Konnichiwa, On the second day of the hiragana challenge we learn i, mi, shi, ko! 🎄✨ Watch the video and comment when you finish! Please peactis the writing to improve your overall understanding and retention (you'll remember it better)! Day Two! Ganbatte kudasai (try your best)!!!! Joe Sensei. @Ev Ginguene @Meyu Artist @Irdzra Khairuddin @Phil C @Blaize Agena @Brittney Cox @Steve Goldun @Karin Ware @Wilson Sanchez @Sheila Pinto @Fenny Kirmil @Nathan Feick

Konnichiwa, On the third day of the hiragana challenge we learn ta, yo, ke, yu! 🎄✨ Well done on making it this far. You are cementing a habit and getting momentum on your learning!! Watch the video and comment when you finish! Please practise the writing to improve your overall understanding and retention (you'll remember it better)! Ganbatte kudasai (try your best)!!! Joe Sensei. @Ev Ginguene @Meyu Artist @Irdzra Khairuddin @Phil C @Blaize Agena @Brittney Cox @Steve Goldun @Karin Ware @Wilson Sanchez @Sheila Pinto @Fenny Kirmil @Nathan Feick @Tiffany Joyner

Ocha and Chat is on in 11 hours! It's a live group call where we can chat, practise Japanese and strengthen our community of Japanese language learners. 🗓️ Next Topic: Favourite Foods（好きな食べ物） Next Ocha & Chat will be about favourite foods. This is an easy topic and a great chance to practise asking and answering simple questions in Japanese. You don’t need perfect Japanese — just try! --- 🈶 Key Question Patterns 1️⃣ Asking about favourite food 好きな食べ物は何ですか。 Suki na tabemono wa nan desu ka? What is your favourite food? --- 2️⃣ Answering ラーメンです。 Rāmen desu. It’s ramen. --- 3️⃣ Saying what you like most ラーメンが一番好きです。 Rāmen ga ichiban suki desu. I like ramen the most. --- 4️⃣ Asking a follow-up question どんなラーメンが好きですか。 Donna rāmen ga suki desu ka? What kind of ramen do you like? --- 5️⃣ Talking about frequency よくラーメンを食べますか。 Yoku rāmen o tabemasu ka? Do you eat ramen often? --- --- 🗣️ Example Dialogue ① (Very Simple) A: 好きな食べ物は何ですか。 Suki na tabemono wa nan desu ka? What is your favourite food? B: すしです。 Sushi desu. It’s sushi. A: すしが好きですか。 Sushi ga suki desu ka? Do you like sushi? B: はい、すしが一番好きです。 Hai, sushi ga ichiban suki desu. Yes, sushi is my favourite. --- 🗣️ Example Dialogue ② (With “often”) A: よく何を食べますか。 Yoku nani o tabemasu ka? What do you often eat? B: よくカレーを食べます。 Yoku karē o tabemasu. I often eat curry. A: カレーはおいしいですか。 Karē wa oishii desu ka? Is curry delicious? B: はい、とてもおいしいです。 Hai, totemo oishii desu. Yes, it’s very delicious. --- 🗣️ Example Dialogue ③ (Casual but still polite) A: 好きな日本の食べ物は何ですか。 Suki na Nihon no tabemono wa nan desu ka? What Japanese food do you like? B: たこやきが好きです。 Takoyaki ga suki desu. I like takoyaki. A: たこやきを食べたことがありますか。 Takoyaki o tabeta koto ga arimasu ka? Have you eaten takoyaki before? B: はい、あります。 Hai, arimasu. Yes, I have. --- 📘 Useful Food Vocabulary Japanese Romaji English ラーメン rāmen ramen すし sushi sushi カレー karē curry たこやき takoyaki takoyaki にく niku meat やさい yasai vegetables ごはん gohan rice / meal

Konnichiwa, Today we had a really nice ocha and chat talking about some of the very delicious foods of Japan. I think we'll definitely be doing this topic again soon! From okonomiyaki and konyaku to mochi and morning service at Komeda Cafe, we shared our favourite foods and practised some phrases for talking about foods. What Japanese foods do you like? Feel free to tell us in a comment below! Next week, the topic will be: Travel 🗺️🗾🧭🛫🚂 Arigatou, Joe Sensei.

Over the past four years, I’ve traveled both domestically and internationally—through Iceland, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Chile, and Argentina. Backpacking has become my favorite way to experience a place, whether it’s Patagonia, the Laugavegur Trail, Mont Blanc, the Ötztal Alps, or trails across the U.S. Along the way, food and pastries are just as important to me as the miles I hike. This year, I chose Japan over Nepal due to ongoing civic unrest, and I have zero regrets. The Kumano Kodo immediately caught my attention. At just 70 miles, it was the shortest hike I’ve ever done, and for the first time, I didn’t camp. Instead, I stayed in guesthouses and hostels, which gave the journey a completely different rhythm. I landed at Narita Airport on the 13th with a few hours to spare before heading to my hostel. Buying a train ticket to Shibuya turned out to be my first challenge. Everything was in Japanese, and although I had prepared in advance—knowing exactly where I needed to stop—the pressure of people lining up behind me made it intimidating. Ten minutes later, ticket in hand, I was on my way. After arriving in Shibuya, I walked about 15 minutes to my hostel and immediately asked the front desk if there was an onsen nearby. Lucky me—there was one on-site. I spent a good 30 minutes decompressing, letting the travel fatigue melt away. By then, hunger kicked in. It was already 11p.m., but in Shibuya, that’s nothing to worry about. The neighborhood is alive well into the early morning hours. Plenty of ramen shops were still open, though ordering was another adventure. Everything was done through a kiosk, and of course, there was no English option 😉. Still, at 1 a.m., sitting there with a bowl of ramen was one of the most enjoyable meals I’ve ever had. I stayed in Shibuya for a couple of nights, but honestly, it’s not something I’d recommend unless you love nightlife. That said, there are a few must-dos: Don Quijote is a must-visit, and Food Show is fantastic—especially if you go about 30 minutes before closing, when sushi is discounted 10–30%. And of course, don’t forget to take a picture with the famous Hachikō statue.