The third Monday of September every year is “Respect for the Aged Day.” This year, 2026, it falls on September 21st (Monday, a national holiday) The Origin of Respect for the Aged Day Originally, Respect for the Aged Day began in 1947 (Showa 22) in Nomatani Village, Taka District, Hyogo Prefecture (present-day Taka Town) as
It is now that bountiful season of autumn, the kind of time when you find yourself naturally stopping in front of the fruit displays. It has become the season when pears and persimmons are so delicious, hasn’t it? The crisp texture and refreshing sweetness of a pear, and the gentle, mellow sweetness of a persimmon—they
According to the weather forecast, it’s going to rain for the next few days starting tomorrow. So, before the rain begins, I went out and did a big shopping trip! Having the fridge stocked up with groceries just brings a sudden sense of relief and reassurance. It might be a bit of a hassle to
Today, I overheard a simple conversation that has stayed with me all day. A man, probably in his 60s, was on the phone with a gas company, arranging for a stove repair at his parents’ home. He was calling on behalf of his elderly mother who lives alone and is hard of hearing, asking the
Today, starting from the morning, I was greeted by so many different people. Everyone was a complete stranger. When I was a child, greeting people in the neighborhood was just a normal part of life, but as an adult, it’s pretty rare to exchange greetings with people you don’t know. I’m not sure why, but
When it comes to Japanese grammar, it might sound a bit difficult at first, but it actually has a very simple and fascinating structure. A great example of this is the classic duo: Taigen (substantives/nouns) and Yougen (predicative words/verbs and adjectives). Here is a quick and easy breakdown: When you look at it this way,
Learning through the Contrast of “Taigen” (Nouns) and “Yougen” (Predicative Words) Read More »
Japan is now in a wonderful season where grapes and pears are so delicious. Savoring juicy, sweet fruits is one of the best pleasures of this time of year. To accompany your autumn tea time or your cozy moments relaxing at home, why not enjoy some delicious fruit while watching the Japanese videos I created?
On a rainy and slightly chilly day, I received a wonderful sharing from someone—this lovely plant with its vibrant orange husks. Just looking at it and wondering, “This is a hoozuki, right?” instantly brightened up my gloomy, rainy-day mood, which is just magical. As soon as I decorated my entryway with it, I felt so
I want to write a blog post about self-efficacy. After all, you have to believe in yourself, don’t you? “I can do this.” That ability to truly believe in yourself is sometimes called “self-efficacy” in psychology. But leaving difficult words aside, I think what matters most at the end of the day is simply believing
Let’s write a blog post. Have you ever heard the word “corpus”? It sounds a bit difficult, but in a word, it’s like a “treasure chest of words”—a database containing a massive collection of language actually used in real life. You can look at actual data to see in what situations and with what nuances
