Your Japanese Friend

About Your Japanese Friend

Japanese language immersion for beginners

Publisher

Michi

Category

education

Language

ja

Explicit

No

First episode

2 Jan 2026

Latest episode

6 Jan 2026

Latest episodes

19 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   6 Jan 2026

   Have you ever experienced culture shock?

   Your Japanese friend! Hello! Have you ever experienced culture shock? I was working at a hotel in Hawaii just two days ago. A customer came saying they had forgotten their bag. So, I was looking at the security camera footage with security, The customer who lost the bag had left it on a chair, And five minutes later, another Person took that bag Without any hesitation, they just stole it. Seeing that was quite a culture shock for me. In Japan, if you find a bag, you'd take it to lost and found or to the hotel reception. I think many Japanese people believe in karma, believe in it, even nowadays, still nowadays, many people believe this. The idea that what you do comes back to you. So maybe now with the economy being unstable, if someone finds a bag, they might steal it, some people might do that. But basically, people usually turn in things they find to proper authorities. So it was quite shocking to me. I've lived in Hawaii for 16 years, but that still shocked me. Have you experienced culture shock before? Please tell me. See you!#nihongo #easyjapanese #nihongolearning #karma

2. 

   5 Jan 2026

   Is there anything you’re excited about in January?

   Your Japanese friend! Hello. Is there anything you're looking forward to this January? I can't wait for something! Things to look forward to in January. I enjoy watching sumo wrestling. From January 11th, the sumo tournament, the grand sumo begins. I'm really excited to watch it. From January 11th, for 14 days, we'll talk all about sumo. I'll explain sumo for both fans and newcomers alike. So yes, we'll discuss it for 14 days in January. Changing topics, this book is available on Amazon US with many useful phrases. For example, saying 'I can't wait' in Japanese is like, Exciting, fun, I can't wait - exciting, There are various phrases like these, I'll pick them up while looking at this, And mix them into our sumo discussions. I'm not sponsored by them. I just personally think it's good so I'm introducing it. It costs about 20 dollars. What are you looking forward to in January? Please let me know. See you later!#nihongo #easvjapanese

3. 

   3 Jan 2026

   How to learn Japanese faster

   Your Japanese Friend!こんにちは。今日 YouTubeで日本のニュースを見ていました。そこで初めて知ったのですけど、日本で永住パーマネンレジデント永住する人は N4フォー N4レベルの日本語ができないといけない。
必須事項になったそうです。びっくりしました。本当にびっくりしました。
こんなこと今までなかったので。ねえ、皆さん日本に住む予定はありますか ？予定がある人もない人も日本語を上達インプルーブしたい人は必見のウェブサイトがあります。私のおすすめはウェブサイトでワニカニ。ワニは英語でクロコダイル。
カニ。カニは英語でクラブ。あの 2本の指というかあの赤い生き物ですね。あのワニカニというウェブサイト、これはですね。英語の頭で考える人がとても日本語を勉強しやすいウェブサイトです。
漢字をチャイニーズキャラクター漢字を勉強するウェブサイトなんですけど、やっぱりね、漢字を勉強する、とても上達が早いですね。早道ですね。本当に漢字の意味、それぞれの意味 Each meaningですね。
それがわかると何を勉強するよりも早い上達が早い。上達します。本当に私はスポンサーをもらっていません。
いませんけども、本当にあの日本語を早く勉強したい。早く上達したい人はぜひチェックしてみてください。うん、やっぱり漢字はそれぞれの意味が深いですね。
ディープミーニングなので。うん、やっぱりね。皆さんにぜひ漢字もひらがなももちろん勉強してほしいですけど、ひらがなの後かなひらがな、カタカナ勉強した後におすすめなのがワニカニウェブサイト。ワニカニです。
優しいイージー感じイージーレベルの漢字からスタートするので、漢字を全く知らない人も上達インプルーブできると思います。いいね。チェックしてみてください。
ではまた明日バイバイ。 Your Japanese Friend! Hello. Today I was watching Japanese news on YouTube. There, I learned for the first time that in Japan, people who want permanent residency - permanent resident - permanent residence, must be able to do N4 - four - N4 level Japanese. It apparently became a required condition. I was surprised. I was really surprised. Because this has never happened before. Hey everyone, do you have plans to live in Japan? Whether you have plans or not, for people who want to improve their Japanese, there’s a must-see website. My recommendation is a website called WaniKani. Wani is crocodile in English. Kani. Kani is crab in English. That thing with two claws, that red creature. That website called WaniKani, this is, you know, a website where people who think with an English mindset can study Japanese very easily. It’s a website for studying kanji - Chinese characters - kanji, but really, you know, studying kanji makes your progress very fast. It’s a shortcut. Really, the meanings of kanji, each meaning - each meaning. When you understand that, you progress faster than studying anything else. You really improve. I’m really not getting sponsored. I’m not, but really, for people who want to study Japanese quickly, who want to improve quickly, please check it out. Yeah, after all, kanji each have deep meanings. Deep meanings. So, yeah, really. I want you all to study kanji and hiragana too, of course, but after studying hiragana - hiragana and katakana - after studying that, what I recommend is the WaniKani website. WaniKani. It starts from easy - easy kanji - easy level kanji, so even people who don’t know kanji at all can improve, I think. Good. Check it out. See you tomorrow, bye bye😉🖤

4. 

