r/japanese

I’m Japanese, and one thing I often notice in daily life is how flexible the word “すみません” is.

We use it for:
• apologizing
• calling someone
• thanking someone softly
• showing politeness without sounding too direct

It’s not just a word—it’s a communication tool that helps keep interactions gentle.

I’m curious how people from other countries interpret this expression.

Hello, I'm leaving for a 9 day trip to Japan in about a week and would love to know if there's any information I should know beforehand. I know a lot of the main cultural rules, as well as the language, but just wondering if there's any information that isn't widely talked about or personal experience that you'd like to share. Thanks!

My mom’s birthday is coming up and she lives in Japan. Japanese address. She usually uses an app to buy fruits from farmers but I can’t remember what is it. Does anyone know an app or website I could send fruits or flowers to her. I tried nipponflorist but I think they are over charging. Please help!

Went to a concert and a chick shared a cigarette that tasted like blueberry menthols, got caught up in conversation and didn’t ask about the brand or a picture of boxing. Thanks in advance!

Is it いんぐらんどじんです or イギルイス人です？ or are they just interchangeable?

I 19M was sitting down just listening to music not even looking at her she stood like 1m away from me. She took a photo but didnt realize she had the flash on and tried to cover it but it was really obvious. She didnt mean to take a selfie (phone was on her belly height kinda). I didnt say anything bc she probably just speaks japanese and i dont want to talk on the subway. Is this normal? What does this mean?

I have a very good friend in Japan that I want to bring mini pies to. Is this allowed?

I looking for personal shopper in Tokyo, Japan to send products in France.🇫🇷
Is anybody knows a reliable person to do that.

Context. I have 4 disabilities in my hips and lower back. So any bow past 15° feels like a molten gold ball in my spine.

I'm planning my first trip to Japan this September and, to be honest, the language barrier is probably my biggest concern.

I don't speak any Japanese, and with the trip only a few months away I realistically don't have enough time to learn more than a few basic phrases. I've been doing some research on ways to make things easier, especially when it comes to asking for directions, ordering food, and having simple conversations.

One thing I came across was Halliday AI glasses, which apparently offer real-time translation. The idea of seeing translations while talking to people sounds pretty useful, but I have no idea how well it actually works in practice.

For those of you who have visited Japan without knowing Japanese, how challenging was it? Did you mostly rely on Google Translate, translation devices, or something else?

Okay, maybe not drumcircles everynight at sunset but if you could live anywhere in Okinawa for a month—not as a tourist, but as someone who wanted a healthy, social, conscious lifestyle—where would you choose? I'm looking for a place with yoga, meditation, running groups, healthy cafés (açaí bowls, avocado toast, muesli), digital nomads, sunsets, and again, genuine community. Where would you base yourself? Can it be done on a shoestring budget? Bascially, Where do the yoga people, runners, remote workers, meditators, creatives, and healthy café crowd actually spend their time?

So my current situation is not so good , i am not confident about passing . only 5 days remain for the exam and i still haven't completed syllabus from the book i am studying ( Minna no nihongo) , almost on lesson 17 out of 25 . i don't know very much kanjis and i am still studying .

From last 2 days i've been giving mock tests to see where i stand !
mock test 1 - 41 percent
mock test 2 - 64 percent .

if you have any more questions then pleasee ask , and tell me do i realistically have a chance to score beyond passing ! i'm soooooo nervous and underconfident !

please don't judge me for my english or grammar ,sorry

Hi everyone! I’m an indie artist based in Tokyo.

I really love the aesthetic and the retro vibes shared in this community, so I wanted to share my own take on it. For my self-produced track "BABY BABY", I put a lot of love into recreating those authentic vintage synth textures and directing a nostalgic 80s Tokyo music video with genderless fashion to match.

If you enjoy this kind of late-night city aesthetic, I'd be honored if you checked it out☺

📺 MV: https://youtu.be/KWaV3_qbTAE?si=J3zqmrUDytflSmLL

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-ja/track/1po1wKEBgehWb0lo0HidHb?si=49ae367f527c4825

Sent from Tokyo.

I was watching Monster when Tenna said, " ある人物を探している。" ( I am looking for someone). I wondered why it is used for people, shouldn't it be いる?

Has there ever been any modern novel written in Kana? I don't mean children's books, but rather a book for adults, written in a manner similar to Tales of Genji and other ancient works using Kana, as a literary exercise? Somewhat like how there was a book in English a few decades back that was written without using the letter E, or a book in Hebrew that didn't use a single line break?

Right now I am finishing my undergraduate in Psychology and I plan to continue on to grad school in the US before exploring the option to move to Japan. My goal is to obtain a high level of proficiency in Japanese so I understand that is something I would need. I also know pursuing a PhD in psychology in the US would be likely pointless if I plan on moving to Japan based on what I understand the job market to be. I had hoped to teach university but from further research, it sounds like that is not a great career and largely centers around dead ends. Here is what I am hoping for: a high paying job that is not in the tech sector. Are there any jobs in the arts or something closely related that pay really well? Even neuroscience seems to be a bit of a dead end. Basically I would like to know if it’s possible to have a high paying career and what some potential options are. I have some time to think and plan. I also know that might mean this is not a good avenue to explore. But I’m curious for some feedback and direction.

I'm at an N5 level, and I'd like to find some good RPGs to practice my japanese, instead of just playing an N2 or N1 RPG haha

I've had hot pot twice now, literally the greatest thing ever, the numbing taste is so GOOD, it's weird because I have seen Japanese food as being higher ranked than Chinese food so many times so I was wondering what could top hot pot or other great Chinese foods.

I haven't actually tried much authentic Japanese foods so literally recommend anything

I just came home from Japan yesterday and i can not stop thinking about my adventures!

I spent 8 days in Tokyo but i´ve been living in the country side my whole life, so i started to feel stressed and knew I had to go to the mountains for the rest of the trip.

And I ended up finding a family via Google Maps who offered "Home stay", and I ended up living with the family, eating meals, talking, going for walks in the nature etc. It was sadly only for 3 nights / 4 days but i had a flight to catch back home....

My tip is, to not just stay in Tokyo but actually experience the old "traditional" japanese culture in the beautiful nature!

If you have questions about "Home stay" feel free to write me a message :-)