Nowadays there are many online options for learning Japanese. When I was actively learning Japanese there was not much online material available, so I mostly had to stick to the good old textbook. For this article, I checked out some websites and apps for learning Japanese and reviewed them.

During my studies at university I spent a year as an exchange student in Nagoya and would like to share my experience.

It amazed me how words written thousands of years ago by people long dead could come to shape our modern world on such a fundamental level. It also stunned me that so few of my fellow students seemed interested in what these ancient texts had to offer.

My life here in Okinawa has improved so much since. Every Saturday I join their free conversational Japanese class that is held at the local Oki-koku-dai College.

Being an ALT in elementary schools in Japan is more than just teaching English.

Today we will look at even more characters frequently used in Chinese and Japanese language each with unique differences. Part 1 had featured more everyday kanji, this one has some truly surprising cultural differences.

Being exposed to Buddhism in Japan has certainly opened my eyes to just how religiously observant Japanese people actually are.

Today we will take a look at how vastly different it is to teach at the Jr. high school level as an ALT.

Also known as Todai, University of Tokyo is famously known among Japan as the most prestigious university in the nation and also in Asia. Approximately 145,000 people visited its school festival this past May, and many tourists from around the country, or even outside the country, visit the campus year-round. So what’s there to see in University of Tokyo? What are some of the must-see spots? Here’s an easy guide to grasp the essence of the campus.

Kidzania lists itself as an edutainment center where kids can be leaders, make rules and rely on each other to join forces and build a kids-led community. The Mexico-based company now has spread across the globe and there is a strong following of little workers in Tokyo and Osaka locally and in many of the world’s top travel locations too. Just look at Kidzania London, Kidzania Seoul or Kidzania Dubai. All have ignited the imaginations of their youthful patrons and worked their way into the hearts and wallets of many doting parents.

Sensei Awesome, which is the nickname we have given my daughter’s teacher, invited the parents to come for a day of udon noodle making at school. Kids and their parents were given the opportunity to make hand-made udon noodles and they were fabulous!

The actual working conditions of Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) such as myself differ from my Japanese English Teacher colleagues in a number of ways, as I have elaborated on in previous articles.