japan short essay

Essays About Japan: Top 5 Examples and 5 Prompts

Japan is a beautiful country famous for its lush landscape, delicious food, and well-mannered people. Here are some examples of essays about Japan.

A developed country in Asia known as the “land of the rising sun,” Japan has become a hot commodity for tourism and business. Japan is truly a sight to behold, from its beautiful cherry blossoms, efficient public transportation system, and delicious food.

Japan’s rich history has allowed it to develop into one of the most advanced nations in the world, and its technology is renowned worldwide. Moreover, its people are known for their discipline, hard work, and resilience, even in the face of severe natural disasters. Japan is, without a doubt, a country worth visiting.

If you want to write essays about Japan, here are our best essay examples and writing prompts to help you begin.

1. What Japan Taught Me About Life by Beth Louise

2. japan experience: reflection on japanese culture by rayan elhafiz abdalla, 3. what i learned about design from travel in japan by teo yu siang.

4. The best time to visit Japan by Pat Kay

5. A Day Trip To Kobe by David Swanson

5 prompts for essays about japan, 1. what does japan mean to you , 2. misogyny in japanese society, 3. why visit japan, 4. japan’s history, 5. living in japan: what’s it like.

“In fact, there’s so much to see and do that it feels like a lifetime of exploring would never uncover all that’s on offer. It’s also a bright, buzzing lesson in living fast; just wandering around in the crowds is a massive adrenaline rush, and Monday nights are as mental as Fridays. But despite the intensity of a city so large, people are calm and quiet. It’s the most magical juxtaposition. Everything is moving at light-speed, but with such efficiency and thoughtfulness, that it feels like a well-oiled, intuitive machine, powering a ride that you never want to get off.”

In her essay, Louise writes about her experience traveling to Tokyo, Japan. She compares it to a machine, with all the people in the city playing their part. She is amazed by the people’s focus, discipline, manners, and sense of purpose, and she can better appreciate life’s simplicity. She is mesmerized by Japan and recommends booking a trip to Tokyo as soon as possible.

You might also like these essays about being yourself and essays about college .

“People were very friendly, they will greet you even if they don’t know you. One shocking incident that I will not forgot, is when the cashier was trying to help me put all my coin money in my wallet with me. In America I am not used to having someone put my money inside my wallet, that is really invading personal space. However, I learned that in Japan it seems normal to just drop off someone’s coins in their wallet.”

Similar to Louise, Abdalla reflects on new things he discovered about Japan and its people during his time there. These range from trivial things such as the “Pokemon Go” rollout in the country to the Japanese’ sense of honor and discipline. He recounts an experience in which the cashier was helping him put his change into his wallet, something he is not used to back home. He provides excellent, although short, insight into Japan, its culture, and its people.

“Everything around us is designed: from the smartphones we use every day to the tactile paving on a walkway. But it’s often hard to examine the designed environment around us with eyes as fresh as a tourist’s. So if you’ve made it to the end of this post, I’ve got a challenge for you: The next time you take a walk outside, try to become aware of the thousands of design decisions around you. What works, and what can be improved?”

Siang writes about the edge that Japanese cities and society in general have because they are well-designed. He cites innovations such as fast, automated cash register machines and aid for the visually impaired and recalls lessons such as the importance of accessibility when designing something.

4. The best time to visit Japan by Pat Kay

“When people ask me “When is the best time to visit Japan?”, I usually reply with “anytime”. Japan is always a good idea, at any time of year. It’s truly an all-year-round destination that provides vastly varied experiences throughout its distinct 4 seasons. Whether you’re a traveller who loves snow, or one who thrives in humidity; a traveller who wants to see beautiful nature changes, or wants to be thrown into crowds; whatever your style of travel, there’s a season and a time for that.”

Kay describes the weather and activities during the different seasons in Japan, giving readers an idea of when they would prefer to visit. Japan ranges from the ethereal but chaotic cherry blossom season to the calm, frigid snow season; however, each year’s season has its own charm. Kay’s essay gives good insight into the best times to visit Japan.

“When planning a visit to Kobe, consider the fact that the city has been completely rebuilt since 1995, following the great Hanshin earthquake that leveled much of the city. Except for a few memorials, you likely won’t be aware of the destruction at all. Instead, what you will discover is a cosmopolitan port city where foreign influences intermingle, museums are dedicated to sake, and a conveniently compact and walkable quarter showcases a robust nightlife scene that has featured jazz on the menu for nearly a century. Oh, and, of course, there is the beef.”

In this short write-up, Swanson lists the best things to do in Kobe, Japan, a place best known for its top-quality beef. However, there are many things to do in the city besides eating beef, such as viewing historical buildings, going to the hot springs, and visiting the botanical gardens. However, Swanson notes that eating is an integral part of a trip to Kobe, and one should not miss out on trying the beef.

In your essay, you can write about the country’s significance to you. For example, are you from there, or do you have Japanese ancestry? Have you visited? Write about your connection to the country and why this connection exists in the first place. If Japan has a special place in your heart, this essay topic is for you.

When editing for grammar, we also recommend taking the time to improve the readability score of a piece of writing before publishing or submitting

With all its glory and excellence, Japan is less evolved in gender equality. So how are women treated in Japan? First, delve into research about the treatment of women in Japanese society, and show how the culture differs from modern western gender equality ideologies. Then, discuss why Japan is behind in encouraging women’s equal rights. Make sure to cite research, statistics, and interviews to support your point.

This topic is straightforward; whether you have been or not, try to persuade others to visit the country. Include highlights that others should visit and suggestions for places others can visit. If Japan was a bad experience for you, go the other way: why should you not visit Japan?

Japan has a dark history surrounding its role in World War II. In your essay, briefly explain these events and research their effects on Japan after the war. How did the war change Japan- for better or for worse? Elaborate on the impact and, as always, include references to strengthen your arguments. This is quite a broad topic, so you can focus on one element of Japanese society: values, city planning, relationships with tourists, race, inequality, and gender equality.

Based on reading articles and sample essays as well as any experiences in Japan, list the advantages and disadvantages of living in Japan and conclude whether it would be ideal for moving to Japan or not. Use anecdotes from travel writers or people who live in Japan to show why living in japan is enjoyable or not so enjoyable. Pick a stance for a compelling argumentative essay.

If you are interested in learning more, check out our essay writing tips !

If you’re stuck picking your next essay topic, check out our guide on how to write an essay about diversity .

Martin is an avid writer specializing in editing and proofreading. He also enjoys literary analysis and writing about food and travel.

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Japan’s History and Culture on a Global Scale Essay

Introduction, works cited.

Unearthing the history and culture of Japan is an intricate endeavor. Among the current major powers, Japan is the most distinctive in its environment and culture. The origin of the Japanese language is among the most disputed arguments in linguistics (Diamond par. 4-5). Such arguments are vital to the self-image of the Japanese and to the manner in which other people perceive them. This paper discusses Japan’s history and culture under the creative legacies theme while focusing on hindrances and advantages in the country’s contributions to the world’s civilization and knowledge. The increasing dominance of Japan and touchy affiliations with the neighbors make it more significant to stand against myths and get answers.

The hunt for answers is complex since the proof is exceedingly conflicting. For instance, Japanese are biologically indistinctive, and their looks and genes are comparable to the Koreans and some Asians. 1868 marked a period of the modernization of Japan, with the Meiji restoration leading to the centralization of everything about the emperor.

Historical affirmations have created the notion that the Japanese are intrinsically not creative. All through history, Japan has methodically absorbed technological and scientific principles from overseas. In the course of more than 200 years of state-enforced insulation from European rebellion and Christianity, from around 1630 to 1850, the nation’s scholars collected scientific and technological details systematically from Dutch sources (Coleman 5). A trend of American and European intrusions in Northeast Asia starting in the 1850s compelled leaders in Japan to search for more enlightenment from the West, with the objective of centering on military and engineering disciplines.

Towards the end of the 19 th century, the Meiji Period witnessed quick industrialization, urbanization, transformation, and adjustment of Western organizational endeavors. Such advancements stimulated the establishment of a higher education system in Japan. The stress on the establishment of university education, nevertheless, strongly influenced the assimilation of foreign knowledge and technology transfer, especially in sectors such as engineering that experienced instant applications.

The overall pattern of copy-from-overseas continued for some period after the end of the Second World War, as confirmed in comprehensive copyright certification and reverse engineering, taking part in the assessment of successful products from competitors (Coleman 5). Foreign language acquisition following the war, with its inculcation of reading capacity at the cost of productive proficiencies, revealed the nation’s knowledge-gathering stance.

In 1937, Sakichi Toyoda made significant contributions to the Japanese Industrial Revolution when he established the Toyota Corporation. This has turned out to be one of the most successful and biggest car companies across the globe. Though Japan has a far-reaching and interesting history, it was not swayed by foreign nations, and its culture has thrived in isolation. Nonetheless, the moment her ports began operating and trading with the US, Japan started to industrialize and develop (Tsutsui 23-27). Ultimately, the nation has risen into a mighty world power. After successfully overcoming numerous obstacles subsequent to the Second World War with the help of the United States, Japan rebuilt its financial systems and currently remains an economic power.

