What's to Come in 2017

Let me start off by saying I am continuing my blog. I have a lot of fun writing about Japan because it involves the two things I love, writing and Japan. In my very first blog I mention all the reasons why I started, and some of those reasons no longer apply. I feel much better about my life situation. I'm not as anxious as before about going to Japan because I'm involved in a local Japan Society that gives me my fair share of Japan (there are many Japan Societies in America. Look to see if your city has one and get involved). But it's still nice to go back on my occasional trips to see the country I admire. And I won't really need the writing practice anymore because of my news I want to share with y'all in this blog. I'm still going to work on this blog because I still love sharing my love and experiences of Japan with others so they can learn more about Japan. When I got out of college I had a moment where I wanted to teach English Literature, but that wasn't what I really wanted for myself. I want to teach about Japan and write my own stories.

Christmas in Japan

Christmas in Japan is very unique, yet familiar at the same time. There are many things that are involved when it comes to Christmas in Japan. Let's just get into it because there's a lot to cover.

Length of Celebration

Here in the states, people usually start going into high gear with Christmas cheer after Thanksgiving. In Japan the Christmas spirit arrives right after Halloween. There's no major holiday in between the two so Christmas is celebrated through November to December in many ways. I recently went to Japan for two weeks in November. This was the perfect time because I got to experience autumn and Christmas in Japan at once.

Public Restrooms in Japan

This may seem like an odd topic but if you ever go to Japan you'll understand the greatness of public restrooms. For those of you who have been to Japan you probably know what I'm going to talk about. Japan is a country of rules, manners, and privacy (keeping to yourself). In this post we're going to talk about the privacy aspect of Japan through restrooms!

Most Common Words You Hear in Japan

Whether you know Japanese or not you can tell when you start to hear the same words while walking the streets. I know a bit of Japanese so I recognized all the common words you hear in others' conversations, but my husband who knows no Japanese was able to pick up a few words just from observation.

Here are the most common words you'll hear in Japan.

So so so so so (そうそうそうそうそう)

The original phrase this came from is sodesu (そうです) which is used to agree or confirm with someone. In actual words it means "that's right." As you can imagine, repeating it several times in a casual way of saying "right, right, right, right." In English it may sound like you're trying to shut someone up fast but in Japanese it is more of a strong agreement. This phrase is used mostly by young adults, but it can also be used by older adults in a more casual setting with a friend. This phrase is never to be used in a formal situation.

Majide (まじで)

This is a simple one. "Seriously?" Used with young adults, you'll hear this word a lot in a conversation. Someone will say something and the other person will reply with majide, seriously? This is how you casually express surprise or shock at something someone has said. I've only heard this getting popular in the last two years, so I'm not sure how long this has actually been used.

Sumimasen (すみません)

The word sumimasen has many meanings and usages. You will hear it everywhere such as the station, a restaurant, and even at a store. Sumimasen initially means "excuse me" but can be used as a quick "I'm sorry." For the restaurant you'll hear it used to get a waiter's attention as in Japan they don't come check on you unless called upon. You'll hear it used at the store for the same reason. For the station there could be two scenarios. The first being if you need to pass through a crowd you can use it as an excuse me. The second being if you accidentally bump into a person while trying to catch a train, in that case it would be used as a sorry. It's a common word used in everyday life situations. It's an extremely useful word to know if you plan to travel to Japan.

If you're ready to learn Japanese, here's where to start on how.

Not looking to learn the language but would like to know important words for travel, here's material for that.

This was just a small post to get myself back into writing after being gone for three weeks after going to Japan. It's like playing an instrument. It takes a lot of practice and once you know how to do it you need to keep at it or the ability to do so will slowly disappear.

These are three words my husband noticed while in Japan. I used him as my source since he doesn't know Japanese. He knows no Japanese but picked out these three words from overhearing strangers' on the street. Once he kept on hearing these over and over again he began to actually learn these terms and how to use them.

Hope you enjoyed reading. There's bigger and better to come. To keep up with it all the greatness soon to come follow my blog for updates and also follow me on my social media where I'm most active!

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