   3 Jan 2026

   What have you been tired of lately?

   Your Japanese Friend!こんにちは私は今日とても疲れています。疲れている。 I'm tired疲れている疲れています昨日ワイキキのホテルで働きました。
そこですべての部屋は禁煙のスモーキング禁煙です。タバコとか今流行ってるベイピングとかすべて禁止プロハビテッドダメです。そこでお客さんがベイピングをしました。
ホテル内ではすべてノースモーキンノーベイピングなので、私は何度も注意をしました。ここはノースモーキングノーベーピングですよと言いました。それでもですね。
やめてくれない。止めてくれない。そこで私はセキュリティを呼びました。
こう何度も何度行っても止めてくれない。やめてくれない。これはですね。
とても心が疲れます。メンタリータイアド心が疲れる。それで 1日寝て起きてもまだ今疲れています。
体の疲れより心の疲れこっちの方がなんだか私はとても疲れます。なかなか疲れが取れません。なので、皆さんはなかなか難しいですが、心の疲れをとってください。
なるべく心の疲れはない方がいいですね。最近皆さん疲れていることはありますか ？教えてください。
じゃあまたね。 Your Japanese Friend! Hello. I’m very tired today. Tired. I’m tired, tired, tired. Yesterday I worked at a hotel in Waikiki. There, all the rooms are non-smoking. Non-smoking. No smoking. Cigarettes and the vaping that’s popular now - everything is prohibited. Not allowed. There, a guest was vaping. Inside the hotel, everything is no smoking, no vaping, so I warned them many times. I said, ‘This is no smoking, no vaping.’ But still, you know, they wouldn’t stop. They wouldn’t stop. So I called security. Even though I said it many times, many times, they wouldn’t stop. They wouldn’t stop. This, you know, is very mentally exhausting. Mentally tired - my heart/mind is tired. So even after sleeping for a whole day and waking up, I’m still tired now. More than physical tiredness, mental tiredness - this one makes me much more tired. The tiredness doesn’t go away easily. So everyone, it’s quite difficult, but please take care of your mental tiredness. It’s better to not have mental tiredness if possible. Is there anything that’s been making you all tired recently? Please tell me. See you later!

5. 

   3 Jan 2026

   Do you have a pet?

   Your ジャパニーズ　フレンド！こんにちは。皆さんはペット動物飼っていますか私は犬を飼っています。犬の名前はゴボウです。
根っこの、そうですね。日本のベジタブル野菜、根っこなんですけど、体が茶色かったり、黒かったり、まさに野菜のごぼうにそっくりなので、ゴボウくん、ゴボウという名前です。彼はハワイのヒューメインソサエティでもらってきました。
もう 12歳おじいちゃんです。おじいちゃん、グランパー。年をとっています。なので目が見えません。 
He's brind目が見えないです。でもですね、割と元気にやっています。皆さんはペット動物、家で飼っていますか ？
私にとってこのゴボウくん、ミスターゴボウは、そうですね。セラピストでもあるし、もちろん家族でもあるし、友達でもあるし、もしかしたら一番大切な存在。モーストインポータントbeing存在ですね。なので本当に家に犬がいるととても癒されます。
皆さんは動物ペット飼っていますか？ペットというよりは家族ですよね。猫だったり、もしくは豚だったり。もしくはそうですね。ネズミとかマウス、ネズミとかも飼ってるかもしれません。
私は犬と鳥を飼ったことがあります。やっぱり動物が家にいると良いですね。とても癒されます。
セラピストですね。はいでは皆さんが飼っている動物ペット教えてください。じゃあまたね。 Your Japanese Friend! Hello. Do you all have pet animals? I have a dog. My dog’s name is Gobou. From the root vegetable, yes. A Japanese vegetable, a root vegetable. His body is brown and black, and he looks exactly like the vegetable gobou (burdock root), so his name is Gobou-kun, Gobou. I got him from the Humane Society in Hawaii. He’s already 12 years old, an old man. Grandpa. He’s getting old. So he can’t see. He’s blind - he can’t see. But, you know, he’s doing pretty well. Do you all have pet animals at home? For me, this Gobou-kun, Mr. Gobou, is, well, a therapist, and of course family, and a friend, and maybe the most important being. The most important being, yes. So having a dog at home is really healing. Do you all have pet animals? Rather than pets, they’re family, right? Cats, or maybe pigs. Or, let’s see, mice or rats - you might have mice too. I’ve had dogs and birds. After all, it’s good to have animals at home. Very healing. They’re therapists. Yes, so please tell me about the animals and pets you have. See you later!

6. 

   3 Jan 2026

   Do you have Japanese friend In real life?

