Podcasts

If you’re learning Japanese while living outside Japan, you probably don’t get many opportunities to hear natural Japanese in everyday life. That’s exactly why I started this podcast.

Through Japanese songs, I hope to help learners improve their Japanese while discovering the culture and stories behind the language.

Many students can read Japanese fairly well but find listening and speaking much more difficult. In these episodes, I focus on the kind of Japanese that native speakers actually use things like sound changes such as “〜てる” and “〜なきゃ”, similar-sounding words with different meanings, and grammar that changes meaning depending on the context.

I believe songs are one of the best language-learning tools. They help you get used to the natural rhythm and intonation of Japanese, and memorable lyrics tend to stay in your mind much longer than isolated vocabulary lists. If you sing along with the karaoke version, you’ll also be practising listening, reading, and speaking at the same time.

On a more personal note, becoming a parent was one of the biggest inspirations for this project. Since my child was born, I’ve found myself singing Japanese songs every day, and I realised they could be a wonderful resource for Japanese learners.

I hope this podcast helps you enjoy learning Japanese a little more and feel a little closer to Japan, wherever you are in the world.