Japanese with Hikari's Blog


Your sensei's tips about Japanese culture and language

Japanese Industrial Designer: Naoto Fukasawa 🎎 - culture Aug 24, 2025

Not a while ago I introduced you to Kenzo Takada, a successful Japanese fashion brand.Now, I’m here to introduce you to Naoto Fukasawa, a very bright Japanese industrial designer!

Let’s learn about him together 👩🏻‍🏫

 

Who is Naoto Fukasawa 深澤 直人

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Japanese Fashion Designer: Kenzo Takada 🎎 - culture Aug 17, 2025

Let’s get to know Kenzo, his life and his most popular work😀

Japanese Roots

Kenzo Takada (高田賢三) was born on February 27, 1939, in Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Kenzo’s love for fashion started early, thanks to his sisters' magazines. He started ...

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Japanese Yokai: Inugami 🎎 - culture Aug 12, 2025

We are continuing with the Yokai series!

Read about other Yokais: KappaOniTengu and Yukionna!

 

(image from Wikipedia)

 

What is Inugami?

Ever heard of Inugami? It’s one of Japan’s spookier yokai—a dog spirit with a mix of loyalty and dan...

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Japanese Yokai: Yuki Onna 🎎 - culture Aug 10, 2025

I’m super excited to share the story of the Japanese Yokai Yukionna (雪女), known as the Snow Woman. This fascinating figure from Japanese folklore is a mix of beauty and danger, perfectly capturing the spirit of winter.

 

 Let's read about other Yok...

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Japanese Yokai: Tengu 🎎 - culture Aug 03, 2025

Continuing with Yokai, we'll dive into the mysterious world of Tengu.

 Let's read about other Yokai: Kappa and Oni!

👺What is a Tengu?

(image via Wikipedia)

In Japan, everyone knows what a tengu looks like. Unlike the kappa, these long-nosed mon...

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Japanese Yokai: Oni 🎎 - culture Jul 31, 2025

In our continuing exploration of yokai, the mysterious creatures from Japanese mythology, today we’re diving into one of the most iconic and fearsome figures: the Oni. Unlike the mischievous kappa or mysterious tengu we’ve discussed before, oni are a...

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Japanese Yokai: Kappa 🎎 - culture Jul 28, 2025

Let's dive into the world of yōkai, those fascinating supernatural beings from Japanese folklore. One of the most intriguing yōkai is the kappa, a creature that lives in rivers and ponds. But before we get into that, let's explore a bit of the histor...

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Idols in Japan: More Than Just Pop Stars 🎎 - culture Jul 22, 2025

If you’re interested in Japanese culture, I’m sure you’ve heard of “idol” アイドル before.

In Japan, idols are young entertainers who sing, dance, act, appear on TV shows, do modeling, star in commercials, and interact with fans.

 

Their main charm? T...

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The World of Obentou お弁当 🍖 - food Jul 21, 2025

Let’s chat about obentou (お弁当), those super aesthetic Japanese lunchboxes you’ve probably seen online or in anime. They’re not just meals; they’re little boxes of joy filled with history, culture, and love.
Let me tell you all about it!

 

🥢 What is...

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Where did sushi come from? 🍖 - food Jul 18, 2025

Think sushi started in a Tokyo sushi bar with fancy tuna and seaweed rolls? Not quite!
Sushi’s story goes way back — and it actually didn’t begin as the dish we know today.

Let’s take a tasty trip into sushi’s past 🍱🕰️

 

🐟 It All Started with... Fe...

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Why Does Japanese Have THREE Writing Systems? 🈚 - kanji Jul 16, 2025

Ok, you’ve decided to start learning Japanese, but you notice that there are 3 writing systems 😱

Let’s break it down, nice and simple.

 

🌸 1. Hiragana (ひらがな) — Soft & Curvy

Hiragana is the first script Japanese kids learn.
It’s used for native Jap...

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Onsen Manners 101 🎎 - culture Jul 12, 2025

Have you ever been to a Japanese Onsen 温泉 before? It’s a very ancient tradition in Japan that even the oldest Japanese book ever, the Kojiki 古事記 (712 CE), mentions it. So, I will teach you how to successfully experience Onsen in Japan so you can enjo...

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