1 Minute Japanese: Sometimes different kanji are used for the same pronunciation to show a shade of meaning. Today we will look at the four kanji for あつい atsui and try to clear up some confusion.
For Upper Beginners (but beginners may get something out of it too!)
暑い hot (weather)
熱い hot (to the touch)
厚い thick
篤い deep, [...]

I like my coffee black.
ブラックだけでいい。
…And for as long as I can remember I like my tea unsweetened. I know most Americans disagree with me on that since you absolutely cannot find an unsweetened tea in a convenience store (at least not around these parts).
Japan is different. Of course you can buy cokes and [...]

Learn Japanese: 1 Minute Japanese - Animals!

Here is another 1 Minute Japanese on basic beginner’s animal names.
That cat… The stock footage I have has no sound so when the cat opened its mouth, I had to recreate what probably came out. That is… well, you’ll just have to watch the video to see.
EDIT: [...]

This may be a ‘duh’ moment for most of you, but…
The other day I tried the energy drink Red Bull for the first time here in the States. It brought back memories of that CM (TV commercial) of the rock climbers at the end of their rope groping for their リポビタンD energy drink and [...]

Learn Japanese: Valentine’s Day in Japan

There are few things in this world more fun, for Makoto, than sitting in my computer chair and having his way with the keyboard.
Yesterday, I came home from the bank to find my left monitor’s screen had been turned 90 degrees. (You can do that to get portrait dimensions in the video control panel [...]

Nintendo DS: 200 Mannin no Kanken
This software is a great way to help improve your kanji writing ability. I made this video showcasing some of the quizzes: