Yuka Fujiwara 
Many of you already know that the word “sayonara” means goodbye in Japanese, but did you know that it’s unnatural to say in most situations? It’s too formal and “serious” to use casually. So what’s the best way to say goodbye in Japanese? Let’s look at the most common (formal and informal) ways and how … Read more
Have you ever wanted to say “shut up” in Japanese? Even though Japan is a polite society, there may be times when you just want to tell someone to “shut up!” As a Japanese person, I don’t think we say “shut up” directly compared to other countries. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t have powerful … Read more
When you live in Japan, you’ll encounter times when you’d like to say “no.” There are many phrases you can use, which change according to the situation you find yourself in. Knowing these will help to make life easier. So let’s check out all of the different ways to say no in Japanese! 1. いいえ … Read more
Planning a trip to Japan? Interested in learning Japanese? Then you have come to the right place. Although a lot of people are already familiar with the word arigatou, there are more ways to say thank you in Japanese. I will be sharing different ways to say thank you, as well as explaining the meaning … Read more
Why is there a big difference between people from Tokyo (the Kanto area) and Osaka (the Kansai area) in Japan? If you spend any amount of time traveling in Japan, you might notice that people in different parts of Japan act in different, distinct ways. An example of this can clearly be seen when comparing … Read more