This week’s fact is about one of Japan’s most famous symbols of perseverance. 🔴 Daruma Dolls A Daruma (だるま) is a traditional Japanese doll that represents: • perseverance • determination • never giving up The doll is based on Bodhidharma, the monk associated with the origins of Zen Buddhism. Its round shape is symbolic too. If you knock a daruma over… it rolls back upright. This connects to a famous Japanese phrase: 七転び八起き Nanakorobi yaoki “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” 👁️ Why Daruma Have Blank Eyes When people buy a daruma, one eye is usually left blank. First, you make a goal or wish. Then you paint in one eye. The daruma watches over your effort and determination. When the goal is finally achieved… …you paint in the second eye. Only then is the daruma complete. ⛩️ When Are Daruma Used? People often use daruma for: 📚 passing exams 💼 business goals 🏃 fitness goals 🎯 personal challenges At the end of the year, many people return old daruma dolls to temples to be respectfully burned in ceremonies. 🔴 My Daruma Goal I recently bought a daruma of my own. It is the one in the photo. Right now, both eyes are blank and I'm about to fill in one eye to start the journey toward my goal. My goal is to make Japanese Language Learners as useful and engaging as possible so we can grow this group to 1000 members. When our group reaches 1000 members, I’ll paint in the second eye. 👁️✨ So every new member brings us one step closer to completing the daruma together. 🧠 Language Lesson 🔴 だるまをかいました。 Daruma o kaimashita. I bought a daruma. 🔴 もくひょうがあります。 Mokuhyō ga arimasu. I have a goal. 🔴 がんばります。 Ganbarimasu. I will do my best. 🫵 Your Turn If you had a daruma, what goal would you use it for? 日本語の目標ですか？ 😊 Also, please let me know what you would like to see in our group to help it be as useful as possible for you and for our 1000 potential members. See you next Friday for another Japan Fact Friday 🇯🇵✨

I've been a little sick the last couple of days so felt inspired to write about phrases for sickness in Japanese. Everyone needs this vocabulary at some point! 🤧 Common Phrases かぜをひきました。 Kaze o hikimashita. I caught a cold. インフルエンザにかかりました。 Infuruenza ni kakarimashita. I got the flu. ねつがあります。 Netsu ga arimasu. I have a fever. のどがいたいです。 Nodo ga itai desu. My throat hurts. あたまがいたいです。 Atama ga itai desu. I have a headache. せきがでます。 Seki ga demasu. I have a cough. はながでます。 Hana ga demasu. I have a runny nose. 🗣️ Useful Sentences 今日はちょっと具合が悪いです。 Kyō wa chotto guai ga warui desu. I feel a bit unwell today. 今日は休みます。 Kyō wa yasumimasu. I will take a day off today. 🫵 Your Turn Try writing one sentence: ＿＿＿がいたいです。 ＿＿＿があります。 Example: あたまがいたいです。

How to start Easter weekend! Accompanied by a soba boro from Ono city in Fukui prefecture 😋

Yesterday’s winner was… 食パン (Shokupan)! 🍞🔥 The cloud-soft bakery favourite rises into the Final Four! Now we have a battle of bold flavours… 🔥 Japanese Food Tournament — Round 3 (Final 8) 🔥 🍗 Karaage vs 🥩 Jingisukan Crispy fried chicken versus smoky northern barbecue. Only one reaches the Final Four. 🍗 Karaage (唐揚げ) Juicy chicken marinated in soy sauce, garlic and ginger, then fried to crispy perfection — karaage is one of Japan’s most beloved comfort foods. From bento boxes to izakaya plates to festival stalls, it’s the kind of dish people never get tired of. Why it’s strong this round: Crispy outside, juicy inside Bold savoury flavour Easy to snack on and share A universal crowd favourite This is addictive comfort food. 🥩 Jingisukan (ジンギスカン) A specialty of Hokkaidō, jingisukan is grilled lamb cooked on a distinctive dome-shaped metal plate. The meat cooks on top while vegetables below soak up the flavour, creating a smoky, communal barbecue experience. Why it’s a serious contender: Unique lamb flavour Social, interactive cooking Strong regional identity Perfect for gatherings This is northern Japan’s BBQ pride. 🗳️ Time to Vote! Which one reaches the Final Four? The crispy fried favourite karaage? Or the smoky Hokkaidō grill jingisukan? Cast your vote and defend your favourite! 🍗🥩 The Final Four is about to be decided… 🔥

For highlights of Day 5 action, visit here: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/tv/sumo/tournament/202603/day5.html 🇯🇵 Sumo Fact: Chonmage (Topknot) The ちょんまげ / 丁髷 (chonmage) is the traditional topknot hairstyle worn by sumo wrestlers. This hairstyle originally comes from the samurai of the Edo period. Samurai shaved the top of their heads and tied the remaining hair into a topknot so their helmets would fit more comfortably. In sumo, the chonmage became part of the sport’s tradition and appearance. Professional wrestlers grow their hair long so it can be styled into this topknot. Top-ranked wrestlers sometimes wear a more elaborate version called an 大銀杏 (おおいちょう / ōichō) during the ring entrance ceremony, which looks like a ginkgo leaf. Today the chonmage is one of the most recognisable symbols of sumo’s connection to Japan’s samurai past.