Let’s see how well you know Japan! As you know Japan is a archipelagic country which is made of four main islands namely Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, and it is further divided into 47 prefectures 都道府県 (todoufuken). So I decided to create this quiz and test your knowledge on Japan. No doubt you love Japan […]
Japanese
When to use Katakana?
Japanese language has three different scripts – Kanji 漢字, Hiragana ひらがな and Katakana カタカナ. There were no written scripts in Japanese, until Hanzi characters were introduced from China. These Chinese logograms became a part of the Japanese writing system, however words like prepositions, suffixes, prefixes and verb conjugations could not be represented by Kanji. Hence, […]
How I travelled the 47 prefectures of Japan in less than a year
Call it a spree or a frenzy, I had to see all of Japan from Hokkaido to Okinawa. Ever since I stepped into the enchanting world of Japanese animation, all I wanted was to see Japan with my own eyes. To me, Japan is and has always been the fantasy land where all my favourite […]
Japanese Adjectives – 形容詞
The Japanese language uses two types of adjectives; the いadjective and the な adjective. The いadjectives follow and modify the noun. It is used as a predicate, therefore it can also act as a conjugate. For example, いadjectives in its: Basic Dictionary Forms このパンがおいしいです。This bread is tasty. (used as a predicate adjective) わたしは高いふくを買いました。I bought an expensive […]
The rabbit who makes rice-cake on the moon – 月ウサギがもちつきをしている
「月ウサギがもちつきをしている。」 In Japan, legend has it that there is a rabbit on the moon making rice-cake (mochi). The silhouette of the rabbit can be observed on the left hand side of the moon, holding a wooden mallet and pounding the mochigame in a mortar. According to the Buddhist mythological story in Konjaku Monogatarishū (an anthology […]
Studying for the new JLPT- step by step
What could be the right way to prepare for the new JLPT? Just keep this in mind, “there is no shortcut to success”. The JLPT N levels have been improved on the grounds of syllabus and time. Unlike the old test, the new JLPT syllabi are broader and the question patterns are set to test […]
Japan Habba 2015 日本祭
The 11th Japan Habba held at the Jnana Jyothi auditorium, in Bangalore city, was a big hit. My dance was scheduled as the first performance of the day. The place was filled with Japanese people working and living in Bangalore. They had put up many stalls of different kinds, in the gallery outside the […]
International Language Fest at BU (2014-15)
The annual International Language Fest at Bangalore University, took place on 1st February 2015, at the Jnana Jyothi Auditorium. With seven foreign language departments of the university taking part in various cultural events, the fest was worth a visit. Its been a long time that I participate in any event and this was my CHANCE! […]
The Four Seasons of Japan – 日本四季
Spring which starts in March and stays till May is a very busy period in Japan. It is also the season when the most beautiful festival – Hanami is celebrated. The Sakura trees (or the cherry blossoms) all over Japan come into bloom for between seven to ten days. People hold outdoor parties to view […]
Japanese Alphabets- Katakana Charts
Katakana is the Japanese script which is used to write loanwords. These words are not of Japanese origin or in other words, a Japanese term does not exist for them. Katakana consists of 5 vowels (ア、イ、ウ、エ、オ); 40 consonants and（ヲ) a katakana of the particle を(in hiragana), but it is almost never used. The consonants are […]