wrong type of garbage deposited in the wrong bin on the wrong day.

Depending on what ward or city you live in, there are very clear and detailed instructions on what types of garbage you can throw out and on what day. I myself have awoken to find the garbage I threw out previously, now on my doorstep, with an angry note asking me to separate it properly.

Do not incur the wrath of the garbage police. They will crush and destroy you like a small plastic bottle, which, incidentally, should only be thrown out on the 2nd Wednesday of the month, before 7:30am.

9) Passing food with your chopsticks

It’s really not polite to pass food with your chopsticks to someone else’s chopsticks. This action is reminiscent of a funeral where the cremated bones of the deceased are passed along using ceremonial chopsticks. Some other chopstick rules:

– When not eating, place your chopsticks on the chopstick rest in front of your bowl or plate.

– Don’t fiddle or play with them

– Never stick them vertically in a bowl of rice

10) Pouring your own drink in public.

This isn’t a deadly sin but when drinking with friends, it is considered good manners to pour other people’s beer and not your own. So at the beginning of a drinking session someone will usually offer to pour your beer. Hold the glass as they pour and then pour their beer. Someone will usually make sure that everyone is topped up during your meal or drinking session. Do that and you’ll impress your Japanese friends.

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This is not an exhaustive list and I’m sure there are many other ways I have offended our poor suffering Japanese compatriots. Of course, there are exceptions, especially with speaking in a loud voice and disturbing people. That’s how most people speak in Osaka. (Hey, people from Osaka, I love you all, I’m just kidding!)

In conclusion, I would say it’s somewhat of a myth that Japan has a set of esoteric, indecipherable social rules of conduct that barbaric foreigners could never work out. With a bit of common sense, decency and respect towards your fellow human being, you’ll be fine on your travels to Japan. Added to that, the Japanese are highly forgiving, friendly and hospitable people. At least, they’ll be kind enough to not directly tell you that you’re a rude, inconsiderate, barbaric slob.

Please leave comments below and I’d love to hear of your own experiences with Japanese etiquette, exceptions to the rules and social faux pas you may have committed yourselves.

 

 

In our new Japanese masters series, we will be interviewing musicians, artists, designers and others involved in traditional and modern arts in Japan.

For our very first interview I caught up with Lenzan Kudo, a master of the shakuhachi which is a type of traditional Japanese flute. I asked him about his music and life as a shakuhachi player.

When did you start playing the shakuhachi?

I started playing the shakuhachi when I was a kid. It all started when I accidentally  found one in the closet at home. I didn’t know anything about it but I knew it was some kind of instrument.  I wanted to play it in my own style but try as I may, I couldn’t get it to produce any sound.

I experimented in various ways trying and mostly failing to get any sound out of it. After about 6 months, although it didn’t sound very good, I finally made a breakthrough and was about to start playing notes. That sense of achievement got me hooked on the shakuhachi.

How would you describe your style of shakuhachi playing?

I think my style is essentially traditionally as I play a lot of classics. However, I also try to incorporate new ideas and ways of playing to make it a little more modern. In other words I’ve got one foot in the past and use that as a base to try new ideas and ways of playing.

What inspires you musically?

Although it’s a different style of shakuhachi to mine, I love the sound of Yamaguchi Goro’s playing. It’s a very gentle flowing kind of style that really moves me. I’m also influenced by musicians and composers such as Ravel, Reich, Sakamoto Ryuichi and also Ravi Shankar.

Do you teach shakuhachi? Do you have foreign students?

Absolutely! And beginners are very welcome. Don’t worry, although it took me 6 months to get a sound out of the Shakuhachi, if you’ll be playing in a very short time. Please feel free to contact me anytime about taking lessons.

Could you teach us one useful Japanese phrase for learning a traditional art with a Japanese teacher?

Sure, when you start a lesson with a teacher you should always say:

“Yoroshiku onegaishimasu“.

It’s just a polite way to ask the teacher to start the lesson.

When you finish the lesson say:

“Arigatou gozaimashita” which means thank you very much.

Sometimes when we practice sitting in the “seiza” position which is sitting on your ankles, you might say:

Ashi ga shibireta. Yasumasete kudasai – My legs are going numb. May I have a break please?!

When are you performing next?

I’m planning to perform in April 2014, here are the details:

Event name: SARUME

Location: Sonorium

Tokyo to, Suginami ku, Izumi 3-53-16, 168-0063

〒168—0063, 東京都杉並区和泉3−53−16

TEL03-6768-3000

Date: 17th May

Times: First performance, doors open at 2pm. Performance starts at 2:30pm

Second performance, doors open at 6pm, performance starts at 6:30pm

Tickets: On the door: 4000 yen, pre-booked: 3500 yen (For tickets email: [email protected] )

 

Call Lenzan’s office to get tickets at 050-3572-1085

 

For more information and to contact Lenzan, join his facebook page.

 

Japanese language learning materials have been migrating to the web in various forms including online courses, blogs, mobile app and videos to name a few. However, I still have some personal recommendations for great text books I have used to study Japanese in the past on my own and then at university as part of my degree. So, if you want to widen your repertoire of resources for learning Japanese and are tired of starring at a screen, these might be of use. Check out my personal list for the best text books for studying Japanese.

