Archive for May, 2010
Te Form + います Posted by Ginny on May 8, 2010
We’ve already talked about the て form + います as being used to express the present progress, but did you know that there are other uses of the て form + います. When verbs of movement like 行く (to go), 来る (to come), 帰る (to return), 出る (to go out), and 入る (to enter) is combined…
Imperial Mothers Posted by Ginny on May 5, 2010
In honor of this coming Mother’s Day, I thought I’d introduce some exceptional imperial mothers. Like other countries, Japan celebrates Mother’s Day on the second Sunday of May. However, it used to be that Mother’s Day was celebrated on Empress Kōjun’s (香淳皇后) birthday. She was the longest reigning empress when she passed away at 97 years of age. Another important…
May Day Posted by Ginny on May 2, 2010
May Day isn’t really a national holiday in Japan, but it’s considered an informal day off for public sector workers. While most people view it as a day of rest, trade unions try to maximize their exposure on this day. There are three major trade unions, but the trade union with the most members is…