The traditional Jomon community existed from 14,500 to around 300 BCE. They were the early hunters and gatherers who made pottery with a complexity that still amazes to date. The Yayoi befriended the Jomon community, interacted with the Chinese, tilled the land, and erected a fundamental political formation. At the same period, the Japanese language borrowed Kanji, good-looking and charming characters, from China (Walker 19-23).

A military nation referred to as the Yamato confederation arose and took pride in having the first monarch who acted as a god. The remnants of the Jomon community, the Emishi, were subjugated by the Buddhist theocracy, who established a new center in Kyoto. In 737, an outbreak of smallpox gave room for the first immunization against such future occurrences. Numerous upheavals, volcanic eruptions, and a comparatively weak nation resulted in the leadership of Samurai in 1185. In the course of the Onin battle, Kyoto collapsed, and armed Buddhist Sectarians spread turmoil.

The 16 th century led to the connection of the three big names in the history of Japan, which included Hideyoshi, Ieyasu, and Nobunaga. Europeans’ router, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, attacked Korea two times with prospects on China. Although he was driven back from the Korean peninsula, Hideyoshi greatly expanded his Japanese territory (Walker 34-38). This made Tokugawa bring the Japanese under single rule following his conquest in 1600. In the course of the moderately stable period, Japan conquered the Ainu at a place called Hokkaido. Merchants increased in wealth, there was the emergence of a sentiment of Japanese exceptionalism, and the Americans arrived. The most recent in a sequence of occurrences and the ensuing unequal treaties assisted in the facilitation of the downfall of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

With blood taxes being charged and interests of the nation overshadowing those of individuals, increased industrialization resulted in intensive development and prosperity for some individuals while others suffered pollution, melancholy, and death. The mining of copper and coal resulted in the destruction of fertile lands. This was so intense that it made Tanaka Shozu, an environmentalist, decry the activities, affirming that the government was waging war against its people. Enhanced militarization resulted in Japan overpowering Russia in 1905 (Walker 49-53). Mistrust of the wealthy individuals with the rising industrialization was caused by the dishonesty of Taisho Democracy and the several political assassinations that followed.

After the withdrawal of the US influence on Japan in 1952, the country turned into an industrial powerhouse. In the 1960s, its economy developed greatly despite numerous high-profile pollution lawsuits revealing the ugly underside of its splendor. Japan’s success then started declining gradually in the 1990s (Walker 51-53). It is at this time that conflicts with China came up and worsened. Moreover, numerous calamities struck, and a dangerous earthquake was experienced. This sent immense waves over the densely populated regions and resulted in the meltdowns of a nuclear plant. Such occurrences are a solemn portrayal of the susceptibility of Japan as a nation consisting of Islands.

As Japan seeks to recover from past disasters, it experiences issues of over-fishing, exceedingly low birthrates, and increasing climatic changes, which it experiences along with most nations in the West. In the recent past, some Japanese have attempted to revise the victory of the Second World War into a less imperialist account of occurrences (Walker 57-59). The rising trouble with China has provoked questions regarding the wisdom in some parts of the constitution. The once ardent doctrine of passivism has developed some cracks. Nonetheless, Japan effectively promotes its popular culture across the globe and upholds an affable and largely productive connection with its greatest enemy in the Second World War, the US.

Japan’s distinctive culture started with its exclusive topography and environment. Comparisons show that Japan is far more secluded than Britain, which is just about twenty-two miles from the coast of France. Japan is more than one hundred miles from the nearest position in the mainland of Asia, which is South Korea. It also lies nearly 200 miles from the Russian mainland and approximately 500 miles from China (Diamond par. 5-6).

Moreover, climatic conditions have been found to make Japan unique. The rainfall it experiences, which is nearly 120 inches every year, results in its being the wettest temperate nation across the globe. Apart from the rains in winter that occur across Europe, Japan is also rainy during the summer growing season, which offers it the greatest plant yield than any country in the temperate region.

Just about 20% of the land in Japan does not have mountains inappropriate for farming as approximately 15% is agricultural land (Diamond par. 6-8). Nonetheless, a standard square mile of the farmland is fertile to the extent that it feeds eightfold more people than an equal ordinary area in Britain. The high rainfall in Japan also provides unparalleled support for the forests that regenerate fast after logging. Regardless of the thousands of years supporting a dense population, Japan is still in a position to give visitors a welcoming impression of greenness since over 70% of the land comprises forests.

Just as they like to emphasize, the Japanese are biologically and culturally somewhat uniform, with the exemption of the characteristic community of the Ainu in the northern island. A careful analysis appears to imply that the Japanese only got to the country recently from the mainland of Asia, not long enough to allow the development of major differences with their other cousins in Japan or displace the original inhabitants, the Ainu. Nevertheless, if that were the case, the Japanese language could be anticipated to demonstrate close similarity to a number of mainland languages as the case of English, which is comparable with other Germanic languages (Diamond par. 7-9). It is difficult to resolve the inconsistency between the seemingly ancient language in Japan and the proof for recent origins.

The Japanese culture is intricate and has both hindrances and advantages. If corporations wish to invest in Japan, they should start by understanding the main components of Japanese culture over and above its influence on the means of conducting business. If organizations fail to comprehend and make suitable adjustments, they could inadvertently offend Japanese sensitivities and fail in their endeavors.

Japan has made remarkable contributions in numerous technical and scientific domains (Mason and Caiger 48-50). Particularly, the nation has played a vital role in the digital revolution and has established various modern innovative and extensive technologies in sectors such as robotics and electronics established by Japanese entrepreneurs. Japanese popular culture, which is highly influenced by its electronic expertise, commands considerable control internationally.

Praying for practical gains is a widespread religious endeavor in Japan. It is referred to as gene teriyaki. It has an extensive nature, and a vast number of individuals pray and buy talismans for everything beginning with road safety and educational success to victory in businesses and protection from ailments. However, the practice has been largely disregarded in academic disciplines or pushed to the sidelines as an occurrence of superstition and deviation from the actual dynamics of religious beliefs. Establishing their research on a combination of textual, chronological, ethnographic, and current materials, Reader and Tanabe show the myth of such perspectives, demonstrating that, apart from being sidelined, the perception and performance of gene teriyaki are found at the core of the Japanese spiritual world (23-25).

Genze teriyaki exists just as a widespread religious practice, although it is backed by the doctrinal formations of numerous Buddhist divisions, is ordained in religious teachings, and is supported by basic training establishments, holy places, and temples. The gains are both sought and purchased, and Reader and Tanabe talk about the financial and commercial facets of why and how establishments uphold practical benefits (33-35). Concentration is drawn to the dynamism and flexibility in the spiritual settings where new products are provided in reaction to the varying demands. Interlinked in economic endeavors and stimulations are the assertions that strengthen and justify the advancement and application of underlying gains.

In the midst of the current great powers, Japan is the most characteristic in its surroundings and culture. This paper has shed light on Japan’s history and culture under the creative legacies theme. It has focused on barriers and advantages in the country’s contributions to the world’s culture and knowledge. 1868 was a period of the transformation of Japan, with the Meiji restoration bringing about the centralization of major things around the ruler.

Improved militarization led to Japan subduing Russia in 1905. Following the withdrawal of the United States control on Japan in 1952, the nation rose to become an industrial powerhouse. The exclusive culture of Japan is supported by the outstanding topography and environment. The culture and the history of Japan are complex and hold both impediments and benefits. For companies that desire to invest in Japan, there is a need to understand the main elements of Japanese culture besides its influence on the approach of carrying out business.

Coleman, Samuel. Japanese Science: From the Inside . Routledge, 1999.

Diamond, Jared. “In Search of Japanese Roots.” Discover , 1998. Web.

Mason, Richard, and John Caiger. A History of Japan . 2nd ed., Tuttle Publishing, 1997.

Reader, Ian, and George Tanabe. Practically Religious: Worldly Benefits and the Common Religion of Japan . University of Hawaii Press, 1998.

Tsutsui, William. Japanese Popular Culture and Globalization . Association for Asian Studies, 2010.

Walker, Brett. A Concise History of Japan . Cambridge University Press, 2015.

Chicago (A-D)
Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2021, June 2). Japan's History and Culture on a Global Scale. https://ivypanda.com/essays/japans-history-and-culture-on-a-global-scale/

"Japan's History and Culture on a Global Scale." IvyPanda , 2 June 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/japans-history-and-culture-on-a-global-scale/.

IvyPanda . (2021) 'Japan's History and Culture on a Global Scale'. 2 June.

IvyPanda . 2021. "Japan's History and Culture on a Global Scale." June 2, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/japans-history-and-culture-on-a-global-scale/.

1. IvyPanda . "Japan's History and Culture on a Global Scale." June 2, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/japans-history-and-culture-on-a-global-scale/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Japan's History and Culture on a Global Scale." June 2, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/japans-history-and-culture-on-a-global-scale/.

