August 2017 – Learning English and Japanese

Toru Aug 31, 2017Jan 03, 2024 confused, destination, direction, Google Map, Kumamoto University, map, paper, practice, route, walking

Getting Lost

Today I got lost in Kumamoto University. 迷子 I’m often confused about the direction I’m heading when I go to Read More

Business Diary Food Japanese tradition Science Travel Uncorrected

Toru Aug 30, 2017Jan 03, 2024 academic conference, airplane, bus, cockroach, dinner, hotel, Kumamoto, mentor, Nagano, Tokyo

A Cockroach in Kumamoto

Today, I came to Kumamoto city, Kumamoto Prefecture, in order to participate in an academic conference that will be held Read More

Culture Essay Idiom Japanese tradition Proverb Uncorrected

Toru Aug 29, 2017Jan 03, 2024 become, close mouth, drama, I'd Rather Be a Shellfish, idiomatic expression, Japanese language, Japanese movie, kai ni naru, saying nothing, shellfish

Kai ni Naru (貝になる – Saying Nothing)

Kai ni Naru 貝になる I often do “kai ni naru” (貝になる). 私は会議中、よく貝になります。 The “kai” (貝) means “shellfish,” the “naru” (なる) Read More

China Culture Essay Etymology History Japanese tradition Kanji Science Uncorrected

Toru Aug 28, 2017Jan 03, 2024 10 to the -18, Buddhism, Chinese writing system, hour, minute, numerical unit, second, setsuna, time, units

Setsuna (刹那 – Moment)

Setsuna 刹那 We usually use “second,” “minute” and “hour” as units of time, and this fact is worldwide. 我々が最も使う時間の単位は、秒、分、時などであり、これは世界共通です。 Apart Read More

Culture Essay Etymology Idiom Japanese tradition Kanji Uncorrected

Toru Aug 27, 2017Jan 03, 2024 anger, boil, Buddhism, emotions, feelings, gou wo niyasu, Japanese, mind, niyasu, strengthen

Gou wo Niyasu (業を煮やす – Getting Irritated)

Gou wo Niyasu 業を煮やす Have you ever gotten angry because things didn’t go well as you expected? 事が思うように運ばず、腹を立てた経験はありますか？ Getting angry Read More

Essay History Japanese tradition Science Uncorrected

Toru Aug 26, 2017Jan 03, 2024 1966, 2000, asteroids, astronauts, cloning technology, imprisoned, Japan, laws, military exercises, moon

Premature Laws

There are several premature laws in Japan. 時期尚早な法律 Today I would like to talk about two interesting laws among them. Read More

Culture Essay Onomatopoeia Uncorrected

Toru Aug 25, 2017Jan 03, 2024 animated movie, Blu-ray, father, Johnny, scene, sing, spoiler alert, video

Oi (おい – Hey)

Recently, I watched the animated movie, “Sing.” おい When I watched it repeatedly on Blu-ray, I found that Johnny and Read More

Culture Essay Etymology History Idiom Japanese tradition Slang Uncorrected

Toru Aug 24, 2017Jan 03, 2024 Asakusa, chacha wo ireru, cooling down, craftsmen, hiyakasu, idiom, Japanese, prostitutes, tease, Yoshiwara

Hiyakasu (冷やかす – Bantering)

Hiyakasu 冷やかす Yesterday, I introduced the Japanese idiom, “chacha wo ireru” (茶々を入れる), which means to tease someone by saying something Read More

Culture Essay Etymology Idiom Japanese tradition Kanji Onomatopoeia Slang Uncorrected

Toru Aug 23, 2017Jan 03, 2024 chacha wo ireru, conversation, disturb, etymology, idiom, jaja, Japanese, kanji, tea, unnecessary

Chacha wo Ireru (茶々を入れる – Teasing)

Chacha wo Ireru 茶々を入れる Have you ever broken into a conversation of others, and said unnecessary things or cracks? 他人の会話に横から入り、余計なことや冷やかしを言ったことはありますか？ Read More