Ahoy! Here’s the podcast, kanjilubbers! This month I’m talking about the message behind the message, inspired in part by my high school calculus teacher, Dr. Collins. Check out the newsletter for more detailed content about the excellent conjunction それが, which … Continue reading →
Sep 23, 2023 • Subscribe
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それが
An interesting conjunction - How to Japanese - September 2023
Twilight Saloon (たそがれ酒場, Tomu Uchida, 1955)
A generational divide echoes around a beer hall filled with a defeated sense of bonhomie until finally finding a point of rest in Tomu Uchida’s elliptical single set…
How to Japanese Podcast – Episode 45 – コロケーション
I finally managed to see John Wick: Chapter 4. It only came out in Japan in September, six months after it’s initial release. In the newsletter this month,…
How to Japanese Podcast – Episode 41 – Kanji
I have such good memories of the Fourth of July 2021. It was a perfect day in Chicago. Clear and warm but not hot, and when the sun…
How to Japanese Podcast – Episode 44 – スミマセン
In the newsletter this month, I took a look at 非外来語のカタカナ表記 (non-gairaigo katakana notation), which is a complicated way of saying “katakana used to write words that are…
Japan Stories それぞれの日本
A beautifully written patchwork of stories of contemporary Japan each of which focuses on and mainly revolves around one person with associated minor characters who, though obviously less…
How to Japanese Podcast – Episode 42 – のだ
I remember vividly learning how to use んだ in Japanese. My third year teacher did a section on storytelling/explaining, and she had us tell different stories over and…
How to Japanese Podcast – S03E01 – Emergency Murakami Podcast
We have the title for the new Murakami novel due out on April 13! It’s the same title as a 1980 novella that Murakami disavowed as a “failed…
How to Japanese Podcast – S02E12 – かもしれない and 食中毒
かもしれない (kamoshirenai, may/might) has subtle nuances, and it can be easy to overuse. I talk about a time when I did, and how many years later that mistake…
How to Japanese Podcast – 号外 – Pre-JET Japanese Triage
Extra extra, read- er, hear all about it! Special edition of the How to Japanese Podcast! This is an audio version of a presentation I gave to departing…
号外 - How to Japanese Podcast Season 2
New episodes every Sunday/Monday
How to Japanese Podcast – S03E02 – The Murakami Season
Well, I’ve had a week to mull over the title announcement for the new Murakami novel, and I’m still just as stunned as I was last week. Here’s…
How to Japanese Podcast – S03E03 – Murakami’s Origin Story
This week, I take a look at Murakami’s famous origin story with the help of writer and translator Matt Schley. We looked at ten different accounts of the…
How to Japanese Podcast – S02E20 – Instinctual Nattō and Introversion
On the final episode this season, I talk about the importance of celebrating your little victories as you study a language. And in Japanese, I think about how…
How to Japanese Podcast – S02E06 – Performative Adjectives and 系
Adjectives in Japanese are not always what they appear to be! I think part of this is because they function as what I call “performative adjectives.” One of…
How to Japanese Podcast – S03E05 – Murakami Bibliography – 1979-1987
This week on the podcast I’m taking a close look at Murakami’s complete bibliography for the first eight years of his career. See my Google Sheet version of…
How to Japanese Podcast – S03E06 – Murakami Bibliography – 1988-2005
This week is the second part of my look at Murakami’s complete bibliography. See my Google Sheet version of all this information and follow along with the podcast…
How to Japanese Podcast – S02E04 – Tourist Mindset and ノーダメージ
You don’t have to go very far to be a tourist, and looking at the world with that mindset can also be helpful for language study. In this…
How to Japanese Podcast – S02E16 – Pools and 趣味
What’s something that surprised you about Japan that was completely ordinary? For me it was the access to swimming pools. Living in Japan changed my relationship with swimming…
How to Japanese Podcast – S03E04 – Murakami Novel Power Rankings
It’s finally time – here are my Murakami Novel Power Rankings! I spent the last two months re-reading Murakami’s novels, and I feel prepared to put them in…
How to Japanese Podcast – S03E07 – Murakami Bibliography – 2006-2023
This week is the third part of my look at Murakami’s complete bibliography. See my Google Sheet version of all this information and follow along with the podcast…
How to Japanese Podcast – S02E20 – Instinctual Nattō and Introversion
On the final episode this season, I talk about the importance of celebrating your little victories as you study a language. And in Japanese, I think about how…
How to Japanese Podcast – S02E09 – Morgan Giles – Reading Japanese, Translation, MEXT Scholarship
Morgan Giles is a Japanese translator based in London. She’s translated a number of different writers, including Kanehara Hitomi, Furukawa Hideo, and the National Book Award-winning Tokyo Ueno…
How to Japanese Podcast – S03E09 – Immediate Reactions to Murakami’s New Novel
Good God, that’s Murakami Haruki’s music! 街とその不確かな壁 (The City and Its Uncertain Walls/The Town and Its Uncertain Wall) launched today in Japan, and holy moly, it’s a wild…
How to Japanese Podcast – S02E08 – Roomshare.jp and のり弁
Living with Japanese roommates in Tokyo was the highlight of my time in Japan. I found those roommates on the website Roomshare.jp, a great site that I introduce…
How to Japanese Podcast – S03E08 – Predictions for Murakami’s New Novel
It’s the final podcast before publication of the new Murakami novel! I go over some Murakami vocabulary, predictions I have for the novel, and some comments about potential…
How to Japanese Podcast – S02E11 – Brian Epstein – Patent Law, Working with Japanese Clients, Japanese Emails
Brian Epstein is a patent attorney with Modal Law who has been working with Japanese clients and patent attorneys for his 14-year career. He started his own practice…
Family of Strangers (閉鎖病棟 それぞれの朝, Hideyuki Hirayama, 2019)
A collection of patients at a psychiatric clinic eventually find new strength to accept themselves through mutual solidarity Hirayama’s empathetic social drama
How to Japanese Podcast – S02E13 – Mercedez Clewis – Intensive Japanese Study, JET Program, Writing/Localizing
Mercedez Clewis is a Japanese to English localization editor and proofreader as well as a pop culture writer and critic with websites like, Anime Feminist, But Why Tho,…
How to TikTok in Japanese
I’m catching up with my Japan Times articles. I had an article about Japanese TikTok accounts at the end of May: “Immerse yourself in the creativity and language…
How NOT to Learn Japanese
Learn Japanese with Yuta: https://bit.ly/3jowd6P Support me on Patreon: https://goo.gl/aiWNd5 Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatYuta Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatyuta/ Facebook: https://bit.ly/381qpHS Blog: http://www.yutaaoki.com/blog/
How to Speak Japanese Naturally
Learn Japanese with Yuta: https://bit.ly/3OY3G5c Support me on Patreon: https://goo.gl/aiWNd5 Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatYuta Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatyuta/ Facebook: https://bit.ly/381qpHS Blog: http://www.yutaaoki.com/blog/
How to Read Japanese Folktales
Japanese folktales have layers that require some thought to fully understand. Of course, Grimm’s fairy tales and even the Bible require reflection too. Context matters for understanding any…
How to Use Japanese Counters
You can count on us to make Japanese counters easy! Let's sum of the basics with real-world examples.
