Saturday Reading: Tadoku Book Club in Shinjuku

While living here in Tokyo, I’m always on the hunt for local spots that make practicing Japanese feel less like a chore and

Mission Start: Tackling the JLPT N3 this Summer

My relationship with Japanese study has been a bit of a rollercoaster. I’ve recently been posting a weirdly named vlog s

Studying Japanese with Games: MH Stories 3 Cutscene Breakdown

Recently I have been trying to start studying Japanese with video games again. Some would say I lack discipline, but I find st

Kanji Starter – Kanji Pictographs Book

Kanji Starter by Daiki Kasuya had been sitting in my Amazon wishlist for years. Seeing it pop up on social media and most rece

Japanese Folktales for Language Learners

The never-ending quest to improve my Japanese continues. After plateauing again because much of my brain power was focused on

BON BON SHOW: Episode 12 – Talking about Ramen

Today, we have a pretty delicious show for you, full of noodles and toppings and steamy soup. The episode is all about RAMEN &

BON BON SHOW: Episode 6 – JLPT Study Tools

Aaron and Kirk will be taking the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) N3 in December and wanted to share their general J

New Japanese Banknotes with high-security features

New Japanese Banknotes with high-security features are set to enter circulation beginning in April 2024. The new notes incorpo

7 Things I am better at now than at the start of the pandemic

The last 2+ years have been an unbelievable time to be alive. Lockdowns, mask mandates, limited movement, vaccines, work from

JLPT N4 failed – Yes, I do need a teacher…

More than two years since passing the JLPT N5 and realizing that the 3rd time wasn’t a charm, I… failed the JLPT N

Taking the JLPT N4 again, 3rd time’s a charm?

The year that is 2020 has been “challenging” to put it lightly. My Japanese learning journey continues with my imp

7 unorthodox ways to study Japanese

Hello there! So you want to learn (or practise) Japanese? No matter what level you are it takes a lot of discipline and drive

Japan Scene 10: Doraemon the slave

My Japanese rap album flopped unfortunately but my list of blunders as I learn Japanese gets longer and longer each day. My ma

Sumikko Gurashi English Conversation Book

My dive into the world of Sumikko Gurashi continues with a book I picked up recently – ć™ćæć£ć‚³ćć‚‰ć—ć®č‹±ä¼šč©±

Kantanji = Programming x Learning Japanese

I am (slowly) learning Kanji as I continue my Japanese language learning journey. I thought why not combine programming and ka

Japan Scene 9: Graduating Kindergartners

Japanese is hard (for me). I plateaued not long after arriving but over the past year, I have been kicking the ceiling and sta

Sekiro – Story of Hanbei the Undying GIVEAWAY

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a game that that grabbed my attention from it was first announced. I was happy to report after ac

Japan Scene 8: My Japanese rap album?

I didn’t know that I’d one day be an international rap superstar releasing a Japanese rap album. My fandom started

I have a complaint – Japanese Children’s book

ćµć¾ć‚“ćŒć‚ć‚Šć¾ć™! My up and down journey to learn Japanese continues. Reading remains one of the most difficult aspect

Unko Kanji Drill books

Japan’s unusual humour strikes again in the form of Unko Kanji Drill books. “Unko” means “poop”

Japan Scene 7: Flip a coin for elderly men

Japan has a lot of elderly people. About a quarter of the population is 65 and over and with a declining birthrate there is a

Sumikko Gurashi – School Life Begins

Japan is famous for its myriad of characters. Characters like Anpanman, Doraemon and Pikachu generate billions of dollars year

The rise of the Black “Halfs” in Japan

I don’t claim to stay in touch with all the racial and identity battles raging in Japan for a while now. However, I can&

JLPT N4 Books and Preparation – CRUNCH TIME!!!

I am still very much on my journey to learn Japanese – a journey that will never end. A recent success was passing The f