This week’s fact is about one of the most influential creators in Japanese pop culture history. 🐉 Japan Fact Friday — Akira Toriyama and a French Honour On this day in 2019, legendary manga creator Akira Toriyama was awarded the title of Chevalier (Knight) of France’s Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. This prestigious award honours people who have made major contributions to the arts and culture. And Toriyama absolutely earned it. 🐉 The Creator of Dragon Ball Toriyama is best known as the creator of: 📖 Dragon Ball 📺 Dragon Ball Z The adventures of Son Goku inspired millions of fans around the world. For many people, Dragon Ball was their first anime. Its influence can still be seen today in: ⚔️ action anime 💥 power-up transformations 🏆 tournament arcs 😂 humour mixed with epic battles Many modern creators openly say: “We grew up on Dragon Ball.” Why This Matters What makes this story special is that a Japanese manga artist was honoured by France. It shows how Japanese pop culture — manga, anime, and games — became something truly global. A boy chasing Dragon Balls… ended up influencing the entire world. Language Lesson — Anime & Manga 📖 マンガをよみます。 Manga o yomimasu. I read manga. 📺 アニメをみます。 Anime o mimasu. I watch anime. 🐉 ドラゴンボールがすきです。 Doragon Booru ga suki desu. I like Dragon Ball. --- 🫵 Your Turn What was your first anime or manga? And who is your favourite character created by Toriyama? Answer in English or Japanese 😊 See you next Friday for another Japan Fact Friday 🇯🇵✨

おすすめの本！My book recommendation! Have you ever read a story in just 3–5 pages that completely surprised you? Let me introduce you to 星新一（ほし しんいち / Hoshi Shinichi） — one of Japan’s masters of short-short stories. Hoshi Shinichi became famous for writing very short stories with clever twists, often mixing: ✨ science fiction 🤔 human nature 😄 humour 😮 unexpected endings Many of his stories feel a little bit like The Twilight Zone — strange, clever, and memorable. Because the stories are short, they can be fantastic reading practice for Japanese learners too. One famous thing about Hoshi Shinichi is that he wrote over 1,000 short stories! If you enjoy stories that make you think, laugh, or suddenly say “Wait… WHAT?”, he might be an author worth checking out 👀 --- 🧠 Mini Japanese 星（ほし） hoshi star 小説（しょうせつ） shousetsu novel / story 短い（みじかい） mijikai short --- 🫵 Your Turn Do you enjoy: 📚 long novels or ⚡ short stories? And have you ever read any Japanese literature? Is there a book you recommend? Let us know even if it was in English!

すみません、また病気になってしまいました。 I'm sorry. I've gotten sick again. I won't be able to do Ocha and Chat tomorrow.

This week’s fact is about a Japanese invention that changed gaming forever. 🟡 Japan Fact Friday — On This Day: Pac-Man Was Released! On this day in 1980, one of the most famous video games in history was released in Japan: 🟡 Pac-Man Created by Japanese designer Toru Iwatani, Pac-Man was very different from most arcade games of the time. Back then, arcades were filled with: 🚀 spaceships 💥 shooting games ⚔️ combat Iwatani wanted to create something friendlier — a game that women, couples, and families might enjoy too. Then came the inspiration. Legend says he was eating pizza when he removed one slice and noticed the shape: A circle with a mouth. Simple. Memorable. Perfect. But here’s a fun Japanese language connection too. The original Japanese name was: パックマン (Pakkuman) This came from the Japanese onomatopoeia: ぱくぱく (paku paku) “Paku paku” describes the sound or action of opening and closing your mouth while eating enthusiastically. Think: 😋 chomp chomp 🍜 eating eagerly 🍙 happily munching food 👻 From Japan to the World Released in Japan on May 22, 1980, Pac-Man quickly became a global sensation. Players guided Pac-Man through mazes, eating dots while avoiding colourful ghosts. Simple to play. Impossible to forget. More than 40 years later, Pac-Man remains one of the most recognisable game characters ever created. 🧠 Why This Matters Pac-Man is a perfect example of Japanese creativity: taking something small — even a sound effect like ぱくぱく — and turning it into something iconic. It also shows how fun and expressive Japanese onomatopoeia can be. Japanese has sounds for everything! 🧠 Language Lesson — Onomatopoeia! 😋 ぱくぱくたべます。 Paku paku tabemasu. I eat enthusiastically / munch away. 🎮 ゲームをします。 Geemu o shimasu. I play games. 🟡 パックマンをしっていますか。 Pakkuman o shitte imasu ka? Do you know Pac-Man? 🫵 Your Turn What’s your favourite Japanese sound word? Or… what was your favourite retro game? Answer in English or Japanese 😊 See you next Friday for another Japan Fact Friday 🇯🇵✨

ようこそ！Youkoso!! 🙇‍♂️ Welcome to all our new members over the past week! This community is all about learning Japanese step by step — together. Every bit of practice helps, so let’s keep improving together! This week’s question is: さけかおちゃか？🍶🍵 sake ka ocha ka? Sake or tea? A relaxing drink with friends after a long day… or A calming cup of tea and a quiet moment? This question is open to everyone! Bonus points: Answer in Japanese and give a reason 👇 👉 おちゃがすきです。おいしいですから。 Ocha ga suki desu. Oishii desu kara. (I like tea because it’s delicious.) 👉 さけがすきです。たのしいですから。 Sake ga suki desu. Tanoshii desu kara. (I like sake because it’s fun.) 👉 わたしはおちゃのほうがすきです。 Watashi wa ocha no hou ga suki desu. (I prefer tea.) 👉 にほんでさけをのんでみたいです。 Nihon de sake o nonde mitai desu. (I want to try drinking sake in Japan.) Looking forward to your answers! ありがとう、 Arigatou, Joe Sensei 🙏 Welcome: @Dwayne McPherson @Hande Akman @Matthew Kuhn @Irene Hamelarin @Yaman Yumrukçal @Denisse Ponce @Adaugo Nzeadi @Kim Fischer @Mitsuki Hanamichi @Sergio Martínez @Reno Vohad