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How to Distinguish Japanese People from Koreans and Chinese
Can you tell if a person comes from a specific country? Before coming to Japan, I had no idea how to distinguish Japanese, Korean, and Chinese people from one another. I had quite a few experiences (when I was in university as an international student) of trying to speak Japanese to a fellow student who…
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11 Things in Japan That Surprised Me As a Filipino
I came to Japan in the spring of 2011 when my sister who lives in Japan invited me for a month-long spring vacation. During my stay (and even up to now) there are several things that surprised me. 11. There are many elderlies. It is a known fact that Japan is an aging country. When…
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How I learned Japanese in 3 months
Before coming to Japan, I only knew two words. Oishi (Yummy) and arigatou (thank you). When I came to visit for one month in 2011, I learned a few more words. Words that are used in everyday life: ohayou gozaimasu (good morning) konichiwa (hello) konbanwa (good evening) oyasumi (good night) itadakimasu (grace before meal) gochisosamadeshita…
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Food Served at my Maternity Clinic
Food and good nutrition is an essential part in recovery from delivering a baby. I would like to share the meal prepared in my entire stay (six days, five nights) in my maternity clinic. I got admitted in the morning of Tuesday, October 22, 2019, past breakfast time (around 7:30). I delivered the baby at…
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Look at This Public Restroom in Japan
One of the many things I love about Japan is their toilets. You will be amazed at how sophisticated the technology is in this part of the planet. With all the buttons there are to press, you will be lost if you can’t read Japanese. And it is not just about the toilet bowl. It…
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How to distinguish Japanese from Korean and Chinese
Can you tell if a person comes from a specific country? Before coming to Japan, I had no idea how to distinguish Japanese, Korean and Chinese from one another. I had quite a few experience (when I was in the university as an international student) of trying to speak Japanese to a fellow student who I thought is Japanese, but after all, turned out…
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What makes kanji difficult and challenging and what are the ways to overcome it?
Many Japanese language learners express difficulty about the language and most of them say that learning kanji is what makes it hard. Kanji is one of the three set of characters, together with Katakana and Hiragana, which make up the Japanese language. While Katakana and Hiragana symbolize sounds, Kanji symbolizes meaning. So, what makes kanji…
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How to distinguish Japanese from Korean and Chinese
Can you tell if a person comes from a specific country? Before coming to Japan, I had no idea how to distinguish Japanese, Korean and Chinese from one another. I had quite a few experience (when I was in the university as an international student) of trying to speak Japanese to a fellow student who I thought is Japanese, but after all, turned out…