“CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA” is the first opening song of the Dragon Ball Z anime. It is also one of the most iconic anime opening songs of all time. However, do you know what “CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA” actually means? It is NOT nonsense. In fact, it’s actually a phrase with a profound meaning. However, I have yet to see a thorough explanation in English …

On this episode of Japan Station, we talk about 10 words that only exist in Japanese and how Japanese may not be as unique as you think it is. 👉Topics Discussed x x What komorebi means and what its parts mean What unkai means About kanji compounds in Japanese About the many meanings that can be found in a single …

In “We Gotta Power” by Kageyama Hironobu, the second opening song of Dragon Ball Z, there is an infamous lyric. It goes “ippai oppai, boku genki.” Many people would translate this as something like “There’s a lot of breasts and I feel fine.” This is in fact one possible translation. However, in this case, it is not an accurate translation. …

What the hell is a PUFF PUFF? Perhaps you’ve come across it while playing one of the Dragon Quest/Dragon Warrior games. Or maybe you saw it in the Dragon Ball manga. Or perhaps it popped up in a conversation. Whatever the case, “puff puff” (pafupafu) is a quirky Japanese onomatopoeia that started as a silly gag in the original Dragon Ball manga (first seen in …

On this episode of Japan Station, I talk about the worst 3 mistakes I made while learning Japanese. Topics Discussed About the history of Kabosu the Shibainu and the Doge meme About three of the worst mistakes I made while learning Japanese About the importance of studying Japanese outside of the classroom The funniest mistake I ever made while speaking Japanese …

On this episode of Japan Station, licensed travel guide Miyuki Seguchi shares 5 travel tips that will help you make the most out of your next visit to Japan. Topics Discussed What the process is like for becoming a licensed travel guide The importance of planning your trip to Japan Advice for making the most out of your trip to Japan …

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Should you go to grad school for Japanese? Topics Discussed About why we went to grad school Whether you should attend a Japanese focused graduate school program About Japanese linguistics programs The good and bad of doing a master’s degree focused on Japanese linguistics About different fields within linguistics (sociolinguistics, syntax, phonology, …

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What is that snot bubble anime characters get when they sleep called? (Nose Expressions in Japanese) Topics Discussed About the snot bubbles seen in anime and video game characters from Japan when they are sleeping (鼻提灯, hanachō`chin) About nose related phrases & idioms in Japanese hana ga takai hana ga hikui Hana …

On this episode of the Japan Station podcast, independent researcher and translator Eric Shahan joins us to talk about his work translating forgotten Japanese books on topics like martial arts, tattoos, ropes, ninja and more. About Eric Shahan Eric Shahan is an independent translator of Japanese books on a variety of topics mainly Jujutsu, sword techniques, police manuals, Karate, Ninja …

 On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Is Japanese women’s language an illusion? Topics Discussed About Japanese women’s language About gendered language in Japanese How context affects people’s speech in Japan Directness vs indirectness About politeness and “women’s speech” in Japanese About steretypical speech styles in Japanese About direct and indirect indexicality About Japanese first person pronouns Constructing …

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: What’s the difference: East vs West Japan? Topics Discussed Some of the differences observed in East and West Japan (higashi and nishi nihon) Differences in culture and food seen in Kansai and Kanto Where the border between East and West Japan is The difference in how people from East vs West Japan …

On this episode of the Japan Station podcast, Japanese to English translator/localizer Mel Ok tells about localizing Japanese video games and how he got into the translation/localization industry. About Mel Ok Mel Ok is a translator/localizer of Japanese video games and heads the translation/localization company Ace Honyaku. Topics Discussed The Japanese population in Hawaii Studying Japanese linguistics About doing play …