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Read Real Japanese Essays

There is a world of difference between reading Japanese that has been specially contrived for students and reading real Japanese — that is, real-world Japanese written for native speakers. The contrived variety might be called schoolmarm Japanese: standard to the point of insipidity, controlled to the point of domestication, restricted to the point of impoverishment. The "Read Real Japanese" series, comprising one volume each of essays and fiction, provides the real thing — lively writings by contemporary authors.

"Read Real Japanese Essays" presents short works by eight established writers, including Haruki Murakami and Banana Yoshimoto. The essays are by turns humorous, insightful, and biting; all are stimulating works that will teach you a wealth about Japanese writing and motivate you to read more.

Following the form of real Japanese writing, the text runs from top to bottom, right to left. To guide you in your reading, each double-page spread features translations of nearly every sentence or phrase, making it possible to understand the meaning at a glance. Moreover, in the back of the book is a tailor-made Japanese-English dictionary covering all the words appearing in the essays, and a series of notes that elucidate issues of nuance, usage, grammar, and culture.

Best of all, the book comes with a free audio CD containing narrations of the works, performed by a professional actress. This will help you to get used to the sounds and rhythms of Japanese, as well as the speed at which the language is normally spoken.

For intermediates and beyond; for the classroom and for the car; for the intellect and for the ear: "Read Real Japanese Essays" is your gateway to the pleasures of reading first-rate nonfiction by Japanese authors — in the original.

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10 Comments Login to comment

Azrael Apr. 29, 2008 05:04 pm JST

That's awesome. Indeed, there's a wide gap between classroom Japanese language and street, real life Japanese language. Only three years after coming to Japan (my scholarship program only provides 6 months of Japanese language course) I am able to hold conversational level with confidence.

They should come up with the viceversa for Japanese learning other languages. Needless to say, Engrish comes to mind. A book like this in Japanese high schools, to read and listen to Real English Essays, would boost the confidence of the students regarding their English capabilities, no doubt.

Sagecat Apr. 29, 2008 08:16 pm JST

Is there a beginners level book in this series? I'd love a book that only has 1 - 3 grade kanji in it, or something like that.

Chikatetsu Apr. 29, 2008 09:29 pm JST

there's more of a demand for graded readers than this kind of thing. What's the point of reading an essay in Japanese if there's a translation on the opposite page? It's like trying to teach Maths from a textbook with all the answers written next to the questions

PS love the blog Az

aedfed Apr. 30, 2008 03:52 am JST

Sagecat, try Hiragana Times. They send out a daily essay that has standard Japanese, hirgana, Romaji, and English.

The Real Japanese series, by definition, won't be restricted to grade 1-3 kanji.

zaichik Apr. 30, 2008 06:09 am JST

This book looks like it might be a good thing. There are other books out there that have texts that aren't made up specifically for the textbooks - we had one at university. It was dry as dust, though.

fireant Apr. 30, 2008 08:39 am JST

There's another book Getting into Japanese Literature, I believe the name is. It has stories by Natsume Soseki and Akutugawa. Then, you go to a website (speaking-japanese.com, I believe) and download someone reading the story. Native pronunciation, native writing. Plus, fortunately or not, the translation is on the opposite page. It comes with copius notes for vocabulary.

This book looks similar except with the non-dead authors and CD. I've asked many students who speak English well how they learned pronunciation and the naturalness of their speech and they almost always say, "Listening to movies, music, and native speakers.'

Did your textbook include the essay on plywood imports of 1972? Always a gripping tale, that one.

DeepAir65 Apr. 30, 2008 11:54 am JST

I tried hiragana times with my teacher a few years back - we decided that it was no good for intermediate level as the Japanese was very complicated to the level that I would say it is not "Real Japanese". Need to give this a look to see if any better.

Also for Japanese wanting to learn English the translations were a bit dodgy and using a lot of expressions etc that you would not use in everyday life...

jeancolmar May 2, 2008 08:30 am JST

This is brilliant. Let us hope this will have an impact somehow on how English is taught here.

Honen May 2, 2008 10:30 am JST

Fantastic idea. I have used Murakami's essays as a learning tool for myself in the past; it's a great idea, because for a learner, a short essay is much more digestible and therefore less discouraging than a full-length novel. I can attest that Murakami's essays are very engaging and insightful. Heck, I might even pick up this book.

Honen May 2, 2008 10:34 am JST

Another thing: The "schoolmarm Japanese" extends all the way to how Japanese is tested. Anyone who thinks that translation should be a piece of cake after passing 1-kyuu really ought to read this book. For starters, real-world Japanese sentences are typically three times longer than any sentence in the 1-kyuu reading section, and contain less information (like subjects) by which to orient yourself.

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About This Page

This page introduces the variety of essays written by popular contemporary authors. Unless noted, all are in Japanese.

The author, さくらももこ, is known for writing a comic titled 『ちびまる子ちゃん』. The comic is based on her own childhood experiences and depicts the everyday life of a girl with a nickname of Chibi Maruko-chan. The author has been constantly writing casual and humorous essays, often recollecting her childhood memories. We have both the『ちびまる子ちゃん』 comic series and other essays by the author.

To see a sample text in a new tab, please click on the cover image or the title .

中島らも(1952-2004) started his career as a copyrigher but changed his path to become a prolific writer, publishing novels, essays, drama scripts and rakugo stories. He became popular with his "twisted sense of humour." He is also active in the music industry when he formed his own band. He received the 13th Eiji Yoshikawa New Author Prize with his 『今夜、すべてのバーで』 and Mystery Writers of Japan Aaward with 『ガダラの豚』.

東海林（しょうじ）さだお

東海林さだお(1937-) is a well-known cartoonist, but he is also famous for his essays on food. His writing style is light and humorous and tends to pay particular attention toward regular food, such as bananas, miso soup, and eggd in udon noodles, rather than talk about gourmet meals. (added 5/2/2014)

Collection of Essays: 天声人語 = Vox Populi, Vox Deli (Bilingual)

A collection of essays which appear on the front page of Asahi Shinbun . Each essay is approx. 600 words. KU has collections published around 2000. Seach KU Online catalog with call number AC145 .T46 for more details.

To see a sample text, please click on the cover image or the title .

Other Essays

Online Essay

村上さんのところ "Mr. Murakami's Place" -- Haruki Murakami's Advice Column Part of Haruki Murakami's official site. He answers questions sent to this site. He will also take questions in English. Questions will be accepted until Jan. 31, 2015.

Search from KU Collection

If you are looking for essays in Japanese available at KU, use this search box. If you know the author, search by last name, then first name, such as "Sakura, Momoko." Make sure to select "Author" in the search field option.:

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Leading a short-term study trip for students in japan.

The best way for students to study the history, culture, and livelihoods of another country is through an organized in-country experience. There are various benefits that can accrue through such an endeavor. One can learn about a part of the world away from home while at the same time gaining a deeper appreciation of one’s own culture by looking at it from the outside. Ideally, a student will spend a full semester or year studying abroad, but that is a luxury that many cannot afford in terms of time or money. Another possibility is a carefully orchestrated group trip of ten to fifteen college-age students who travel with an informed instructor to a specific locale for two or three weeks of intensive study. The instruction should include the study of the host nation’s history, culture, and contemporary institutions and population. Efforts must be made to visit important historical or cultural sites, and to mingle with and especially have the chance for conversations with residents of the country. A short visit of two to three weeks can produce a fairly superficial view of another people and their culture, but even a brief encounter can give students a greater appreciation of the world around them.

Taking student groups abroad for short study courses was the most satisfying experience in my almost four decades of teaching at Mary Baldwin University (MBU) in Virginia. MBU has a short three-week “May term” every spring where it is possible for professors to take small groups of students abroad for mini-study tours. Over the years, I took students to Japan, China, Korea, Russia, Australia and New Zealand, Israel–Palestine, and all over Europe, including Switzerland, Italy, and Croatia. Because I am a Japan specialist who lived, worked, and studied in that country for several years as a student and young scholar, my most effective study abroad courses involved a dozen or more experiences in Japan from the early 1980s through 2015. The major goal of the essay that follows is to provide a nonspecialist undergraduate or high school instructor who might have the opportunity to take students to Japan (or visit Japan alone or with a partner) with what I believe to be an optimal Japan experience given limited time.

Developing a Brief Study Visit to Japan

A meaningful study trip to Japan must incorporate three elements: introducing the student to the natural beauty of the land, visiting important historical and cultural sites, and encountering modern institutions such as schools and government buildings. My colleagues and I also included visits to various businesses to allow students to see Japanese at work. Such visits included a stop at the news office of a major television station where students could watch a full noon news broadcast. We also included visits to a major Tokyo newspaper, department stores, and a recruiting office for Japanese students who wish to study in the United States.

Planning a study tour involves visits to many sites of interest, but there is also a realization that the students need at least two or three free days spread out throughout the trip to allow them to rest or go out on their own individually crafted experiences. Japan, with its justly deserved reputation as a safe place to travel and urban areas that consistently provide English-language signs for public transport and tourist attractions, is particularly appropriate for student-generated side trips. Students looked forward to these days off and found their own way to such places as Tokyo Disneyland, the Ghibli Art Museum in the Tokyo suburb of Mitaka to study Japanese animation, and Tokyo’s early morning fish market.