   Your Japanese Friend Hello everyone, do you have Japanese friends? Japanese friends. I live in Hawaii, so there are many Japanese people here. So, the other day I volunteered at the University of Hawaii. Volunteer. What I did there was, just like what I’m doing now talking to all of you, I had normal conversations with people who are studying Japanese. That’s what the volunteer work was. Even though Hawaii has so many Japanese people, surprisingly it seems they don’t get many opportunities to talk with Japanese people. Since there are few opportunities, everyone really enjoyed these casual conversations. I was very happy about that. Do you have any Japanese acquaintances or friends around you? Japanese acquaintances or friends. You might not actually talk with them much. If you go to the mainland US, like San Francisco, there are large Japanese communities, Japanese restaurants, and supermarkets, so maybe you also have opportunities to talk with Japanese people. You might have opportunities. Maybe you have. That’s right. So if you have opportunities to talk with Japanese people, if you have Japanese friends, are there people like that? Please let me know. Well then, see you again!☺️

7. 

   3 Jan 2026

   What made you start interested about Japanese?

   Please tell me! What made you start interested about Japanese?

8. 

   3 Jan 2026

   Weathering with you 2

   Makoto Shinkaiʻs movie weathering with you is amazing anime

9. 

   3 Jan 2026

   Weathering with you

   I don’t like rainy days, but thanks to this movie, I don’t hate them either

10. 

    3 Jan 2026

    What do people usually talk about at parties?

    Introverted people often don’t know what to talk about at parties.

11. 

    3 Jan 2026

    Let’s talk about stranger things!

    Did you watch Stranger Things5？

12. 

    3 Jan 2026

    Honolulu marathon

    As a Japanese person living in Hawaiʻi, I have some thoughts about this event.

13. 

    3 Jan 2026

    Tell me five things you like about yourself!

    Tell me something you like about yourself!

14. 

    3 Jan 2026

    Self love

    Are you taking good care of yourself?

15. 

    3 Jan 2026

    Protect yourself

    Taking care of your own safety is important.

16. 

    2 Jan 2026

    First thing you drink

    What do you drink first thing when you wake up in the morning? I drink matcha to wake myself up. What do you drink?

17. 

    2 Jan 2026

    Do you like Japanese snack?

    “I love Japanese sweets/snacks. They can be sweet or salty. Please tell me what Japanese sweets/snacks you like.” Note: “お菓子” (okashi) can mean both traditional sweets and snacks in general. Depending on context, you could use “sweets,” “snacks,” “confections,” or “Japanese sweets and snacks” to capture the full meaning.

18. 

    2 Jan 2026

    Do you like pickles?

    Your Japanese Friend! Hello everyone, do you like pickles? In Japanese, they’re called ‘otsukemono’ or ‘oshinko’ - there are various names for them. I like cucumber pickles. The key point is to use sushi vinegar. Regular vinegar is a bit too strong. It’s a bit strong. I also add shiso furikake (perilla seasoning). When you add furikake, it makes salty and delicious pickles. You smash the cucumbers with a hammer, and then add sushi vinegar and shiso furikake. For those who like it, if you add a little sesame oil to taste, I think it becomes even more delicious. There are many other pickles besides cucumbers, but I like turnips and also daikon radish. What kind of pickles or tsukemono do you like? And another key point is smashing them with a hammer. The point is not to cut them with a knife, but to smash them with a hammer. That way, the flavor absorbs in and it becomes delicious. Easy absorb, right? Do you like pickles? Please let me know. Well then, see you again. Your Japanese Friend! こんにちは皆さんはピクルス好きですか ？日本語だとお漬物とかおしんことかいろいろ名前があります。私はきゅうりのピクルスが好きです。
ポイントは寿司酢ビネガーを使うことです。普通のお酢、普通のビネガーだとちょっと強いです。ちょっと強いですね。
私はしそのふりかけも入れます。ふりかけを入れるとしょっぱくて美味しいピクルスができます。きゅうりをハンマーで叩いて、そして寿司酢寿司ビネガーとシソふりかけを入れます。
好きな人はお好みでごま油、セサミオイルを少し入れると、また美味しくなると思います。きゅうりの他にもたくさんピクルスがありますけども、私はカブとか他にも大根とか好きですね。皆さんはどんなピクルスお漬物が好きですか ？
そしてもう一つポイントはハンマーで叩くということです。ナイフ包丁で切るんではなくてハンマーで叩くのがポイントです。そうすると味が染み込んで美味しくなります。
イージーアブゾーブですね。皆さんはピクルス好きですか教えてください。じゃあまたね。

19. 

    2 Jan 2026

    Introducing myself

    Hello! I’m Michi, a Japanese woman living in Hawaiʻi. 🌴 I’m quite introverted and have a small circle of friends and some of them are learning Japanese. I started this podcast to support them. I will hopefully make new friends around the world. This podcast features very personal, casual conversations in real, natural Japanese, spoken slowly and clearly for learners. Thank you for listening, and I hope you enjoy it!

Contact Your Japanese Friend

Guest appearances

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