How to Japanese Podcast – S02E19 – Jens Petersen – Japanese in Sweden, Music and Art, Job Fairs
Jens Petersen has been working in real estate in Tokyo for over 13 years. He initially found interest in Japanese independent music. In recent years his interest has…
How to Japanese Podcast – S02E19 – Jens Petersen – Japanese in Sweden, Music and Art, Job Fairs
Jens Petersen has been working in real estate in Tokyo for over 13 years. He initially found interest in Japanese independent music. In recent years his interest has…
How to Japanese Podcast – S02E18 – 都道府県 and 貪る
There is an official order to the 都道府県 (todōfuken, prefectures) in Japan. I share some thoughts about it and in Japanese discuss the importance of learning how to…
How to Japanese Podcast – S02E07 – Jason Coskrey – Immersion, Sports Writing in Japan
Jason Coskrey is a sports writer for The Japan Times. He previously worked at the Birmingham Post Herald and the Marietta Daily Journal before moving to Japan in…
How to Japanese Podcast – Episode 48 – The 1,000-yen Haircut and まとめる
On the podcast this month, I continued the conversation about value in Japan, specifically looking at the 1,000-yen men’s haircut, which I think is one of the worst…
How to Learn Japanese with Songs
Learn Japanese with Yuta: https://bit.ly/3TKTo8h Support me on Patreon: https://goo.gl/aiWNd5 Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatYuta Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatyuta/ Facebook: https://bit.ly/381qpHS Blog: http://www.yutaaoki.com/blog/
How to be Sarcastic in Japanese
Learn Japanese with Yuta: https://bit.ly/41x1x3t Support me on Patreon: https://goo.gl/aiWNd5 Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatYuta Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatyuta/ Facebook: https://bit.ly/381qpHS Blog: http://www.yutaaoki.com/blog/
How to Japanese Podcast – S03E10 – Review of The City and Its Uncertain Walls
It took me two months, but I finally got through my review of The City and Its Uncertain Walls. Here are my thoughts. The review itself is online…
How to Japanese Podcast – S02E17 – Molly Des Jardin – Japanese the Spoken Language, Meiji Era Writing, 全集
Molly Des Jardin is a language and computer nerd who came to study Japanese, and later book and media history of modern Japan. She quickly got sucked into…
How to Talk to Japanese Girls @バイアンドBAIAND
Learn Japanese with Yuta: https://bit.ly/3x9v6MB Support me on Patreon: https://goo.gl/aiWNd5 Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatYuta Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatyuta/ Facebook: https://bit.ly/381qpHS Blog: http://www.yutaaoki.com/blog/ Biand https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTJt_EpPa5Jylw2niq1R-PQ/featured
How to Japanese Podcast – S02E15 – Mike Grant – Learning by Ear, Craft Brewing in Japan
Mike Grant is the co-founder of Devil Craft brewing and has been operating in Tokyo for 10 years as of this year. Devil Craft has four locations in…
How to Japanese Podcast – S02E02 – 一番搾り and 自己分析
Episode 2! 一番搾り (Ichiban Shibori) helped me cement my understanding of a translator’s role and what “fluency” means. And I was able to get this podcast up and…
How to Japanese Podcast – S02E14 – The Katakana Fallacy and 言語の支え
The Katakana Fallacy is the mistaken belief that katakana are more difficult to learn than hiragana (and maybe even kanji?!). A closer look at what drives this believe…
How Japanese People Handwrite Japanese
Learn Japanese with Yuta: https://bit.ly/3Q1brpF Support me on Patreon: https://goo.gl/aiWNd5 Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatYuta Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatyuta/ Facebook: https://bit.ly/381qpHS Blog: http://www.yutaaoki.com/blog/
How to Learn Japanese Online From Zero
Learn Japanese with Yuta: https://bit.ly/3oZGyoR Support me on Patreon: https://goo.gl/aiWNd5 Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatYuta Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatyuta/ Facebook: https://bit.ly/381qpHS Blog: http://www.yutaaoki.com/blog/
How To Properly Visit A Japanese Shrine
Avoid etiquette faux pas at Japanese shrines with this helpful guide!