Wishes, dreams and hopes- almost every people around the globe share this universal idea that we all have dreams to fulfill. In this sense, Japan has a festival solely for making wishes come true! Let us find out more about this lovely Summer festival.
It’s that time of the year for long, hot and humid days! Despite the scorching heat of the summer, Japan holds amazing, interesting and colorful summer festivals, but there is one that is particularly near and dear to many: Tanabata Matsuri (七夕まつり) – the Star Festival.

So, What Really is Tanabata?

Also called the Star Festival, its legend has been told throughout Japan for generations. The story dates back to more than 2,000 years ago.
According to the tale, once there was Orihime (the Weaver Princess, the star Vega) and Hikoboshi (a Cow Herder, the star Altair), who fell madly in love with one another. They played so much that they began to neglect their work which made the king very angry. As a punishment, the king separated the lovers. Orihime and Hikoboshi were place on opposite ends of the Amanogawa River aka the Milky Way. But, the king took pity on them, and allowed Orihime and Hikoboshi to see each other once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month, and only if the skies are clear and the bridge out of magpies is built across the Amanogawa River. Tanabata literally means the night of the seventh. The Japanese believe that Orihime and Hikoboshi can’t see each other if it is rainy, so prayers are sent for a good weather.

When is Tanabata?

Generally July 7th. However, since Tanabata festival used to be held based on the lunar calendar, the date varies from region to region. Nowadays Tanabata festival is held on either July 7th or around August …continue reading

    

Smartphones are almost a necessity in modern life and a divisive one at that. With constant notifications, we are so easily dragged out of present surroundings and into that welcoming pixelated glow. Distractions aside—and I’m speaking as a chronic social media addict—there are some very helpful apps for studying Japanese.

Best of all, these magical tools won’t cost you a single yen. This is particularly great considering how much it costs to have a smartphone in Japan. So let’s check out the options.

1. Learn From Day One: LingoDeer

LingoDeer will have you speaking Japanese and raising your fluency level from day one. It follows a fun building-block approach that feels more like a game. Each lesson applies grammar and vocabulary that you learned from the previous one using several methods of testing.

Unlike other apps that have you memorizing Japanese vocabulary and phrases without context, LingoDeer features audio from native Japanese speakers and integrates words, sentences, and culture naturally that you can use in real life. You can even slow down the speaker’s voice to be as accurate as possible in your pronunciation—indispensable to learning the language. Other awesome features include the ability to turn on furigana so you can study kanji, and learn the meaning and context of a particle with a simple tap.

While LingoDeer isn’t entirely free, you can learn all the basics such as hiragana and katakana, more than 1,000 essential Japanese phrases, and enjoy a deep dive into the first modules. Afterward, you can pay a small fee for the premium version, which includes …continue reading

    

Did you meet a Japanese girl or guy but have no idea what to say to them in Japanese? I have come to rescue you. Here are a few basic Japanese dating phrases that you can use for that special someone.

Good afternoon (こんにちは).

When starting a conversation with that cute Japanese person across the room, you’ll need to first introduce yourself. You can start that by first saying, “good afternoon”, “good evening”, or, if leaving at night, “good night”. “Konnichiwa” (こんにちは) is a word that generally means “good afternoon”, but it can also be used at other times of the day. If you are meeting your potential dating partner specifically in the evening, you can use “Konbanwa” (こんばんは). You’d use these words like you would in English. For example, “Good evening, I’m Phil” would be translated to, “こんばんは、僕はフィルです).

My name is … (私のなめは …)

Let’s break the grammar down for this one, because understanding this sentence is really important because you are going to use this sentence a lot.

There are several ways to say “I” in Japanese, and “watashi” is probably the most neutral and polite way to do so. It is used by both men and women and is commonly used in formal situations. If you are a girl, you’ll probably be using this or the variant “Atashi” (あたし) quite a lot. If you are a guy, you have two additional options for the word “I”: “boku” (僕) or “ore” (俺). “Ore” is considered rougher and more informal (also more manly), while “boku” is more childish, polite, and demurring. Great, so “I” is covered. Next in the sentence, you’ll add the “no” (の) particle which is a possessive particle. This, when combined with “I”, essentially makes the word “my”. The next word, “namae” (名前) literally translates …continue reading