15 Places to Visit in Yokohama Recommended by Locals

Don’t miss visiting Yokohama while traveling in Tokyo Are you planning to visit Tokyo? If so, don’t miss the chance to head south and visit her charming neighbor Yokohama. The second largest city in Japan, Yokohama lies on Tokyo Bay south of Tokyo in the Kanto region. It takes about 40 minutes from Shibuya station to get to Yokohama station by train. Read this article if you’d like to know what I, a native Japanese person who grew up in Yokohama, recommend to do in the port city. The following places range from popular tourist spots worth the hype to …

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How Japanese Students Job Hunt | Shukatsu Tips

Everything you ever wanted to know about the post-college Japanese job hunt Getting a job in Japan can to be really difficult if you don’t know how the process works. You can find out here how university students in Japan go about finding a job, and have a clearer understanding of Japanese culture.  When do students start looking for a job? Job hunting is called shukatsu (就活) in Japanese. In my experience, Japanese students start shukatsu when they’re a junior because many large foreign companies such as consultant agencies and IT companies, and banks start looking for candidates who are in …

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10 Surprising Everyday Cultural Differences Between Japan and the US!

10 common things in Japan not found in the US

Love them or hate them, you’ll definitely notice these differences in Japan Did you know that in Japan night walks are common? Or that you can drink alcohol anywhere? Check out our list of 10 cultural differences between the US and Japan to find out more about what to expect! Since Yuki is Japanese and Hannah is American, we come from different cultural backgrounds. We compared the mindsets and experiences we’ve had and compiled the biggest differences in our daily lives. Being with someone from different culture is like Yuki grew up in the greater Tokyo area and Hannah grew …

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30 Useful Words (kanji) for Everyday Life in Japan!

Navigating the everyday in Japan is much simpler when you’re familiar with kanji If you live in Japan or will be moving there and know little to no Japanese, then at least practice these kanji for survival’s sake. Knowledge of these kanji will help you to do everyday tasks, such as check the weather, operate an AC unit, use a television, and fill out forms. There are many methods out there claiming to be the best way to learn kanji, but at the end of the day you just have to memorize them. Studying kanji with a textbook is wrong? …

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5 Japanese College Drinking Games You Should Know!

Try one of these the next time you head to an izakaya with friends The first thing freshmen learn at college is how to play drinking games in Japan. There are actually so many Japanese drinking games. As a college student myself, I will introduce to you the 5 most common and fun Japanese drinking games to play at an izakaya. Most of these games are learned and played through student clubs and organizations. At the beginning of the school year they usually hold recruitment events where they invite out freshmen and teach these games. It’s a great way to …

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6 Tips For Surviving Rush-hour Trains in Tokyo!

If you can master trains in Tokyo, then you can master trains anywhere The most stressful thing about living in Tokyo is maneuvering the crowded trains during rush hour. All the things you’ve seen in pictures or videos related to Japanese trains are probably true. When people are in a rush they tend to get aggressive, even the more mild mannered Japanese start pushing and shoving while riding a crowded train.  Pusher and peelers at the platform in Tokyo There used to be a part time job called “pusher.” They were responsible for pushing people inside of crowded trains. In …

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10 Kokuhaku aka Confession Phrases You Should Know!

Declaring love isn’t easy but these phrases are Have you ever thought about confessing your love to someone in Japanese? Or do you want someone to romantically confess to you like in the kokuhaku scene of Japanese movies and animes?  These 10 kokuhaku aka confession phrases will give you some ideas of what and how Japanese people express their love. Please read this and confess to someone you like in Japanese! How Japanese people confess “kokuhaku”? Kokuhaku or a confession is how we in Japan start a romantic relationship with someone. Typically a guy will ask a girl whether she …

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Cleanliness: What We Can Learn from Japan

Aspects of Japanese culture that make maintaining cleanliness in public second nature Lots of people observe when they come to Japan that public areas are very clean! And yes, Japan is one of the cleanest countries in the world! But how do we do it? There are two things that make it possible for Japan to maintain this level of cleanliness. First, compulsory education taught us how to keep clean. Second, the lack of trash cans which encourages personal responsibility for disposing of waste.  Compulsory education According to the research, 58.1% of schools all over the world have janitors to …

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How to write an Professional Email in Japanese

Once you know this basic formula, writing an email in Japanese is piece of cake Hey everyone! As a college student, you often need to write emails to professors or to companies when applying for a job. I want to teach you how you can write a formal email to your professor and companies in Japanese. Email to professor (教授) Ex1) When you can’t go to class because you’re sick  件名 Kenmei (Subject) Your name, major, and student number (Professors receive emails from many people, you should let them know that you’re a student first!) 本文 Honbun (Text) Write your …

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HND and NRT – Which One Should I Land in?

READ THIS before booking your flight to Japan Are you ready to head off to Japan? You’ve set the date, and it’s time to book your flight to Japan! There are two main airports in Tokyo, one is called Haneda airport (HND), and the other Narita airport (NRT). Which one should you land in? You will know after reading this why there are two main airports in Tokyo, and my experience of using Narita, and which you should land in. Difference between HND and NRT You might wonder why there are two airports in Tokyo. Tokyo, despite the large population, doesn’t …

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