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Source: Gaijin Pot
 One of the more interesting things about the Japanese language is that it has a lot of verbs. Whereas English is often content to simply know who does what to whom, Japanese is a language that needs to know exactly what happened to the person and often whether it was done in a polite way or not. One of the more interesting examples of this is email Japanese. I am one of those people who erase any remotely suspicious unread email, so when one day my girlfriend asked me what I was doing as I deleted mail after mail, I came up with いたずらメールだ消（け）せばいい (these are spam, it’s better to delete them) as an explanation. Almost as soon as the words came out of my mouth, her face turned up in that way that told me I’d said something wrong, but she was too polite to tell me. Finally, she couldn’t bear the temptation to one up me any longer and had to correct me. メールを削除（さくじょ） する was the correct form, she explained. 削除 する?! This is one of the trickiest things about email Japanese. Instead of a lot of the verbs that we learners are used to, the language that Japanese people use for emailing often uses special verbs. Take for example the verb for attaching a file: most learners would guess that it might be つける or something like that, right? Nope! ファイルを添付（てんぷ）する is the correct verb!
Even the basic verbs can be tricky. To talk about creating an email Japanese people use the verb 作成（さくせい）する. As if this wasn’t tricky enough already, this verb is often combined with the adjective meaning fresh or new, 新規（しんき）, to create the monster compound verb: 新規作成（しんきさくせい）する (to create a new email message). Similarly, while …continue reading    |
Category Archives: SOCIETY
What the FAQ? Studying in Japan
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Source: Gaijin Pot
 Welcome to the ultimate guide to living and surviving in Japan as a foreigner. In this part of our What the FAQ? series, we will be tackling the most frequently asked questions from students hoping to come to Japan. Be sure to check out our Student Placement Program if you’re interested in studying here. GaijinPot Study has tons of resources, including options for language schools, cultural tips and quick Japanese lessons. Applications for the January 2018 term close Sep. 8, 2017. Before coming to Japan
Arriving in JapanSetting up in Japan
Going to schoolTraveling outside of JapanBefore coming to JapanI want to study in Japan, where do I apply? Lucky you. There are tons of educational institutions that offer courses to international students. It all depends on what you want to learn in Japan. You can enroll in a university, junior or special training college, preparatory educational institution or college of technology in Japan for up to four years. If you’re looking for something more short term, you can join exchange programs or language schools for up to two years. We have some options for you …continue reading |
Lonely Planet Japan Launch Party
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ローンリー・プレネット・ジャパン
Lonely Planet, the legendary guide book publisher, launched a new edition of Lonely Planet Japan last night, at a lively launch party in Tokyo’s Yurakucho district. After an hour’s warm up at the basement 300 Bar Next, Lonely Planet’s North Asia Territory Manager, Tim Burland, took the mike, and introduced us all to the hefty blue, hot-off-the-press version of Lonely Planet Tokyo.
Following him, author of Lonely Planet Pocket Tokyo, Rebecca Milner, also addressed the crowd, with Burland resuming a little later with a commentated slide show to provide few more details about the books being launched. Among them, too, is the Lonely Planet Pocket Kyoto & Osaka. 300 Bar Next also calls itself “Ginza 300 Bar Next” – but is a million miles from the slick glass-fronted feel of Ginza, partaking more of the rough-and-ready, even grungy, atmosphere of Yurakucho and evoking, maybe, something of Lonely Planet’s original alternative vibe.
I made a new acquaintance or two, and caught up with a couple more. I managed to exchange a word or two with Tim Burland, and briefly acquaint him with JapanVisitor.com.
A chasm seems to remain between the online and offline worlds of …continue reading |
Japan by the Water: A trip to Enoshima
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Source: city-cost.com
 There are many places you can visit as a one day trip from Tokyo. One of the best, at least in my opinion, is the small island of Enoshima, located in Kanagawa prefecture. You can reach it easily within around 90 minutes from Shinjuku station and spend a wonderful day there. Let’s take a closer look at the island and the area around!Sightseeing Spots on Enoshima IslandEnoshima island has many spots to explore. Mainly, this island is home of the Enoshima shrine which is separated into three smaller shrines. All these shrines are dedicated to the goddess Benzaiten, which is officially known as the goddess of “everything that flows”, meaning words, eloquence and music. However, the more popular image of her is the goddess of love. This is one reason why this shrine is especially well visited by couples.The Samuel Cocking Garden is a small botanical garden built on the former residence of the British trader Samuel Cocking. In the late 19th century, he purchased a big part of the island. To the garden belongs the Sea Candle, a phone tower constructed like a lighthouse and including an observatory.If you want to relax for a while, you can spend some time at the Enoshima Island Spa, an onsen resort with indoor and outdoor pools. Next to the all naked gender-separated bathing, they also offer a mixed area which requires bathing suits.Last but not least, there are the Iwaya Caves. These are famous for the myth existing about it. The goddess Benzaiten should have created Enoshima to imprison a sea dragon, which you can find inside the caves.On a clear day, you even can see Mount Fuji from Enoshima. But for this you really need luck.What to do around EnoshimaEnoshima is not only the island itself, also the small city on …continue reading |
Viral Artist Mixes Coffee Cups, Tokyo & Instagram
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Source: Gaijin Pot
 As illustrator Adrian Hogan walks to his Nakameguro art studio, MidoriSo, he strolls past the coffee shop that helped make his Instagram posts go viral. Just don’t call him an “Instagrammer.” On a rainy June afternoon, the Melbourne-native is in a T-shirt, khaki pants and black velcro sandals while he makes some drip coffee after hand grinding the beans. Don’t call him a coffee snob, either. “Sometimes I pick coffee based on how big the cup is,” says the 30-year-old with a smile. He explains that’s because it affects his style of creating coffee-cup illustrations that explore everyday life in in Japan. He regularly sits down at a coffee shop, gets to sketching and 20-30 minutes later, posts a video like this one:
While other times, he draws more iconic spots, like this one of Tokyo Tower:
The videos are addicting yet strangely therapeutic. Since 2015, his distinct videos of water-soluble pencils and gouache sketches got popular through social-media magic. Soon after, numerous news outlets worldwide — NHK, CNN Travel and The Daily Mail, to name a few — took notice. Nowadays, he still posts engaging video-and-sketch combos to his Instagram followers. It’s partly to share Japan — an easily fascinating place — in a less obvious medium than photography, he said. But, he also enjoys that the style brings attention to how an artist distorts and supplements reality, by offering a view of the sketch first and soon after unveiling the real-life scene. Considering distortion of reality is practically becoming a recipe for success across the social media spectrum, his work is an eye-catching …continue reading |