Each of these Japan study tours was listed in my college’s catalog as a three-credit-hour May term course titled Introduction to Asia. Students had to register for the course and subsequent trip by the beginning of February. The faculty included myself and another colleague who went on all Japan study tours with me. We met with our ten to fourteen students for six two-hour sessions during the spring semester, where we got to know each other as a group and we familiarized the students with the dynamics of the trip. Students received a brief overview of traditional and modern Japanese history, religion, and aspects of modern culture, including the role of education, the changing status of women, and modern Japanese pop culture. Students gained a lot by viewing the 2005 movie Nana about contemporary pop stars in Japan. Given the continued popularity of Japanese popular culture, more recent movies might be substituted for the one we used. We always invited exchange students from Japan to visit the class to talk about youth culture in Japan.

We also assigned students various readings on Japanese history and culture, and required a series of essays responding to questions concerning the readings. Students read Christopher Goto’s excellent 2009 book Modern Japan: A Very Short Introduction , my own 2001 book Under the Gaijin Gaze about education and the changing status of women, and selected articles on Japanese culture from past issues of Education About Asia . We developed essay questions asking students to discuss various Japan topics such as the role of Shinto as a religion of thanksgiving, who the students felt was responsible for Pearl Harbor, and to compare and contrast the worldviews of young women in Japan and the United States. Since the course was open to all Mary Baldwin students, including those who had never taken a course in Asian studies, this preparatory work meant that every participant had some background understanding of Japan before going there.

Another advantage of our six meetings before the actual trip was that we got to know each other as a group. We spent a lot of time with group discussions and listening to student questions, which always created a greater sense of group cohesion, which is vital for the success of the trip. By the end of this preparatory class, everybody knew each other’s names and personalities, which allowed us to work more as a cohesive group when in Japan.

Travel and Lodging

Taking off from Dulles International Airport was always an exciting time, especially for those two or three students who had never flown before and who, when they arrived in Japan, were riding trains for the first time. There were always students who had never really been away from Virginia but who were on their way to Tokyo. We always tried to travel on a Japanese airline, where our students could become acquainted with Japanese service and watch select Japanese movies en route.

When we began making these study trips to Japan in the mid-1980s, we found that it was most economical in terms of cost and time to choose one base of operations rather than moving students from one hotel to another. This led to our decision to focus our trips on Tokyo, which offered, along with some day trips, all the sites that we wanted students to experience while in Japan: nearby historical sites such as Kamakura, Hakone, and Nikkō would give students a sense of Japan’s heritage and natural beauty, while Tokyo itself would provide opportunities to visit museums, a couple of schools, the National Diet (parliament), and various Tokyo-area businesses.

There are many fine, efficient hotels in central Tokyo that cater to foreign student groups. We always chose the Hotel Asia Center of Japan ( Ajia Kaikan ) in Akasaka, very close to the Roppongi area of central Tokyo. The Hotel Asia Center of Japan still caters to foreign study tour groups with inexpensive but clean rooms and individual baths. We got double and triple rooms at very reasonable rates, which included a sumptuous breakfast that always included fresh fruit and some of the best croissants I have ever eaten. The center was very near several major subway lines that could take us anywhere we wished to travel in the city. Students soon became quite adept at using the Tokyo subways and made full use of them on their own during their free days.

photo of a mountain in the distance from a water

We always timed our trips for May just after the crush of the national holiday Golden Week (late April and early May) and before the dreary and muggy monsoon rainy season that makes portions of summers so wet and miserable in Japan. May in Japan offers cool, sunny days and the glory of beautiful gardens in full bloom.

Historic and Scenic Sites Relatively Near Tokyo

The Tokyo area is blessed with a number of important cultural and historic sites that were not destroyed during the Pacific War. The most important of these places is the coastal city of Kamakura, which from 1185 to 1333 was the shogunal capital of Japan. Visitors to Kamakura, only about an hour from Tokyo station by train, can see a great number of stunning Buddhist temples and shrines that rival many of those found in Nara and Kyoto. I always took my students to the Hase temple complex, which includes caves, beautiful gardens, historic temples, and stunning mountain views of Kamakura’s beaches and harbor. We also visited the big Buddha (daibutsu) and Hachimangu Shrine, and hiked across the island of Enoshima to enjoy the caves, rocky coastline, and crashing waves on the far side of the island. Enoshima is connected to the mainland by a short causeway and is located just west of Kamakura, a few minutes by train from Kamakura station.

Another historic site that all visitors to Japan should visit is Nikko National Park deep in the mountains of central Japan but only two hours one way from downtown Tokyo. There is a large temple and Shinto shrine complex that honors the Tokugawa shoguns, as well as spectacular natural scenery, including Lake Chuzenji with its famous waterfall, which enthralled each of my student groups.

Students always got a thrill when we traveled from Tokyo to nearby Fuji Hakone National Park, roughly ninety minutes, and about fifty miles west by train from Shinjuku station in Tokyo. The trip includes a good haul on the Hakone Tozan railway, several cable car rides, and a lengthy boat ride across Lake Ashinoko with spectacular views of Mount Fuji. This trip also includes a visit to various thermal hot springs, where tourists can experience the beauty of Japan’s mountain scenery.

Opportunities in Tokyo

Tokyo is a vast, very modern city with a virtually infinite number of interesting opportunities to pursue. In order to deepen historical understanding of the city, I always took my students first to the outer moat and views of the Imperial Palace (once the residence of the Tokugawa Era shoguns from 1600 to 1868), which are spectacular. Another must-visit is the Meiji Shrine in the Harajuku section of Tokyo. Students always took a special liking for the Inner Garden, with its beautiful iris garden that was always in full bloom when we visited. I always took the students to the huge Edo Museum, which gives a very colorful and comprehensive view of Tokyo history from the Edo period (1600–1868) to the Pacific War bombing and rebirth of Tokyo after the war.

Some students always asked me to take them to the Yasukuni War Memorial Shrine and associated war museum. Before visiting Yasukuni Shrine, I explained that it was a memorial to honor Japanese war dead and that several of Japan’s notorious wartime leaders were honored there. The adjoining museum’s focus is Japan’s modern military history and includes a brief movie honoring Japan’s war dead.

photo of people in the stands at a soccer game

When I was a full-time faculty member, Mary Baldwin College had two sister school relationships with a small college outside of Tokyo and with Soka University in Hachioji, a Tokyo suburb. Instructors and students on a study tour of Japan should make every effort to visit one or more Japanese schools. We spent a full day visiting the Soka primary, middle, and high schools in Tokyo, which gave my students ample time to meet and mingle with Japanese students of all ages. There was also a visit with students at our other sister school.

Another must-visit is the National Diet in Tokyo. I had long ago befriended a leading member of the Diet, who always met with our students and personally guided them through some of the inner sanctums of Japan’s parliament. This is not a likely one-to-one relationship many study tour leaders might have, but there are also public tours that foreigners are welcome to join. Lunch in the parliamentary dining room is also highly recommended.

Nara and Kyoto

As described earlier, because of severe time limits and the abundance of things to see and do in Tokyo, we made the Tokyo (Kantō) region the hub of our activities. However, I offered an optional one-day trip to Nara and Kyoto for those students interested in getting a glimpse of these historic cities. We left on the first morning shinkansen (bullet train) headed to Kyoto from Tokyo Station, arrived at 8:30 a.m. We spent a full morning in Nara visiting Tōdaiji temple and associated temples and shrines in the morning, as well as a variety of temples and Nijo Palace in the afternoon, in Kyoto, we paid a courtesy visit to our sister college in Kyoto, Doshisha Women’s College. We caught the last train back to Tokyo after dinner.

Our students got a very good taste of Japan in two and a half weeks and were always reluctant to leave. It was fascinating to learn what they had done on their free days. A number always made the trek to Tokyo Disneyland or went with me to see a Japanese baseball game at the Tokyo Dome or at Meiji Jingu Stadium near our hotel. Others found their way to the morning fish market, and all of them spent countless hours in various large department stores in Shinjuku and Harajuku and at various youth hangouts in Shibuya. I was always amazed at how adept even the shiest student became at mastering the maze of Tokyo subways.

Students were obliged to keep a detailed journal of their impressions of Japanese life, which also became the basis of their final grade for the Introduction to Asia course.

Two to three weeks is a very short time to visit another country, but it was a very welcome opportunity for students with limited time and budgets. They always commented that their own culture was in itself unique, and they expressed greater respect and tolerance for people from other places. A number of these students later returned to Japan to spend a full semester at one of our sister schools in Japan. Many became teachers in Japan’s JET Program, and even today, years after my retirement from full- time teaching, there are a half-dozen or more former students who have made Japan their permanent homes.

Mary Baldwin’s unique relationship with Japanese schools has brought dozens of Japanese students to study at our Virginia campus for a semester or a full year. We also receive students from India, Taiwan, China, and Korea, which allows American students to encounter young Asians on their own turf. I am grateful to have been part of the international exchanges that have occurred because of the college.

I also hope this essay is helpful to those instructors and students who wish to maximize their opportunities in Japan given limited time.

