Is Tsukimi (月見) Japan's version of Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節)? Now that fall has rolled around here in Japan, I've started to notice a ton of "Tsukimi"-related ads full of imagery of the moon, rabbits, and autumn harvest, and I can't help but wonder.

In this a solo episode, I learn about the influence China had on Japan during the Tang Dynasty that originally brought the Chinese version of this holiday that has evolved into its own related but slightly different thing in Japan.

I explore the fun, more modern-day random traditions Taiwan vs. Japan has around this holiday (BBQ vs. McDonald's themed burger!), and ponder whether I'm really missing Mid-Autumn Festival from the traditional sense, or if I'm really missing the way I used to celebrate it as a Taiwanese-American in the U.S.

In celebration of Mid-Autumn Festival, use discount code "midautumn26" (all lowercase) for 25% off the full Real You Mandarin: Self-Expression course or any individual module, now through September 28, 2026.

In this episode, learn vocab like:

• 似曾相識 / 似曾相识 / sì céng xiāng shí ("strangely familiar / feels familar")
• 秋季豐收 / 秋季丰收 / qiū jì fēng shōu ("abundant autumn harvest")
• 廣告口號 / 广告口号 / guǎng gào kǒu hào ("advertising slogan")

🎓 Real You Mandarin: Self-Expression — the course built for American-born Chinese (ABCs), American-born Taiwanese (ABTs), and advanced Mandarin learners who want to express their real selves in Mandarin. Try a free lesson today to see if the format is a good fit for you.

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