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1) A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar.

If you are looking for something that is head and shoulders above the competition in Japanese grammar books, I would go for A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar published by the Japan times. These are thick books crammed with example sentences and well written explanations. If you are a complete beginner to the language and are looking for something to aid your Japanese class or prep for the JLPT, then this dictionary will be good for you. My personal favorite is “A Dictionary of Intermediate Grammar” as I think has best coverage of the language and is good for low intermediate to advanced students. Unfortunately, the Intermediate version seems to be unavailable on the US Amazon site. Why Amazon, why? Get “A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar” here on the Japanese Amazon website.

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2) Essential Kanji

There are a lot of Kanji learning texts out there including Kodansha”s “Kanji Learner”s Dictionary” and “Kanji Pict-O-Graphix” to name just two. However I prefer Essential Kanji: 2,000 Basic Japanese Characters Systematically Arranged For Learning And Reference by P.G O’Neil mostly because of its simplicity and clear layout. It covers 2000 essential Kanji which roughly mirrors the Joyo Kanji, the standardized Kanji for basic literacy in Japanese. Each Kanji has examples written in both beautiful calligraphy and ballpoint pen including the stroke order.

The slight downside is some of the sentence examples can be a little esoteric and not used in daily life. I have got a few puzzled expressions from some Japanese people I have shown this to. However, most of the sentence patterns are OK, just try to check what is most commonly used and you’ll be fine.

Apart from that minor problem, I would recommend this as a nice, straight forward, compact dictionary for people learning Kanji.

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3) 501 Japanese Verbs

501 Japanese Verbs is a great reference guide for useful Japanese verbs and tables on how to conjugate them. Again, there are many good verb references out there in print form and on the internet, however I like it as it is easy to understand and use.

One thing you should be a little careful with is table layouts as  they suggests that the frequency of all verb conjugations is equal. Of course, you won’t use absolutely every single conjugation in this book in, say, everyday natural conversation.

However, this is only a small concern and if you keep that in mind and have an idea of how these verbs are used naturally in conversation and in print, then this is a great book to get.

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4) Let’s Learn Hiragana

I have warm and fuzzy memories about using this book during my very first baby steps in learning Japanese. Sentimentality aside, why would I recommend a book for learning Hiragana when there are so many awesome online apps and websites for learning it (including our very own Kana Invaders Game… immodest cough)?

It’s beautifully laid out and well written. It includes practice sheets for you to try writing your own Hiragana which I would argue you can’t do so easily on a tablet device. This would be a wonderful present for complete beginners to Japanese or even kids learning to write for the first time. You can also check out their Let’s Learn Katakana: Second Book of Basic Japanese Writing too which is very good.

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5) Japanese for Busy People

If you are beginning in Japanese and don’t know where to start then Japanese for Busy People is a good choice. It’s a classic book used by students of Japanese all over the world and has some nice conversation and grammar examples and explanations.

Avoid the romaji version of this book and go for the Kana version.When starting out in Japanese I believe it is better learn Hiragana and Katakana and drop Romaji as soon as possible as it will just get confusing. Also make sure to get the CD as that will really help you to practice your listening, pronunciation and fluency even if you don’t have a native teacher and are studying on your own.

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6) Shin Nihongo No Kiso

In the same league and type of beginners’ Japanese textbooks, I would also recommend Shin Nihongo No Kiso which includes great grammar, dialog and vocabulary examples. Much like “Japanese for Busy People”, this is a classic textbook used in universities and Japanese language schools as a solid material for students of an elementary level and upwards. You should note that there are extra accompanying books and materials such as the English translations and CDs if you need them.

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7) Colloquial Kansai Japanese

Learn Japanese Pod started out in Osaka in Kansai so wanted to get a good book to consolidate my knowledge of the Kansai dialect. Colloquial Kansai Japanese is a fun book for learning it although it”s better for consolidating what you already know.   I’ve gotten approval from some native Kansai people including Beb who helps me to record my podcasts. I can also start to decipher her heavy accent with this book.

It covers the basic common sentence patterns, verb endings and slang that you might hear in Kansai. It’s pretty simple, logically written and has a fair coverage of the language. You won’t be sounding like a native resident of Osaka with this book alone. However, as a general guide and reference to visiting Osaka and the greater Kansai region, it’s an interesting book to have.

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8) Authentic Japanese: Progressing from Intermediate to Advanced

Once you”ve progressed to an intermediate level of Japanese and want to get your teeth into something a little more substantial then Authentic Japanese: Progressing from Intermediate to Advanced is worth a look. It will mainly help you improve your reading skills but will also boost your general knowledge of Japanese. Arranged in interesting themes it contains various texts with comprehension and grammar exercises, Kanji and vocabulary lists and explanations.

As a text book it’s not too dry and should increase your motivation to continue studying Japanese even for those studying on their own.