Modern Japan: A Very Short Introduction

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Modern Japan: A Very Short Introduction aims to explode the myths and explore the reality of modern Japan by considering its history, economy, politics, and culture. Japan is arguably today's most successful industrial economy, combining almost unprecedented affluence with social stability and apparent harmony. Japanese goods and cultural products are consumed all over the world, ranging from animated movies and computer games all the way through to cars, semiconductors, and management techniques. In many ways, Japan is an icon of the modern world, and yet it remains something of an enigma to many.

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Essay on Japanese Culture

Students are often asked to write an essay on Japanese Culture in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Japanese Culture

Traditional clothing.

Japanese culture is famous for its traditional clothing. The kimono is the most well-known dress. People wear it on special occasions like festivals and weddings. It’s made of silk and comes in many colors and patterns. The obi is a wide belt tied around the kimono. It’s not just clothing; it’s a symbol of Japanese beauty.

Japanese food is more than just sushi. Rice is a staple in their meals. They also love noodles like ramen and udon. Meals often include fish, pickled vegetables, and miso soup. Eating in Japan is an art. They value presentation and flavor.

Festivals are big in Japan. They celebrate the seasons, like cherry blossoms in spring. There’s music, dancing, and food stalls. Children and adults dress up and enjoy games. Lanterns light up the night. These events show Japan’s love for nature and community.

Japanese arts include delicate crafts and performances. Origami, paper folding, and calligraphy, beautiful writing, are popular. In theaters, you can see kabuki, a dramatic play style with colorful costumes. Their art is about detail and expressing feelings.

Respect is key in Japan. People bow to greet each other. They are polite and considerate. Children learn to respect elders and each other early on. This respect makes their society peaceful and orderly. It’s a core part of being Japanese.

250 Words Essay on Japanese Culture

Japanese traditions.

Japan is known for its unique traditions. Tea ceremonies show the beauty of calm and respect. People sit on tatami mats and enjoy green tea. The host carefully prepares the tea, showing the importance of every step. This tradition helps people find peace and enjoy simple moments.

Festivals and Celebrations

Japanese festivals are colorful and exciting. They celebrate the seasons, like cherry blossoms in spring or leaf colors in autumn. People wear traditional clothes called yukata and enjoy street food. Fireworks light up the sky in summer, and everyone feels joy together.

Arts in Japan

Japanese art includes beautiful paintings, calligraphy, and pottery. Manga and anime are popular among kids. These are comic books and cartoons that tell all kinds of stories. Origami, the art of paper folding, is also famous. With just a paper, you can make animals, flowers, and more.

Japanese Food

Food in Japan is not just about taste but also how it looks. Sushi is a well-known dish made with rice and fish. It’s healthy and delicious. Japanese people also enjoy noodles like ramen and soba. Meals are often served with green tea, which is good for your health.

Respect and Manners

In Japan, people greet each other by bowing. This shows respect. Kids learn to be polite and listen carefully when others speak. Saying “thank you” and “please” is very important. In schools, students clean their classrooms to learn responsibility and respect for their environment.

Japanese culture is rich with traditions, celebrations, art, food, and respect. It’s a beautiful blend of old and new, where each part is important and adds to the whole picture.

500 Words Essay on Japanese Culture

Introduction to japanese culture.

Japanese culture is like a beautiful tapestry, woven with history, traditions, and modern life. It’s a unique blend that forms the way of life in Japan, a country in East Asia. The culture is known for its traditional arts, distinct foods, and strong sense of community. Let’s explore some key parts of this fascinating culture.

Traditional Arts

When you think of Japan, you might imagine delicate paper cranes or beautiful paintings of cherry blossoms. These are part of the traditional arts that have been passed down for generations. Origami, the art of paper folding, is not just a craft but a way for people to express creativity. Calligraphy, which is the art of writing with a brush and ink, is another important traditional art. It’s not just about writing words; it’s about making the writing look like a piece of art.

Food in Japan

Japanese food is famous all over the world. Sushi, which is rice with fish or vegetables, is probably the most well-known dish. But there’s so much more! Try a bowl of ramen, which is a type of noodle soup, or tempura, which is seafood or vegetables that have been battered and fried. Japanese people take great care in preparing and presenting their food, making it not only delicious but also a feast for the eyes.

Festivals, or ‘matsuri’, are a big part of Japanese culture. They are often lively events with music, dance, and colorful costumes. One famous festival is the Cherry Blossom Festival, or ‘Hanami’, where people gather under blooming cherry trees to enjoy the beauty and welcome spring. Another important celebration is ‘Obon’, which is a time to remember and honor ancestors. During this time, people might visit their hometowns, clean family graves, and enjoy traditional dances.

Family and Community

Family is at the heart of Japanese society. Respect for elders and ancestors is very important. Many homes have a small altar called a ‘butsudan’, where they place pictures and offer food to remember family members who have passed away. Community is also key in Japan. People often work together to keep their neighborhoods clean and safe, and there’s a strong sense of helping each other out.

Modern Pop Culture

Japan is not just about tradition; it has a vibrant modern culture too. Japanese anime (animated movies and TV shows) and manga (comic books) are popular all over the world. Characters like Pikachu from Pokémon have fans of all ages. Japanese technology is also cutting-edge, with inventions like high-speed trains and advanced robots.

Japanese culture is a rich mix of old and new. From the quiet beauty of a tea ceremony to the excitement of a high-tech video game, there’s something for everyone. It’s a culture that values both respect for the past and innovation for the future. Learning about Japanese culture can be a fun adventure, full of surprises and new experiences.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

Essay on Japanese Family
Essay on Japanese Friend
Essay on Japanese Holiday

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

PEOPLE & CULTURE

The Japanese are famous for their willingness to work very hard. Children are taught to show respect for others, especially parents and bosses. They learn to do what's best for their family or company and worry less about their own needs.

Japanese food is very different from food in Western countries. There is lots of rice, fish, and vegetables, but little meat. With little fat or dairy, this diet is very healthy, which helps Japanese people live, on average, longer than any other people in the world.

The Japanese people have a deep affection for the beauty of the landscape. The ancient Shinto religion says natural features like mountains, waterfalls, and forests have their own spirits, like souls.

Most of Japan is covered by countryside. But with more than 100 million people living in such a small place, wildlife has suffered.

Pollution is now tightly controlled, but road building and other human activities have harmed natural habitats. About 136 species in Japan are listed as endangered.

The warm Tsushima Current flows from the south into the Sea of Japan, where it meets a colder current from the north. The mixing of waters makes the seas around Japan very rich in fish and other sea life.

GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY

Japan is the only country in the world with a reigning emperor. Emperors have no real power, but they are still revered as a symbol of the country's traditions and unity.

World War II devastated Japan's economy. But the Japanese people's hard work and clever innovation turned it around, making it the second largest economy in the world. Japan's high-tech industry makes some of the most popular electronic products in the world.

People first came to Japan about 30,000 years ago. At the time, the main islands were connected to Siberia and Korea by bridges of dry land, so people crossed on foot. The first society, called the Jomon culture, arose about 12,000 years ago. Around the same time, the Ainu people arrived by boat from Siberia.

The Jomon and Ainu survived for thousands of years, hunting, fishing, and gathering plants. In 300 B.C., the Yayoi people came to Honshu Island from Korea and China . They were skilled weavers, tool makers, and farmers who began cultivating rice in flooded paddy fields.

In 660 B.C., Japan's first emperor, Jimmu Tenno, came to power. Emperors controlled Japan until the 12th century A.D., when military rulers, called shoguns, took control and ruled by might.

Europeans first arrived in Japan in 1543, bringing guns and Christianity. In 1635, the ruling shogun closed Japan to foreigners and forbade Japanese to travel abroad. This isolation lasted more than 200 years. In 1868, the shoguns were overthrown and emperors returned. This was a time of great change and modernization for Japan.

During World War I (1914-1917), Japan fought on the side of the U.S. But on December 7, 1941, Japan bombed the United States navy fleet at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and the U.S. entered World War II. From 1941-1945, Japan's military leaders fought against the U.S. and the allied forces. In August 1945, the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing about 115,000 people. Japan surrendered a few days later.

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Transition Words and Phrases for Japanese Essays

June 9, 2020

By Alexis Papa

Are you having a hard time connecting between your ideas in your Japanese essay? In this article, we have listed useful transition words and phrases that you can use to help you let your ideas flow and have an organized essay.

Transition Words and Phrases for Japanese Essays

Japanese Phrases for Giving Examples and Emphasis

For example,

がいこく、たとえばちゅうごくへいったことがありますか。 Gaikoku, tatoeba Chuugoku e itta koto ga arimasu ka?

Have you been abroad, for instance China?

たぶんちゅうごくへいったことがあります。 Tabun Chuugoku e itta koto ga arimasu.

I have probably been to China.

Japanese Essay Phrases: General Explaining

しけんにごうかくするのために、まじめにべんきょうしなきゃ。 Shiken ni goukaku suru no tame ni, majime ni benkyou shinakya.

In order to pass the exam, I must study.

