Japanese Language Blog
Menu
Search

How is it like to live in Japan? Posted by on Mar 11, 2014 in Culture

This article is based on the Youtube video I found recently. This video was made by one of the Universities in Japan, Keio University, promoting foreign students to come and study in Japan.

Video summarizes many aspects of Japan in less then 2 and half minutes. It is amazing how packed this video is with Japanese culture. I have made a list of vocabularies below from the scenes in this video. Many of these scenes look familiar to someone who grew up in Japan like me, but it is interesting to see how each one of these cultural aspect is viewed by the foreigners around the world. This video does a great job on summarizing what it is like to live in Japan. Take a look!

Here is the list of vocabularies. See if you can spot these items in this video.

Hiragana Kanji English Translation
asahi あさひ 朝日 sunrise
asa あさ morning
machi まち city
kanban かんばん 看板 signs
rush hour ラッシュアワー rush hour
shuji しゅうじ 習字 caligraphy
kaku かく 書く to write
night life ナイトライフ night life
aruku あるく 歩く walk
omiyge おみやげ souvenior
yakitori やきとり やきとり Yakitori-skewered chicken
ojisan おじいさん お爺さん old man
tako たこ octopus
sushi すし 寿司 sushi
okonomiyaki おこのみやき お好み焼き Japanese pancake
men めん noodle
ramen ラーメン ramen
taberu たべる 食べる to eat
otera おてら お寺 temple
shizuka しずか 静か quiet
obasan おばさん 叔母さん old lady
sanpo さんぽ 散歩 taking a walk
koi こい carp
ocha~ おちゃ お茶 tea
chado ちゃどう 茶道 tea lessons
ryokucha りょくちゃ 緑茶 green tea
hanasu はなす 話す to talk
tokyo tower とうきょうたわー 東京タワー Tokyo Tower
jinja じんじゃ じんじゃ shrine
jidouhanbaiki じどうはんばいき 自動販売機 vending machine
omikuji おみくじ おみくじ “Sacred Lot”-random fortunes written on strips of paper at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in Japan.
negaigoto ねがいごと 願い事 wish
oshousan おしょうさん 和尚さん Buddhist priest
zazen ざぜん 座禅 Zen meditation
oteranokane おてらのかね お寺の金 Bell at the temple
daibutsu だいぶつ 大仏 Daibutsu
robot ろぼっと ロボット robot
akushu あくしゅ 握手 shaking hands
ufo catcher ユーフォーキャッチャー UFO Catcher
taikonotatsujin たいこのたつじん 太鼓の達人 drum game
dansu ダンス dance
odoru おどり 躍り dancing
earobi エアロビ aerobics
sentou せんとう 銭湯 public bathhouse
gakushu がくしゅう 学習 studying
sumo すもう 相撲 Sumo
yakyu やきゅう 野球 baseball
karaoke カラオケ Karaoke
utau うたう 歌う to sing
yomise よみせ 夜店 night fair
gyoza ぎょうざ 餃子 Gyoza, dumplings
tempura てんぷら 天ぷら Tempura
kaiten zushi かいてんずし 回転寿司 “conveyor belt” sushi bar
oishi おいしい 美味しい tasty, delicious
keisatsu けいさつ 警察 police

 

Keep learning Japanese with us!

Build vocabulary, practice pronunciation, and more with Transparent Language Online. Available anytime, anywhere, on any device.

Try it Free Find it at your Library
Share this:
Pin it

About the Author: keiko

Born and raised in Japan. She currently lives in U.S. with her husband and two kids.