Welcome to Episode 100 of Real Japanese Talk with Haruka & Saki! 🗼🐙

🎉 One hundred episodes. Haruka and Saki have spent all of them setting Tokyo beside Kansai - so today, the question they've never answered directly: which one is actually better? 🎯

You'll learn three words:

• 比べる (kuraberu) - to compare, to set side by side

• 馴染む (najimu) - to settle in, to become familiar and natural

• 地元 (jimoto) - your hometown; the place you're from

💡 Inside: the differences that surprised them most across a hundred episodes - the pale kelp broth of Kansai oden against the dark soy of Kanto, and the escalators where Tokyo stands left and Osaka stands right; 「馴染む」 in all its uses, for people, towns, flavours and the 「馴染みの店」 where they know your name; Haruka on whether she could settle into Kansai, and Saki on finding Tokyo's silence unbearable at first and restful now; 「地元」, the question every first meeting arrives at, and the standard modest answer everyone gives with a smile; and Haruka's answer to which city wins, which turns out not to be a city at all.

Thank you for a hundred episodes. Tokyo & Kansai dialogue, fully shadowable. Full transcript & study notes on Patreon. 🎧

【Today's Vocabulary / 今日の言葉】

・比べる (くらべる) - To compare. The essential pattern is 「AとBを比べる」, and the very common 「〜に比べて」 means "compared with" (「去年に比べて暑い」). Useful relatives: 「見比べる」 (to compare by looking at both), 「食べ比べ」 (a tasting comparison - see Episode 92), and the emphatic 「比べ物にならない」, meaning there's simply no comparison. The more formal noun is 「比較」 (hikaku), as in 「比較する」 and 「比較的」 (relatively). Related words: 「違い」 (chigai, difference), 「同じ」 (onaji, the same), 「どちらも」 (dochira mo, both).

・馴染む (なじむ) - To grow accustomed, to blend in, to settle. Its reach is wide and warm: a person settles into a new town or workplace (「新しい会社に馴染む」), a flavour comes together after resting (「味が馴染む」), new shoes stop feeling stiff (「靴が足に馴染む」). The noun 「馴染み」 gives 「馴染みの店」 (your regular haunt, where they know you) and 「幼馴染」 (osananajimi, a childhood friend - a word with real emotional weight in Japanese). The negative 「馴染めない」 is what people say when a place never quite becomes theirs. Related words: 「慣れる」 (nareru, to get used to), 「溶け込む」 (tokekomu, to blend into a group), 「落ち着く」 (ochitsuku, to settle, to feel calm).

・地元 (じもと) - One's home area - the town or region you're from, or the local area of whatever you're discussing. 「地元はどこですか」 is one of the first questions asked when Japanese people meet, because it reliably opens a conversation; the expected reply is often a modest 「何もないところです」 (there's nothing there), delivered fondly. Other uses: 「地元の人」 (locals), 「地元に帰る」 (to go back home), 「地元の名物」 (the local speciality), 「地元愛」 (pride in where you're from). Related words: 「出身」 (shusshin, place of origin - more formal), 「故郷」 (furusato, one's home village, poetic), 「実家」 (jikka, one's parents' house).

📄 Get the Full Transcript with Furigana & Study Guide on our Patreon!シャドーイングに便利な「ふりがな付き台本」はこちら：👉 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/posts/155837588⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Welcome to Episode 99 of Real Japanese Talk with Haruka & Saki! 🗼🐙

🚆 Shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of strangers, and total silence. Saki's friend found the quiet more unnerving than the crush. 🎯

You'll learn three words:

• 詰める (tsumeru) - to close the gap, to move up and make room

• 譲る (yuzuru) - to give up something of yours, especially your seat

• 迷惑 (meiwaku) - a nuisance to others; the rule underneath all the other rules

💡 Inside: the announcement you must be able to act on - 「奥へお詰めください」 - and what 「奥」 actually means; sliding over in a seated row to make room for one more, silently, because saying nothing is the polite part; priority seats, the badges some passengers wear, and why a single 「どうぞ」 beats a long polite speech when offering your seat; the master principle of 「迷惑をかけない」 and what it forbids - calls yes, texts no problem, headphones turned down, backpack held in front where it can't hit anyone; the one thing that is entirely permitted, sleeping, and its single limit; the pushers still working the morning doors; women-only carriages and their pink signage; and the simplest advice of all - let the train go and take the next one.

Perfect for N4-N3 learners commuting in Japan. Tokyo & Kansai dialogue, fully shadowable. Full transcript & study notes on Patreon. 🎧

【Today's Vocabulary / 今日の言葉】

・詰める (つめる) - To pack, to close up a gap, to move along. On trains you will hear 「奥へお詰めください」 (please move down inside) and see people 「席を詰める」 (shuffle along to make room). It also means to fill a container - 「弁当を詰める」 (pack a lunchbox) - and, figuratively, to finalise: 「話を詰める」 is to nail down the remaining details of a plan, a very common business phrase. Note 「根を詰める」, to work at something intensely. Related words: 「混む」 (komu, to be crowded), 「空ける」 (akeru, to make space), 「ぎゅうぎゅう」 (gyuugyuu, jam-packed).

・譲る (ゆずる) - To yield, to hand over, to let someone have. The everyday uses are physical: 「席を譲る」 (give up your seat), 「道を譲る」 (let someone pass). It extends to selling on cheaply or giving away (「友達に譲った」), to conceding a point in an argument (「一歩も譲らない」, not to give an inch), and to handing down a business or position to a successor. The noun 「譲り合い」 - mutual yielding - appears on road signs and is treated as a civic virtue. Related words: 「渡す」 (watasu, to hand over), 「遠慮」 (enryo, restraint), 「優先席」 (yuusenseki, priority seat).