あしたあめがふるそう。だから、かさをもってきて。 Ashita ame ga furu sou. Dakara, kasa wo motte kite.

It seems that it will rain tomorrow. So, bring an umbrella.

Showing Sequence

まず、あたらしいさくぶんのがいせつをしようとおもう。 Mazu, atarashii sakubun no gaisetsu wo shiyou to omou.

First, I am going to do an outline of my new essay.

つぎに、さくぶんをかきはじめます。 Tsugi ni, sakubun wo kaki hajimemasu.

Then, I will begin writing my essay.

Adding Supporting Statements

かれはブレーキをかけ、そしてくるまはとまった。 Kare wa bureki wo kake, soshite kuruma wa tomatta.

He put on the brakes and then the car stopped.

いえはかなりにみえたし、しかもねだんがてごろだった。 Ie wa kanari ni mieta shi, shikamo nedan ga tegoro datta.

The house looked good; moreover,the (selling) price was right.

Demonstrating Contrast

にほんごはむずかしいですが、おもしろいです。 Nihongo wa muzukashii desu ga, omoshiroi desu.

Although Japanese language is difficult, it is enjoyable.

にほんごはむずかしいです。でも、おもしろいです。 Nihongo wa muzukashii desu. Demo, omoshiroi desu.

Japanese language is difficult. Nevertheless, it is enjoyable.

にほんごはむずかしいです。しかし、おもしろいです。 Nihondo wa muzukashii desu. Shikashi, omoshiroi desu.

Japanese language is difficult. However, it is enjoyable.

にほんごはむずかしいですけれど、おもしろいです。 Nihongo wa muzakashii desu keredo, omoshiroi desu.

Japanese Essay Phrases for Summarizing

われわれはこのはなしはじつわだというけつろんにたっした。 Wareware wa kono hanashi wa jitsuwa da to iu ketsuron ni tasshita.

We have come to a conclusion that this is a true story.

Now that you have learned these Japanese transitional words and phrases, we hope that your Japanese essay writing has become easier. Leave a comment and write examples of sentences using these Japanese essay phrases!

Alexis Papa

Alexis is a Japanese language and culture enthusiast from the Philippines. She is a Japanese Studies graduate, and has worked as an ESL and Japanese instructor at a local language school. She enjoys her free time reading books and watching series.

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Japanese Short Stories: 17 Captivating Stories and Collections To Read in 2024

Do you sometimes find yourself daydreaming about visiting Japan?

I know I do, but since travel isn’t always possible, watching Japanese films, and especially reading Japanese books is the next best thing.

So maybe it’s time to swap your usual books for some authentic Japanese short stories.

Here are 17 well-known Japanese short stories (and short story collections) to add some fun to your bookshelf!

1. “After the Quake” by Haruki Murakami

2. “teach us to outgrow our madness” by kenzaburō ōe, 3. “japanese tales of mystery and imagination” by edogawa ranpo, 4. “a treasury of japanese folktales” by yuri yasuda, 5. “buying mittens” by nankichi niimi, 6. “koizumi yakumo complete works” by koizumi yakumo, 7. “ichiyo higuchi complete works” by ichiyo higuchi, 8. “shinichi hoshi short short selection” by shinichi hoshi, 9. “palm-of-the-hand stories” by yasunari kawabata, 10. “lizard” by banana yoshimoto, 11. “blind willow, sleeping woman” by haruki murakami, 12. “the elephant vanishes” by haruki murakami, 13. “the cat that lived a million times” by yoko sano, 14. “breaking into japanese literature” translated by giles murray, 15. “exploring japanese literature” translated by giles murray, 16. “short stories in japanese” translated by michael emmerich, 17. “read real japanese fiction” translated by michael emmerich, bonus resources: online databases, and one more thing....

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Japanese title: 地震後

Murakami is undoubtedly Japan’s most famous contemporary writer. He has sold millions of copies of his work, which has been translated into 50 languages. So what if you read it in the original Japanese?

This collection of short stories is focused on the 1995 Kobe earthquake. It contains six short stories centered around people who, while not directly affected by the physical devastation of the quake, find their lives forever changed in its aftermath.

One of the most well known stories from this book is “All God’s Children Can Dance,” which focuses on a young man named Yoshiya who follows a man he thinks may be his father to a baseball field . The man disappears, but Yoshiya still manages to have a joyous epiphany.

If you’re interested in an English language film version of this story, check out the trailer here.

Teach Us to Outgrow Our Madness: The Day He Himself Shall Wipe My Tears Away, Prize Stock, Teach Us to Outgrow Our Madness, Aghwee the Sky Monster

The works in this collection display Kenzaburō Ōe’s distinctly Japanese vision. As some background, the author was just ten when he first saw American military Jeeps arrive into the mountain village where he lived, and his literary work deals with the tension and ambiguity forged by this first otherworldly encounter at the end of World War II.

The earliest story included here, “Prize Stock,” reveals the strange relationship between a Japanese boy and a captured black American pilot in a Japanese village.

The collection also includes the short story, “Aghwee the Sky Monster,” an enchanting tale about a young man suffering from blindness caused by being attacked by a gang of children. As he deals with the trauma, he starts his first job, working for a rich banker’s son, who is also haunted by something: the ghost of a baby.

Japanese title: 日本昔話の宝庫

Japanese Tales of Mystery and Imagination

Japan’s premiere mystery writer, Edogawa Ranpo, knows how to thrill and make the hairs on your arm stand on end. This collection, an homage to Ranpo’s literary hero Edgar Allan Poe, features blood curdling, bizarre, fantastic, and just plain scary stories that will be a pleasure to read for horror fans.

One of the most well known of the collection, the short story “The Human Chair” tells the tale of a writer who sits down to read her fan letters one afternoon. What she finds is a detailed confession letter from a man who manages to fool wealthy women into sitting on him, transforming himself into a human chair. Truly creepy stuff!

Treasury of Japanese Folktales: Bilingual English and Japanese Edition

This beautifully illustrated book features a collection of traditional Japanese folktales and fairy tales. These stories are excellent for language learners to read because they convey traditional culture and values shown through the stories’ morals. The stories are presented in both English and Japanese, so when you’re struggling with a word or concept, you can easily find the translated version.

The book includes the most well known Japanese folktales, stories that have been told to generation after generation of Japanese children.

The book includes legends such as Kintaro, who rides a turtle, a tea kettle that’s actually a badger in disguise, the underwater palace of the Dragon Princess, Peach Boy and more.

Japanese title: ミトンを買う

Nankichi Niimi’s well known story “Buying Mittens” is written for children, which is perfect for beginners who have just started to learn Japanese. The enchanting story has a simple plot: a young fluffy white winter fox goes into town to buy a pair of mittens to keep his paws warm.

The story starts with the year’s first snowfall, an event that is always celebrated in nature loving Japan. Once the little fox sets off on his journey to town, he has to learn to deal with humans. Through this experience, he learns that people are a lot more complicated than he thought.

Nevertheless, the little fox gets his warm woolen mittens and all is well. This happy ending feels very Japanese—joyous but tinged with nostalgia.

Japanese title: 小泉八雲全集

Koizumi Yakumo sakuhinsyu sanjyunisakuhingaponban: Miminashi Houiti Rokurokubi Yukionna nado (Japanese Edition)

A truly fascinating character, the author of this short story collection wasn’t actually Japanese, but many didn’t know this at the time.

The author was actually born in Greece as Lafcadio Hearn. After traveling all around the world looking for a place that truly suited him, he settled in Japan in 1890, taking the Japanese name Koizumi Yakumo.

After studying the language for many years, he became totally fluent in Japanese. With his hard won language abilities, he located and wrote down many famous Japanese stories. His taste tended toward the paranormal, so it’s ghost stories, scary tales, and paranormal legends that he wrote, all now part of his complete works.

This collection is perfect for Japanese learners who have an interest in ghosts and the paranormal.

Japanese title: 樋口一葉全集

Ichiyo Higuchi Complete works (Japanese Edition)

Though she only lived to the age of 24, Ichiyo Higuchi wrote a number of short stories that have become well loved by Japanese people. In fact, she’s so well respected that she appears on Japan’s 5,000 yen bill.

Her stories were written during the Meiji era, so readers should expect to encounter some archaic and old fashioned Japanese, which would certainly be a challenge for beginners or those limited with vocabulary. Because of this, you may want to start with something easier if you’re a beginner.

Nevertheless, this story collection is a good challenge for more advanced readers, or those who want to progress onto reading longer classical Japanese texts in their original forms. The great part about reading historical texts like this is that you’re not only learning the language, you’re learning history, too.

Japanese title: 星新一ショートショートセレクション

As the title hints at, Shinichi Hoshi, a very prolific and well known Japanese author, is famous for stories that are just a few pages long. In fact, he’s written over 1,000 short stories in total.

The author likes to think of these stories like haiku, that distinctly Japanese three-line poetry style. The main difference between haiku and Hoshi’s stories are the themes and topics: science fiction is the focus here, so fans of sci-fi will certainly find some awe inspiring and creative ideas in this collection.

