にほんごのたね Nihongo no Tane with Yumi

Until recently, Yumi’s family has only had one car. This is unusual in the part of Florida that she lives in. Most families have at least two cars. But Yumi and Clay both work from home and until their son got his driver’s license, they rarely had need for a second car. But now their son has his license, Yumi decided … it was time.   KEY VOCABULARY: 仮免許(かりめんきょ)  driver’s permit; learner’s...

February 3rd was setsubun in Japan. The day that marks the end of winter and is followed by the beginning of spring. Listen as Yumi tells us a little bit about how this special occasion is celebrated in Japan.   KEY VOCABULARY: 節分(せつぶん) last day of winter in the traditional Japanese calendar 立春(りっしゅん) first day of spring in the traditional Japanese calendar 季節(きせつ)の変(か)わり目(...

In today’s podcast, Yumi digs deep into an interesting superstition which caused the birth rates to plummet one year in the 1960s. It has to do with the Chinese Zodiac, the Edo period, and Natsume Souseki. Listen to find out about this fascinating bit of historical trivia.   KEY VOCABULARY: 十二支(じゅうにし) 12 animal signs of Chinese zodiac 干支(えと) 60 year cycle of 12 zodiac signs and 5 eleme...

Yumi recently visited Silver Springs, a nature park in Florida which is famous for its glass bottom boats and manatees. Did you know manatees may have been mistaken for mermaids? Yumi then shares some stories about Japanese mermaids.   KEY VOCABULARY: 州立公園(しゅうりつこうえん)　state park 被害(ひがい)  damage; injury; harm 諦(あきら)める give up; abandon 水(みず)湧(わ)く spring out; gush out 水...

Sometimes simple analogies hit home the hardest. Learning a language is like breathing. It’s the small repetitive acts that keep us going and growing. Keep growing your Japanese little by little by studying, reading, and listening to Japanese daily.   KEY VOCABULARY: 新年(しんねん)の抱負(ほうふ) New Year’s resolution 一番(いちばん)最初(さいしょ)に the very first thing… 痩せたい want to lose weight...

In this short message, Yumi has some good news to share with the New Year.   KEY VOCABULARY: 令和(れいわ)5(５)年(ねん) Reiwa 5 西暦(せいれき) Western calendar 新年早々(しんねんそうそう) early in the New Year; at the beginning of the New Year 引(ひ)っ越(こ)し move (to a new house) 実家(じっか) one’s parent’s home; home where one grew up in 長(なが)い間(あいだ) long time 孫(まご) grandchildren 低学...

As the year 2022 comes to a close, Yumi thinks back on all the things that happened to her and her family this year.   KEY VOCABULARY: 今年(ことし) this year 最後(さいご) last; final 何(なに)も覚(おぼ)えていません don’t remember anything 性格(せいかく) personality; character 写真(しゃしん) photo 娘(むすめ) daughter ウクレレ ukulele いわゆる the so-called 弾(ひ)き語(がた)り singing to one’s own acc...

This year’s kanji has been selected. Out of 220,000 votes, the kanji for war or battle was chosen. Yumi talks about this as well as what’s been going on in Japan recently.   KEY VOCABULARY: 戦争(せんそう) war 漢字能力検定(かんじのうりょくけんてい)協会(きょうかい) Kanji Proficiency Test Association 戦(たたか)う to fight; to battle 全国(ぜんこく) all of the country; the whole country 印象(いんしょう...

Yumi’s daughter speaks Japanese, but sometimes incorrectly. In today’s episode, Yumi tells us how her daughter messes up “to give” in Japanese, and this spurred her to research how to best teach あげる・くれる・もらう(give and receive). Yumi discovered the key is to understand Japanese culture. Listen as she explains.   KEY VOCABULARY: あげる・くれる・もらう To Give and Receive in Japanese ゴチャ...

Yumi has a problem. The three large pecan trees in her backyard have produced tons of pecans. In this episode, she talks about what she’s doing with the pecans and then compares pecans to chestnuts in Japan.   KEY VOCABULARY: ピーカン pecan 我(わ)が家(や) my house 裏庭(うらにわ) backyard 地面(じめん) ground 食(く)い込(こ)む bite into; to dig into; to encroach 敷(し)き詰(つ)められた to be covered w...

In this episode Yumi talks about Kuroyanagi Tetsuko, a longtime announcer and personality, and her secrets for living long and well.   KEY VOCABULARY: 義理(ぎり)のお母さん Mother-in-law 物忘(ものわす)れ forgetfulness 予防(よぼう) prevention 若々(わかわか)しく youthful 将来(しょうらい)に備(そな)えたい to prepare for the future 黒柳徹子(くろやなぎてつこ) Kuroyanagi Tetsuko (born August 9, 1933) 女優...

Description: It’s Thanksgiving and Black Friday season in the US. Yumi talks a little about what she and her family is doing and compares that with Japanese holidays.   KEY VOCABULARY: 感謝祭とブラックフライデー Thanksgiving and Black Friday     For upper beginners to intermediates. Listen to the short podcast and then answer the comprehension questions on the website: https://thejapanesepage.com/...

