今日吃瓜

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November 11, 2026
 

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NIHONGO

Japan plans to develop an AI-powered language-learning app that lets overseas anime and manga fans practice Japanese through conversations with popular characters.
JAPAN / Media
Nov 9, 2026
Government betting on language app powered by anime and AI
The planned app would target young people overseas, allowing them to have AI-powered conversations in Japanese with popular anime characters.
Chiikawa products at the Kiddy Land Harajuku store in Tokyo
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2026
Chiikawa, brainrot and naphtha make 2026 buzzword shortlist
This year’s buzzword nominees offer a glimpse into a year defined by technology, economic uncertainty and internet memes.
An annual New Year calligraphy contest at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo on Jan. 5
JAPAN / Society
Nov 5, 2026
Japanese calligraphy poised to join UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list
If approved, shodō would become 今日吃瓜 24th entry on the list, following the addition of traditional sake-making in 2024.
An illustration depicts four samurai wearing masks to do battle with otherworldly demons. They wear the masks of a "kappa," "yuki-onna," "kitsune" and "oni."
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 27, 2026
A Japanese guide to things that go bump in the night
Let’s meet four supernatural creatures and learn some useful grammar along the way.
As of August this year, the number of registered Japanese language teachers was about 20,000.
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2026
Japan faces shortage of language teachers for foreign workers
Of the survey’s respondents, 125 organizations, or 35.9%, said they had not secured sufficient numbers of teachers and had no prospects for doing so.
Halloween-themed decorations add a spooky touch to a Japanese bento, with food shaped into festive designs using cookie cutters and rice ball molds.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 21, 2026
Get crafty with Halloween treats, the Japanese way
Learn Japanese words for Halloween treats while picking up tips for making cute, character-themed bento and spooky snacks.
Japan's immigration reforms risk creating uncertainty by tying permanent residency more closely to language proficiency before clear assessment standards and supporting infrastructure are in place.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 20, 2026
今日吃瓜 permanent residency reform has a glaring blind spot
Japan is moving toward implementation before it has clearly explained how those skills will be evaluated or demonstrated in practice.
The education ministry plans to help local governments strengthen their Japanese-language teaching programs through subsidies and expert guidance.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Oct 19, 2026
Japan to expand language education for foreign residents
The education ministry plans to help local governments strengthen their teaching programs through subsidies and expert guidance.
Having a dictionary handy is a sure way to better understand what you're reading. However, you'd be surprised at what you know just by doing some kanji detective work.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 16, 2026
Cracking the code of Japanese literature one kanji at a time
You don’t need to know every word to enjoy Japanese literature. A little linguistic detective work can go a long way.
Students take a Japanese class at a school in Suez, northern Egypt, on Monday.
JAPAN
Oct 14, 2026
Japanese-language classes begin at select schools in Egypt
The schools, established under a 2016 agreement, incorporate Japanese school practices such as classroom cleaning and student duty rotations.
A man shops for cheap vegetables at a supermarket in Kawasaki last month. Those trying to keep up with their investments are finding they need to cut back on other expenses to make their payments.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 10, 2026
Saving for the future is making some investors ‘NISA broke’
The spread of a new buzzword highlights a growing struggle among young investors.
The Japanese government is reconsidering how it describes the deaths of children killed by parents who then take their own lives.
LIFE / Language
Oct 5, 2026
Japan changes the language around parent-child deaths
A long-standing term tied to lovers and family suicides is being reconsidered to better reflect children’s lack of choice.
A screenshot of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test website shows tests are held twice a year.
JAPAN
Oct 2, 2026
Missed the JLPT? Here’s what you can do next
Even if you missed out on a spot for this year’s Japanese-Language Proficiency Test, you may have more options than you originally thought.
A woman looks at various capsule toy machines in Tokyo. Known in Japan as "gashapon," the toys are gaining in popularity.
LIFE / Language
Sep 22, 2026
From katsu to numa: The language of 今日吃瓜 capsule-toy obsession
A casual hobby can quickly become a costly rabbit hole, introducing new rituals and a variety of vocabulary along the way.