Expect to find robots, demons, and travels to outer space in this far out 20th century collection.

Japanese title: 掌の小説

Best known as the first Japanese writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1968, Osaka born Yasunari Kawabata is a prolific novelist and short story writer with a proclivity for heartbreaking and poetic imagery.

This collection features 146 of his novellas and short stories, spanning the time frame from the 1920s up to the 1970s. With a style described as “haiku-eque,” Kawabata explores themes of ambiguity, emotional complexity, epiphanies and transformations and of course, nature, a perennial Japanese favorite topic.

This spare, lyrical collection features the well known short story “The Dancing Girl of Izu,” which tells the story of a melancholy student who sees a dancing girl, much improving his spirits.

Japanese title: とかげ

One of Japan’s most famous contemporary female writers, Banana Yoshimoto (which is her pen name; her real name is Mahoko) has been lauded countless times for her portrayal of eccentric, albeit relatable, characters. This popular short story collection, also available in English, can be a good option for comparison when you run into difficulty with understanding a word or sentence.

Yoshimoto has published a mixture of novels, short stories and essays, and is most well known internationally for her debut story, “Kitchen,” also available in English , for which she won the 6th Kaien Newcomer Writers Prize in 1987.

This collection is good for Japanese learners who want to read a contemporary female point of view. Since Yoshimoto was born in the 1960s, she’s witnessed the formation of modern Japan in her lifetime.

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman (Japanese Edition)

This second collection by Haruki Murakami is also very well known around the world, because Murakami is Japan’s most famous contemporary writer today.

This collection of 24 related short stories, written between 1980 and 2005, and all originally published in Japanese magazines and collections. The collection enlists the author’s typical magical realism and often bizarre style fused with surreal, dreamlike storytelling.

Murakami writes in the introduction to this collection: “I find writing novels a challenge, writing stories a joy. If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden.”

Interestingly, this collection actually originated as an English-only collection before being “reverse-imported” into Japanese.

Japanese title: 象の消滅

Zō no shōmetsu: tanpen senshū, 1980-1991

One more story collection by Haruki Murakami truly deserves a place on this list. This collection, written between 1980 and 1991, features 17 short stories which were, like “Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman,” also previously published in Japanese magazines and collections.

Thematically, this collection shows another side of Murakami’s literary obsession. Loneliness, loss, destruction, confusion and loneliness are highlighted here, which will give Japanese language learners accurate insight into the melancholy present in Japanese culture. The collection also leans heavily into surrealism, a trademark style for the author.

Interestingly, the collection’s story, “The Wind-up Bird and Tuesday’s Women,” was the original seed for the popular novel “The Wind-up Bird Chronicle,” which was published in 1995.

This collection is also available in English here .

Japanese title: 100万回生きた猫

The Cat That Lived a Million Times (100 Man-kai ikita neko)

Yoko Sano’s book for children is that rare work that can be enjoyed by all generations alike, and who doesn’t love cats?

In this tale, a cat with more than nine lives is reborn over and over, living again and again with owners he dislikes. The cycle seems endless until one day, he gains an understanding of identity through experience.

The central metaphor of the story is about reincarnation and attaining enlightenment, much like devout Buddhists and Shinto followers do. Since Buddhism is Japan’s majority religion, and there are Shinto shrines peppered everywhere around the country, this story gives readers some real insights into the country’s spirituality. But it’s also quite a fun read.

Breaking into Japanese Literature: Seven Modern Classics in Parallel Text

Finally, a collection of stories chosen and laid out specifically for the Japanese language learner. This well done collection, translated by Giles Murray, who’s famous for his Japanese translation work, is a fascinating and satisfyingly cohesive read.

The book offers bilingual versions of Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s most iconic pieces, “Rashōmon” and “In a Grove,” as well as four sections of Sōseki Natsume’s “Ten Nights of Dreams.”

The Japanese is accompanied by comprehensive, same-page dictionaries and uses on-paragraph numbering for quick referencing. The book is also divided into sections depending on your reading ability.

A bonus after reading “Rashōmon” would be to watch the well known Akira Kurasawa-directed masterpiece 1950 film afterward.

Exploring Japanese Literature: Read Mishima, Tanizaki and Kawabata in the Original

In the same vein as Giles Murray’s previous book, this collection compiled especially for Japanese language learners and Japan aficionados offers an easy-to-follow collection of truly classic Japanese tales. Each one is chosen to provide insight into Japanese culture, customs, and traditions, while giving readers insight into the Japanese mind.

While its most notable addition is Yukio Mishima’s “Patriotism,” the book also contains Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s “The Secret” and an excerpt of Yasunari Kawabata’s novel and masterwork, “Snow Country,” all major not-to-be-missed Japanese works of literature.

Although not categorized by reading levels, the stories are longer and generally more challenging than those in “Breaking into Japanese Literature,” so use caution with this one if you’re intermediate level on or below on your Japanese language journey.

Short Stories in Japanese: New Penguin Parallel Text (Japanese Edition)

This 272-page compendium consists of a variety of short stories by both well-known and emerging contemporary Japanese writers, with its most famous contributors being Haruki Murakami and Banana Yoshimoto, both of which are included earlier in this list.

Perhaps the most challenging on this list, this collection features a simplistic and authentic-feeling layout: the Japanese is printed vertically, and all notes can be found in the back of the book rather than below the text. This helps advanced readers not rely too much on the English version, but it can be time consuming to hunt for a translated version if you’re intermediate or below.

Nevertheless, the stories here are well chosen and perfectly capture the spirit of Japan past and present.

Read Real Japanese Fiction: Short Stories by Contemporary Writers

Another rock solid option for those looking to catch up on acclaimed modern short stories, with accurate and excellent translations included, is this collection, translated by well known Japanese scholar Michael Emmerich.

The cover has a painting of an adorably devious child entitled “Knife in Back” by contemporary artist Yoshitomi Nara, but don’t let that fool you into thinking this volume is for children.

The collection is structurally similar to “Short Stories in Japanese” and features a fascinatingly versatile array of genres, from horror to drama. Additionally, three of the six writers spotlighted are women: Banana Yoshimoto, Hiromi Kawakami and Yoko Tawada.

Many online databases and digital libraries offer unlimited access to dozens, and sometimes hundreds, of well known short stories in the original Japanese.

A digital library sponsored by the University of Virginia and the University of Pittsburgh, the Japanese Text Initiative is an excellent resource for classical Japanese works of fiction.

A great way to supplement your Japanese reading (or help ease you into it) is by watching Japanese videos and reading along with the subtitles.

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

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Take it from me: Nothing beats repetitive kanji drills like curling up with a good short story, so click the links, consider buying a collection or two, and get into reading.

You may just gain some cultural insights on Japan while you brush up your vocabulary and grammar as a bonus!

If you love learning Japanese with authentic materials, then I should also tell you more about FluentU .

FluentU naturally and gradually eases you into learning Japanese language and culture. You'll learn real Japanese as it's spoken in real life.

FluentU has a broad range of contemporary videos as you'll see below:

FluentU makes these native Japanese videos approachable through interactive transcripts. Tap on any word to look it up instantly.

All definitions have multiple examples, and they're written for Japanese learners like you. Tap to add words you'd like to review to a vocab list.

And FluentU has a learn mode which turns every video into a language learning lesson. You can always swipe left or right to see more examples.

The best part? FluentU keeps track of your vocabulary, and gives you extra practice with difficult words. It'll even remind you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You'll have a 100% personalized experience.

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Read Real Japanese: Essays and Fiction

READ REAL JAPANESE: ESSAYS AND FICTION

photo of the read real japanese books on a table

Read Real Japanese is a book series with both essays and short stories for Japanese language learners. Read Real Japanese: Contemporary Writings by Popular Authors contains eight essays by current, popular Japanese authors. Read Real Japanese: Short Stories by Contemporary Writers on the other hand contains six short stories by another set of current authors. In terms of layout, Japanese is on one side (vertical) and English is on the other (horizontal). However, the English included in this text are not direct translations, per se. Rather, they communicate the overall meaning of the corresponding sentence or phrase, so one could call them a gloss of the Japanese. Other useful features in these books include the following:

Detailed translator notes
Glossary of all used terms
Accompanying audio by a professional voice actress
Furigana to aid in reading kanji words

While aimed at intermediate-level students, the stories in these books are actually quite difficult and should more likely be categorized as advanced . You can read more about these books in the full review here .

Short essay: Thoughts on learning to speak and write in a foreign language… naturally

When learning a foreign language, I think we all tend to go through stages. First, we may have a mild (or major) interest in the culture of a foreign country, and begin to pick up a few words here or there in that country’s native language. In the case of Japanese, it might be a few phrases from subtitled Anime where it’s easy to pick words that frequently appear. I still vividly remember learning one of my first Japanese expressions from a good friend in high school: “ Hajimemashite, douzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu “.

The next stage involves more formal learning by taking one or more classes or devoting some of your spare time to properly learn the basics of the language, especially grammar, pronunciation, and alphabet(s). For many people, memorizing isn’t that challenging (given the time and effort), but the tricky part here is to start learning the ins and outs of that language’s grammar, including certain tendencies that are different from one’s native language, like how in Japanese subjects are often omitted.

