かどやの雫/Droplets of Kadoya

For our classes, we use two main textbooks: GENKI and Irodori . GENKI is already widely used by many educational institutions and, in my opinion, is one of the most reliable Japanese-language textbooks available today. I have also used it in my own teaching for many years. However, since GENKI was first published, approaches to Japanese-language education have changed considerably. Rather than focusing only on learning grammar and vocabulary, language education has increasingly placed importance on what learners can actually do using the target language. One approach based on this idea is known as the action-oriented approach . Perhaps partly because of this shift, I have sometimes felt that, as learners progress through GENKI , it becomes somewhat less clear what specific real-life tasks they should be able to accomplish after completing each lesson. Irodori , on the other hand, was developed with these newer approaches to language education in mind, and it makes very clear what l...

I was once asked this question by one of my students. In Japanese, foreign loanwords are typically written in Katakana. However, since ramen originated in China, it actually has a Kanji representation: 「拉麺」 . So why has Katakana become the standard? There are three main reasons for this: The Kanji was too unfamiliar: The character 「拉」 was not part of Japan’s everyday Kanji list (Joyo Kanji), making it hard for most people to read. The hit of "Chikin Ramen": In 1958, the world’s first instant noodles were launched under the Katakana name "Chikin Ramen" (チキンラーメン) . Its massive success popularized the Katakana spelling nationwide. A friendly image: Katakana gives off a more casual, vibrant, and approachable vibe than rigid Kanji. By the way, the Kanji 「拉」 means "to pull and stretch." In fact, traditional Chinese Lamiàn is made by hand-pulling and stretching the dough, whereas Japanese ramen noodles are made by rolling and cutting it. On top of that...

I would like to visit all 47 prefectures of Japan. That said, I have spent more than half of my life living abroad, and I still live outside Japan today. I cannot return to Japan very often, so it is not an easy goal to achieve. Fortunately, my mother loved travelling, and when I was growing up, our family trips gave me many opportunities to visit different parts of Japan. Looking back, I realise that I have actually travelled to quite a few places across the country. Since 2023, I have been making a point of visiting prefectures I had never been to before whenever I return to Japan. And since simply setting foot in a prefecture would not be much fun, I try to visit some of its major sights and, whenever possible, enjoy the local specialities as well. I also use an app to keep track of the places I have visited around Japan. Now, there are only three prefectures left that I have never visited : Niigata, Yamagata, and Okinawa. I am finally getting close to completing all 47. I really w...

Japanese pronunciation is probably relatively easy compared with that of many other languages, especially for people whose native languages contain a wide variety of subtle sound distinctions. However, just because Japanese pronunciation is relatively simple does not mean that it requires no special attention. If you do not pay attention to accurate pronunciation from the beginning, it can be difficult to develop natural-sounding Japanese later on. Among people who study Japanese on their own in particular, I sometimes hear learners who have studied grammar and vocabulary quite extensively but still retain some unnatural pronunciation. Japanese pronunciation itself is not particularly difficult. That is precisely why it is important to learn a few basic points correctly at an early stage and remain aware of them as you continue studying. By doing so, you should gradually develop Japanese pronunciation that sounds natural and is easy for native speakers to understand. For example, let’s...