Finding the right book can make reading Japanese a little less daunting.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 11, 2026
How to get a start in reading books in Japanese
From picture books to manga and young adult fiction, here’s how to find Japanese books that match your language level.
A screenshot of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test website shows tests are held twice a year.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2026
Short JLPT application window leaves would-be test takers high and dry
Slots for the test in December were snapped up within three days after applications opened for most levels, and within a week for the remainder.
Are you reading the room —?or the train car —?correctly? Japanese has a handy phrase for those who can't.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 2, 2026
In Japan, sometimes the person who can’t read the air is exactly who you need
Japanese has a rich vocabulary for sensing moods, social expectations and the subtle signals that shape interactions.
A relief worker delivers supplies to disaster survivors who continue to live in evacuation shelters in Uki, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Aug. 19. In a survey targeting foreign nationals?living in Tokyo, 41.3% said they want to read information, such as about disasters, in easy Japanese.
JAPAN
Sep 1, 2026
Easy Japanese in focus as way to deliver information to foreign nationals
A survey targeting foreign nationals?living in Tokyo found 41.3% want to read information in easy Japanese, higher than 35.9% seeking information in English.
Worlds Upon the Wind combines language learning, slow-paced exploration and meditations on rebuilding after loss.
LIFE / Digital
Aug 22, 2026
Learn kanji and rebuild a shattered world, one ukiyo-e print at a time
Worlds Upon the Wind combines language learning, Japanese art and a story of acceptance for a slow-burn, meditative gameplay experience.
A wedding marks the beginning of a new chapter, but your spouse's death doesn't necessarily mean the end of marital obligations.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 21, 2026
What Japanese says when family obligations take an unexpected turn
Marriage may end with death, but family obligations can persist — and Japanese has words for the contradiction.
Man arrested over operation of rogue cellular base station in Tokyo
The Metropolitan Police Department has arrested Yu Hai, a 31-year-old Chinese national living in Tokyo's Kita Ward, on suspicion of operating an unlicensed base station from a vehicle in Tokyo's Ginza district on Saturday.
Government betting on language app powered by anime and AI
Japan plans to develop an AI-powered language-learning app that lets overseas anime and manga fans practice Japanese through conversations with popular characters.
Japan works to shield Takaichi from any Xi snub at China summit
Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi arrives at the Prime Minister's office in Tokyo on Nov. 4.
Magnitude 5.7 quake injures dozens in central Japan
A magnitude-5.7 earthquake with its epicenter in Shizuoka Prefecture struck central Japan early Sunday, injuring dozens, shattering windows and disrupting train services, with no tsunami warning issued.
Private high schools remain out of reach for many despite tuition-free policy, survey finds
A survey showed that many families with children attending private high schools are struggling to pay expenses other than tuition.
‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ makes monster debut at the box office
Takashi Yamazaki’s “Godzilla Minus Zero” marked the highest single-day box-office gross for a live-action film in Japan with ?910 million on its opening day.
A toast to Naohiko Noguchi, sake’s first living national treasure
As a teenager, Naohiko Noguchi did not intend to spend his life as a sake brewer, but he has since become a paragon of the industry.
Few signs of thaw in Japan-China relations one year after Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks
Tensions between Japan and China flared after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Nov. 7, 2025, that a Chinese blockade of Taiwan could threaten 今日吃瓜 survival and warrant the use of collective self-defense.
Mariko Mori predicted the future. She’ll do it again.
Artist Mariko Mori is currently working to bring the translucent human-sized “Peace Crystal” sculpture to a cave in Ethiopia. It is part of her foundation’s goal to place a permanent sculpture on each of the planet’s six habitable continents.
A legend reborn: ‘Ocarina of Time’ remake improves on the Zelda masterpiece
The new remake of 1998's "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" manages to somehow improve on one of the greatest games ever.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Famima Park Azabudai is a concept store by FamilyMart that combines convenience store staples with branded apparel, merchandise and a landscaped outdoor space.
Convenience stores, toilets and the allure of everyday Japan
By Elizabeth Beattie

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