After a few years of extensive study, most people can probably manage to figure out the meaning of text in that language, assuming they have access to a dictionary. Learning to understand spoken language can be much tricker due to differences individual speech (in Japanese there are significant differences across genders and ages) and also due to regional accents/dialects. But, even for listening, I think practice really does make perfect, at least in the sense that you “understand enough” to either enjoy the content in that language, or learn something from it. For reading and listening, which I’ll call passive tasks, there is typically so much context to go by that you can just guess things as you go–essentially every sentence becomes a mini puzzle. If you are living your day-to-day life in that language, any misunderstandings you have about the meaning of a certain expression will probably get ironed out by time, as you undertake a gradual process of trial and error.

Now we come to the real challenge: the active tasks of writing and speaking in a foreign language. It depends on the person, but for me I feel speaking is generally the harder of these two. One reason is that you typically have to respond in real time, and the other is the need to be concerned about pronunciation, not only of individual words but also of phrases, since in Japanese the intonation of words can influence words later in the sentence. You also have to worry about things like aizuchi (words used to show you are listening, like “ sou desu ka “) and words that show you are thinking (like “ etto… ” which is a little similar to the English “umm…”). You also have to inflect your speech to express your emotions. Finally, you need a conversation partner in order to make any progress. This condition alone means that self-taught students who don’t live in a country which speaks that language will have a very hard time of getting to an advanced level in their speech.

There are some advantages to learning to speak as compared to learning to write. For example, when speaking there is a quick feedback cycle between expressing something and getting a response. Although it’s usually pretty hard to find someone to correct your mistakes during a conversation (except maybe a private tutor who is paid for that), there is often an opportunity to reuse an expression you just heard, which allows you to cement it in your memory for more easy recall later.

Learning to write, on the other hand, lacks many of the difficult aspects of learning to speak, like pronunciation and a need to respond in real time. For those doing self-study, especially those living outside of Japan, it should be easier to pick up writing (and by writing, I am mostly referring to inputting with a keyboard, though writing by hand is also included) because there is nearly an infinite set of resources available in the form of websites and in many books which can be pretty easily acquired from online retailers. One can also write all day long, in the form of a blog or essay, without needing anyone available at that moment (unlike speaking which usually requires a partner). So, in a certain sense, you can study writing as much as your free time allows.

However, herein lies one of the challenges of learning to write natively. Just as with speech, it is pretty difficult to find someone to correct your mistakes on somewhere like a daily blog. The problem comes when you know just enough grammar and vocabulary to be dangerous, meaning that you can just start writing nearly anything that comes to mind, using only a dictionary and knowledge of grammar rules. However, if you are not careful you might end with extremely unnatural prose that sounds like something that came out of a computer translator. Ok, maybe not that horrific, but you get the point.

Getting to the final stage, where you can write like a native, such that none of your language has the scent of your native language, is quite a challenge, and I feel many people are never able to achieve this goal. I myself still have a long way to come, though I tell myself this is because I have placed an emphasis on passive Japanese (i.e. reading and listening) over active for many of my years of study.

Completely natural writing (as well as speech) requires not just learning a complete set of grammar rules to build sentences with, but also a large set of exceptions , without necessarily any logic behind them. To put it another way–how often have you read the text written by a non-native speaker of your native tongue and said to yourself “this just doesn’t feel right”. It isn’t technically grammatically incorrect, and there is no official rule that has been broken. Some of this can be explained by the linguistic phenomenon called “collocation” which describes how certain groups of words are used more commonly together than others.

To help get your writing to sound more natural, I suggest you try and create a tight feedback loop which mimics a conversation. This means that you should favor writing emails (either to a friend or coworker) over writing a blog. When writing emails, try to force yourself to reuse words and expressions used by the person you are communicating with (hopefully a native speaker). Also, if you say something unnatural it’s more likely to be pointed out as opposed to a blog where mistakes can sit for years on a webpage without anyone pointing them out. Text chat provides an even shorter feedback loop (nearly immediate), though you should keep in mind the expressions you learn from chatting with someone may not be applicable to an email or other more formal type of writing (think of the abbreviation “l8r” used in English chat, which would be strange to use in a business email).

If you really want to keep a blog in a foreign language, I recommend reading other blogs written by native speakers immediately before and after you make a post, and be sure to do a thorough proofread of your text before posting it, looking for unnatural or incorrect parts. When I have written a blog in the past in Japanese, I frequently googled combinations of words to verify if they were common before using them. This helped me write much more natural sentences, but it had the disadvantage of being quite tedious and taking out some of the fun out of blog writing.

Another option when you are reading is to take notes whenever you come across an expression that seems useful, and force yourself to use it in the next day or so in your own writing. This can be an effective way of increasing your vocabulary, though it takes a good amount of persistence and willpower to not get lazy and quit after a few days. If you have the time you can write a few example sentences on the spot, though that can interrupt your reading practice.

One other way to help raise your writing and speech to native level is to find one or more role models–native speakers who you can respect and pick up phrases from. I think to a certain extent this automatically happens when speaking, especially when we make friends and talk to them on a frequent basis, but for writing I feel it requires a bit more conscious effort to find and leverage such linguistic role models.

Once in a while, ask a native speaker to give you detailed criticism of your writing so you can have a sanity check to see how close to native level you are. Doing this for everything you write would be way too tedious (for both you and the other person), though there are some tools out there like Lang 8 which can help make this process more efficient (disclaimer: I have not actually used this site but think it is worth experimenting with). Writing in a foreign language for weeks, months, or longer, without having someone double check your work carries the risk of developing certain bad habits that will be hard to break later.

Another thing I am considering getting into is writing fiction short stories in Japanese. I feel this is one of the hardest domains because much of the internet doesn’t contain full texts of proper ‘literature’, so the technique of google for natural sentences isn’t nearly as useful. Also, it is harder to find someone to correct your language since you’ll need a person that is pretty well-read. Finally, the lexicon of words used in literature is much higher than in normal everyday conversation, emails, or chat. The best thing you can do is just read as much as you can in that language, ideally from published authors, and try to remember as much as you can as you read.

At the end of the day, learning to write and speak naturally in a foreign language is essentially about learning to imitate others in an efficient way, and match up thoughts and feelings with the appropriate words. I feel the number one enemy is not the large number of words nor the foreign concepts you need to master, but complacency . The danger is when we realize we’ve reached the level where native speakers actually understand what we are saying (or at least seem to), and we slack off, telling ourselves that we’ve made it. Learning to speak and write such that we can communicate basic ideas is very different from doing so with native-like expressions, and making sure we are aware of the massive gulf between these two things is one of the steps to true fluency.

This reminds me of a book I once read about Zen meditation many years ago, “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind” . The central theme of this book was that there is something special about people when they start to learn something new: they look at everything with an unbiased, fresh mind, devoid of expectations and thoughts of “I should be pretty good at this since I have this much experience”. Though the book was focused on meditation, I think applying the concept of Beginners Mind to our language studies may have a surprisingly large impact, especially for those that have been studying a few years or longer.

7 thoughts on “ Short essay: Thoughts on learning to speak and write in a foreign language… naturally ”

HiNative and Lang-8 were designed just for that purpose: to have natives correct your writing. HiNative has a spoken aspect too, and while it is shorter, that makes it easier for everyone. Trying to learn from longer clips is exhausting.

Thanks for letting me know about HiNative, it looks interesting! Maybe I’ll check it out sometime.

Your assessment of higher level language learning is very true. Mimicking native patterns and habits is key to improving your ability. Writing and speaking are also very different, in all languages. In most cases your writing is not going to exactly replicate the way you would speak it, and sometimes writing like you would speak comes out quite strange. As with learning the language in the first place, I think practice, as you suggest, is key. It’s really nice that there are websites to help with your writing, because it can be hard even to get friends to correct your writing, especially if they don’t want to be harsh on you.

Thanks for the comment, glad you agree with that I said (:

Totally agree with what you said. When I read your entry, nuances like 分かる being preferred over 知る came to mind. I have used Lang-8 for years, and I can vouch that it is a very good tool for studying Japanese, if one is hardworking. Since others correct one’s entries, one should correct other people’s entries for a balanced exchange, so it does become time-consuming. However, it is really good because one gets to see a variety of expressions recommended by a variety of people. While this is good for N3-ish learners and above, lower level learners might find it confusing to have so many different options to choose from and may require a non-native to explain the difference to them. But all in all, I definitely recommend Lang-8 🙂

Thanks for the response. Good to know you have gotten so much use out of Lang-8.

Actually I’ve created my own program to help everyone practice writing in Japanese, maybe you’d get some use out of that as well?

If you are interested, check this out:

http://selftaughtjapanese.com/japanese-writing-lab-improve-your-writing-skills/

Hello locksleyu 🙂

Thank you for your recommendation. I have just slaved over a script for a Japanese speech contest, so I’ll take a break from writing for a bit ^^;; (bit.ly/JapSpeech) if you’re interested 🙂

I’ll join the writing lab when I feel up to it 😀