Every autumn (秋), Japan gets the chance to showcase its famous red maple leaves. This phenomenon can be expressed by two different words: momiji and kouyou. Even though they are written with the same characters, 紅葉, they describe two distinct things. Momiji refers to the maple leaves covered with red at that time of the […]
A matsuri is a traditional festival which celebrates Japanese deities through dances, shows, parades and processions. This religious festival most of the time comes with yatai, games and drinks and take a very lively turn. Matsuri are organised all year round and all over Japan. What’s a matsuri? In English, matsuri (祭り) is most of […]
To confess your love, you can say: “好きです。付き合ってください。(suki desu. tsuki atte kudasai) which means: “I like you. Go out with me, please.”. You can also say 愛してる (aishiteru) for “I love you”, but be careful not to overuse it. In Japan, love is rather shown through actions than spoken. Where 好き (suki) expresses affection and […]
Notice We would like to inform you of Shinjuku Japanese Language Institute’s current handling of the COVID-19 situation, as is written below. １．From Monday, March 2nd through Friday, March 13th, class will be held online. We will contact everyone regarding the schedule from Monday, March 16th, after seeing how the situation with the virus plays out […]
With more than 600 different species of cherry trees, Japan is internationally known for its sakura season. This very special time of the year attracts not only locals but also many visitors coming from all over the globe. One key word during that season: hanami (花見) which combines the kanjis for “flower” and “look”. This […]
In Japan, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in two stages. The first one, on February 14, where women buy chocolates for the men in their surroundings. These chocolates can have various objectives and meanings: some of them are used to confess one’s love (本命チョコ, honmei-choko) while others (義理チョコ, giri-choko) are kind of an obligation and most […]
SNG’s Summer Course is a summer stay in Japan that offers a wide range of cultural activities, tours and day trips. Throughout your stay, your days will be divided between Japanese classes in the morning and cultural activities in the afternoon. Anyone can join, regardless of their level of Japanese. Each activity offered by SNG […]
Just as many other countries in the world, the period of time around New Year is very important in Japan. In a sense, it has the same sentimental and traditional value as Christmas in western countries. After introducing useful Japanese phrases used during New Year, we’re taking you on a Japanese New Year traditions tour […]
Registration for SNG Summer Course is open and to celebrate the beginning of the 2020 season, SNG gives you an exceptional early bird discount of 10% on any application for the Summer Course submitted before March 31st, 2020. Take advantage of this offer immediately and visit the SNG Summer Course website! An unforgettable language stay […]
Leaves have started to fall, days are getting shorter and shorter and temperatures are dropping. That’s right, winter is on its way! And winter means… holidays! Just like any other country, this time of the year is very important in Japan as well, especially New Year. It brings out another set of very specific traditions […]