Daylight savings time in America is the one thing all Americans can agree to hate, and yet… they still can’t seem to come together long enough to pass a law to rid themselves of the twice-a-year menace. Yumi shares her thoughts and hope that this “Fall back” will be the last.   KEY VOCABULARY: 夏時間(なつじかん) summer time 早起(はやお)き rising early 時刻(じこく) time; the hour 有効(ゆうこう) val...

Yumi’s family band! It was one of her dreams and recently her family had a chance to perform. Listen as she tells us her thoughts on families coming together to perform.   KEY VOCABULARY: 弾(ひ)きます to play (stringed instrument such as piano or guitar) 中級(ちゅうきゅう)の初(はつ)め beginning of intermediate stage 音符(おんぷ) musical notes 伴奏(ばんそう) (musical) accompaniment 演奏(えんそう) (...

Fall is a great time for families to get together and have fun. In this episode, Yumi shares a little about a recent multi-family getogether. There was much talking, children playing, and then… someone brought out a rope for a game of tug-of-war.   KEY VOCABULARY: 遊(あそ)びに行(い)く to go visit (someone); to have fun with ちっちゃい子(こ)どもさん  a small child それぞれ思(おも)い思(おも)いに  as...

Most years, Yumi takes her family to a nearby farm to experience cows, goats, fun outdoor activities, and homemade ice cream. Clay… didn’t do very well in the heat. Listen as Yumi talks about this year’s trip, and her thoughts on cows.   KEY VOCABULARY: 秋(あき) fall; autumn 牧場(ぼくじょう) farm 先日(せんじつ) the other day 同士(どうし) fellow (cousin); mutual 写真(しゃしん) photograph   インスタ...

The taste of fall has come and Yumi shares her thoughts about what this time of the year means in Japan. For more fun autumn words, please see our new lesson page here: https://thejapanesepage.com/no-aki-the-autumn-of-japanese-expressions-for-fall/   KEY VOCABULARY: 秋(あき) fall; autumn 特(とく)に especially 大喜(おおよろこ)び great joy 南部(なんぶ) southern part 秋(あき)らしく飾(かざ)ります fall...

Hurricanes and typhoons. Not much fun, but both Japan and where Yumi currently lives, Florida, experience them annually. Japan not only has typhoons but other natural disasters— particularly earthquakes. Therefore, Yumi reasons, Japanese people tend to have a higher sense of crisis and therefore make tons of preparations. Listen as she compares Japan and Florida’s preparations for bad weather.   K...

The exciting conclusion of Yumi’s “cleaning the dryer vent” two-part series. Okay, maybe not too exciting, but there are a number of useful vocabulary words (see below), and she ends with a lesson how this relates to learning Japanese.   KEY VOCABULARY: 詰(つ)まっている clogged 乾燥機(かんそうき) dryer 穴(あな) hole 私自身(わたしじしん) myself 直(なお)したい want to fix ホームセンター DIY store; h...

Yumi is a do-it-yourselfer. With the help of YouTube, she has learned how to fix quite a few things around the house. But this time, it was a big challenge. The dryer’s vent going outside was clogged and the length and angle of the vent made reaching the clog very difficult. Listen as she describes the challenge.   KEY VOCABULARY: 乾燥機(かんそうき) dryer 調子(ちょうし)が悪(わる)い in bad shape; n...

Last week, a friend of ours brought his son over to talk about Japan. This young man really wants to move to Japan. Yumi felt a little nostalgic after the meeting. His strong desire to learn Japanese and live in Japan reminded her of her husband Clay when he was younger. Today, she tells a little more about this son and the challenges he has to overcome.   KEY VOCABULARY: 前回(ぜんかい) last time;...

Japan is a very safe country. It is also very clean. There isn’t much garbage on the streets as you might see in other countries. However, there aren’t many public garbage cans. Listen as Yumi explains the connection between the lack of garbage cans and public safety.   KEY VOCABULARY: 先日(せんじつ) the other day 我(わ)が家(いえ) our house; our family 長年(ながねん)の友達(ともだち) long-time frie...

The 101st episode. Today, Yumi shares some details and trivia about a 1991 hit TV drama called The 101st Proposal starring Takeda Tetsuya and Asano Atsuko.   KEY VOCABULARY: 101回目(かいめ) 101st time 101回目(かいめ)のプロポーズ 101st Proposal (1991 Fuji TV drama) 平成(へいせい)3年(ねん) Heisei 3; 1991 フジテレビ Fuji TV (TV Station) 放送(ほうそう)された was broadcast 武田鉄矢(たけだてつや) Takeda...

100th episode. Yumi started this podcast exactly two years ago and is now on her 100th episode. Today, Yumi talks about several interesting Japanese phrases that include the word 百【ひゃく】 (hundred). Also, to celebrate the 100th episode, Makoto+ members not only get a full transcript, but we also created an Anki flashcard deck with dozens of key vocabulary words heard in today’s podcast. Not on...

Yumi has been on a cleaning kick. She’s always been tidy, but recently, she’s gotten serious about it. Japan has very clean streets despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that there are few public trash cans. Is there some connection with Japanese history and mythology to explain this?   KEY VOCABULARY: 掃除(そうじ) cleaning ピカピカ  with a glitter; with a sparkle; shiny and new 磨(みが)いてい...