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9) All About Particles

All About Particles is a great compact book which explains those devilish particles that western students of Japanese find rather challenging to master. I like the examples, the explanations and of course the size. It doesn’t waffle and is to the point with the basic information you need for both spoken or written Japanese. Check it out. Another good book by the same author, Naoko Chino, is A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Sentence Patterns (Kodansha Dictionary) which is worth a look. I should mention two general points about studying particles in Japanese. 1) Remember to not get too bogged down with particles. Along with this book, you should really try to learn particles in larger sentences in natural dialogs. 2) Native speakers often omit some particles from daily speech and colloquial Japanese. So this is a great book to study but don’t get too stuck in grammatical rules concerning particles when you should be practicing daily conversation.

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10) Pratical Business Japanese

One can only wonder at how anyone could have dreamed up such a horribly ugly cover for a text book. I mean seriously, look at it. It almost makes my eyes bleed and yet Practical Business Japanese is probably one of the best Japanese text books I have ever used. This is definitely a case of not judging a book by its cover. If you are venturing into the world of Japanese business, and lord help you if you are, then this book is for you. It is crammed full of essential situational office dialogs including levels of politeness, male and female language and a nice light sprinkling of humour. Not only do you have conversations on how to answer the phone but also how to pretend that you are out of the office so you don’t have to. It’s also great to get a handle on learning Keigo or respectful Japanese language.For some reason, I lost this a few years ago but will be buying again as a reference to speaking Japanese in business and other formal situations.

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Again, this is not an exhaustive list of all the Japanese text books out there however, I have personally used all the books listed here and thought they were worth their price tag. Also, as I mentioned earlier, although the internet has an increasingly large amount of online apps and websites for studying Japanese, it’s nice to have some dead tree media to pull oneself away from the computer screen. Happy Japanese textbook hunting everyone!

Japanese language learning videos

	Video 1: How to introduce yourself in Japanese | In this video, we learn some basic useful greetings in Japanese.
	Video 2: Useful daily phrases you use a lot in Japanese | In this lesson, you will learn some must-know daily phrases in Japanese
	Video 3: Phrases for leaving your house – itte kimasu  | “Itte-kimasu” is perhaps one of the most used phrases in Japanese and you should definitely learn it! Check out the video to see what it means.
	Video 4: Phrases for when you get home – Tadaima – Okaeri nasai | In this video you will learn some great phrases used everyday in Japan when returning home
	Video 5: How to apologize in Japanese | As they say in Japan, if it’s your fault, apologize, and if it isn’t, apologize. Check out how to apologize in Japanese.
	Video 6: Useful Japanese phrases for restaurants in Japan 1 | In this video you’ll learn how to get seats on your arrival at a restaurant

Interviews

1) Interview with a Zen monk on meditation in Kyoto

So, you are thinking of coming to Japan. Or at least, you are thinking of thinking of coming to Japan.

Do you know what to pack? Where you would like to go? What you would like to do?

Visiting Japan for the first time might seeing a little challenging and you might have a few concerns about coming here. For example, are you concerned about the language barrier? Perhaps you are worried about the food and not being able to find something you can eat? Are you perhaps concerned about the current situation of nuclear safety in Japan?

Take the poll and find out what other people are concerned about regarding their trip to Japan. If you leave a comment, we might be able to help you with your concerns and offer some advice!

You can chose more than one answer!

Please leave a comment below. Just log into Facebook and tell us what you think!

 

So you’ve been studying Japanese for a while, or perhaps, you’re just a beginner at the language. Was it as difficult as you thought? If you studied another language, how does it compare? And what do you find most challenging about studying Japanese?

Typically, westerners who study Japanese find reading and writing Japanese Kanji to be a problem. However, students from China have a head start on everyone else as the Chinese Kanji are often similar or the same to the ones used in Japanese.

Koreans tend to find the grammar of Japanese extremely easy as it is very similar to Japanese even though the pronunciation and vocabulary are different.

For me, I find the vagueness of the language quite challenging to understand. Although I may understand perfectly every word that is being spoken, I sometimes have trouble getting the gist of the conversation. So much for low context cultures such as mine!

So what is hard for you?

Take the poll below to find out what other people are struggling with when it comes to studying Japanese. Feel free to chose more than one answer:

Check out this awesome video made by Jamaipanese on Youtube who was kind enough to check out and play our Kana Invaders game. It’s great to see someone having fun with the game and actually learning some Japanese in the process. You can check out more of his videos here.

Kana Invaders was made by my good friend Ricardo who is also the amazing artist who drew our Learn Japanese Pod Green Monster Logo. You can check out his amazing website at Cataplasma.net

Kana Invaders is a fun game to help you either learn Hiragana and Katakana from scratch or just brush up on what you already know. If you played the game, why not leave a comment below and tell us how you did!

ひらがなとかたかな頑張ってください！Hiragana to katakana ganbatte kudasai

Good luck with your Hiragana and Katakana

Try your knowledge on this Japanese money quiz. Do you have what it takes to be the next finance minister of Japan? Check out the quiz and then leave your comments below. Tell us your score and if you have a question feel free to ask.

Now try the quiz!

[mtouchquiz 3]

[mtouchquiz 2]

1) Try your knowledge at this multiple choice quiz for Kanji for days of the week:

Kanji will appear, then see if you can name them correctly.

2) Check the video below to see if you were right

Good luck!