Making a habit out of using multiple explanations and resources for one thing will feel like it’s slowing you down at first, but it’s much faster overall. We’ll list some really good reference books at the end of the Beginning Japanese section, so make sure to take a look. One additional piece of reading I’d recommend is this article on Keyword Mnemonics. For the non-kanji vocabulary you want to learn this is a surprisingly simple (and effective) mnemonic method Maduras Mexicana which will allow you to learn more vocabulary in one sitting, and be able to recall it for longer.

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Keep in mind that Japanese Buddhism is part of the Mahayana school, meaning that monks and nuns do not go on alms rounds, and instead prepare their own food in the monastery. If you wish to make a donation, you should do it at the offering box or the office in the temple; genuine temples will never use high-pressure tactics to solicit donations. Genuine monks and nuns will also never sell you religious items in the street; if you want to buy some Buddhist trinkets, do so at the temple shop.

If you are 28 years old and still live at home, do you really want to bring your date back to your folks’ house? If you are a married couple in a 40-square-metre (430 sq ft) apartment with two grade school children, do you really want to get down to it at home? They can be seedy, but mainly they are just practical and fulfil a social need. The only choices for diet soda will be Diet Coke, Coke Zero, or Diet Pepsi.

• Words such as sushi, judo, karate, sumo, karaoke, origami, tsunami, samurai, haiku, ninja, sayonara, rickshaw (from 人力車 jinrikisha), futon, tycoon and many others have become part of the English language.
• You will often have to surrender your locker key at check-in to ensure that you do not slip out without paying!
• For this reason, hiragana are appended to kanji to show verb and adjective conjugations.
• Instead, Japanese text by email (which in Japanese is just called メール mēru, without the “E-” prefix) using an email address tied to their mobile phone number.
• The national government started an initiative to multi-lingualize tourist information in 2018 and now much more information is available in English than before.

Japan is one of the world’s most ethnically homogeneous countries, and many Japanese continue to have insular attitudes towards foreigners. Although Article 14 of the Japanese constitution promotes equality and discourages discrimination, the reality is that there are no specific laws against racial or ethnic discrimination. Immigrants and half-Japanese people are sometimes subjected to abuse and discrimination. Police in Japan may and do detain people up to 23 days before a prosecutor formally files charges, and you may be subjected to nonstop interrogation during this period.

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Bottles and menus often show the nihonshu-do (日本酒度), a “sake level” that measures the sweetness or dryness of the brew, the average today being around +3 (slightly dry). When making a purchase, price is often a fair indicator of quality. A serious soy (大豆 daizu) allergy is basically incompatible with Japanese food. Keeping a strict gluten-free diet while eating out is also close to impossible. Most common brands of soy sauce and mirin contain wheat, while miso is often made with barley or wheat. Commercially prepared sushi vinegar and wasabi may both contain gluten.

After the end of the Cold War, the U.S.-Japan alliance evolved by adapting to the shifting geostrategic environment. A small cup of appetizer is a common disguised table charge costing around ¥500 (US$3.33). Assume the menu is vegan-friendly even if you don’t see any animal-derived ingredients. Japanese cuisine heavily relies on seafood broth, so ask your server before ordering. At shrines and temples in mountainous areas, there may be a risk of avalanches.

The premium may still be worth it, since they make navigation much easier. Starting in April 2024 the Japanese government is planning to allow limited ride-sharing services, but under the supervision of taxi companies instead of companies such as Uber. Japan’s excellent Shinkansen network means that flying is usually more of a luxury than a necessity. Flying remains, however, the most practical mode of reaching Japan’s outlying islands, most notably for connections from the mainland to Hokkaido and/or Okinawa. Flying is also useful for getting around sparsely-populated Hokkaido, as the Shinkansen network there is limited. Japan offers one of the most efficient rail transportation systems in the world, the crowning jewel of which is the Shinkansen (新幹線), popularly known in English as the bullet train, the world’s first ever high-speed rail line.

Websites and apps like MochiMochi are fantastic resources for discovering new vocabulary. Create your own word deck tailored to your interests and learning goals. The more words you gather, the richer your Japanese lexicon will become. When you learn a new piece of Japanese grammar, make sure to read explanations from multiple sources. Some will be complicated with hard linguistic language while others will be overly simplified.

Among the requirements in order to use the service, you must possess a passport from a country that has visa-free arrangements with Japan, have never been deported, and have never been criminally convicted. United States citizens enrolled in Global Entry (the US Trusted Traveler Program) can also apply if they visit Japan frequently. Foreigners must typically fill out a disembarkation form for immigration, a declaration form for customs, and a quarantine form if required.