・迷惑 (めいわく) - Nuisance, trouble, inconvenience caused to others - and arguably the single most important social concept in Japan. 「迷惑をかける」 (to cause trouble for someone) is what children are taught above all to avoid; 「ご迷惑をおかけしました」 is the standard workplace apology. Note 「迷惑メール」 (spam) and 「近所迷惑」 (disturbing the neighbours). The flip side is worth knowing too: the fear of 迷惑 can stop people asking for help they need. Related words: 「気をつかう」 (ki wo tsukau, to be considerate), 「遠慮」 (enryo, holding back), 「思いやり」 (omoiyari, consideration).

📄 Get the Full Transcript with Furigana & Study Guide on our Patreon!シャドーイングに便利な「ふりがな付き台本」はこちら：👉 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/posts/155837588⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Welcome to Episode 98 of Real Japanese Talk with Haruka & Saki! 🗼🐙

🚗 A visitor's first impression of Tokyo traffic is often the silence. Millions of cars, and almost no horns. 🎯

You'll learn three words:

• 鳴らす (narasu) - to sound something: a bell, a whistle, a car horn

• 急ぐ (isogu) - to hurry; and everyone here is hurrying

• 我慢 (gaman) - to hold back, to endure; one of the load-bearing words of Japanese life

💡 Inside: why the horn is legally reserved for danger, and why using it in anger reads as picking a fight; the contradiction at the heart of it - a country strict about time, hurrying hard and staying silent about it; 「我慢強い」 as genuine praise, and the honest downside of a culture that endures rather than says; what drivers do instead - the "thank-you hazard" flash, a raised hand, a bow performed while driving; bicycle bells that go unused in favour of a spoken 「すみません」; and the underlying idea that not making noise is itself a form of consideration.

Perfect for N4-N3 learners interested in how Japan works. Tokyo & Kansai dialogue, fully shadowable. Full transcript & study notes on Patreon. 🎧

【Today's Vocabulary / 今日の言葉】

・鳴らす (ならす) - To sound something, to make it ring. It is transitive - you 鳴らす a bell, and the bell 「鳴る」 (naru) by itself. Everyday uses: 「ベルを鳴らす」, 「クラクションを鳴らす」, 「指を鳴らす」 (to crack your knuckles or snap your fingers), 「鼻を鳴らす」 (to sniffle, or of a pet, to whine). There is also the idiom 「名を鳴らす」 - to make a name for oneself. Careful with the homophone 「慣らす」/「馴らす」, to accustom or tame. Related words: 「鳴る」 (naru, to sound), 「音」 (oto, sound), 「静か」 (shizuka, quiet).

・急ぐ (いそぐ) - To hurry, to rush. Useful forms: the adverbial 「急いで」 (「急いで行きます」), the polite question 「お急ぎですか」 (are you in a hurry? - what staff ask when there's a wait), and the noun 「急ぎ」 as in 「急ぎの仕事」 (urgent work). The proverb 「急がば回れ」 - if you're in a hurry, take the long way round - is the Japanese "more haste, less speed," and is genuinely quoted in daily life. Related words: 「慌てる」 (awateru, to panic or fluster), 「間に合う」 (ma ni au, to make it in time), 「ゆっくり」 (yukkuri, slowly).

・我慢 (がまん) - Endurance, patience, self-restraint - and one of the words that explains the most about daily life in Japan. 「我慢する」 covers putting up with pain, hunger, cold, boredom or provocation; 「我慢強い」 (patient, resilient) is high praise; 「我慢できない」 marks the limit. The word came from Buddhist vocabulary, where it originally meant something closer to arrogance, and shifted over centuries into endurance. Worth knowing its shadow: 「我慢しすぎる」, enduring so much that nothing gets said. Related words: 「辛抱」 (shinbou, perseverance), 「耐える」 (taeru, to withstand), 「遠慮」 (enryo, holding back out of consideration).

📄 Get the Full Transcript with Furigana & Study Guide on our Patreon!シャドーイングに便利な「ふりがな付き台本」はこちら：👉 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/posts/155837588⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Welcome to Episode 97 of Real Japanese Talk with Haruka & Saki! 🗼🐙

🧹 A parent was stunned to hear their child had spent part of the school day cleaning the toilets. In Japan, that's just Tuesday. 🎯

You'll learn three words:

• 掃く (haku) - to sweep, with a broom

• 拭く (fuku) - to wipe, with a cloth

• 責任 (sekinin) - responsibility; the sense that something is yours to do

💡 Inside: the fifteen minutes after lunch when every classroom, corridor and stairwell in the country gets swept; the zoukin cloth you bring from home with your name on it, and 「雑巾がけ」 - hands on the floor, running the length of the room; wiping desks, windows and the blackboard; the thinking underneath it all, that the place you use is the place you look after, and why cleaning counts as a lesson rather than a chore; the rotating groups, including the toilet week nobody wants; teachers cleaning alongside the students; the companies that still start the day this way, and the football fans who tidy the stadium; and the honest counter-argument, that it takes time schools don't have.

Perfect for N4-N3 learners curious about Japanese schools. Tokyo & Kansai dialogue, fully shadowable. Full transcript & study notes on Patreon. 🎧

【Today's Vocabulary / 今日の言葉】

・掃く (はく) - To sweep. Always with a broom (「ほうき」), and always gathering rather than wiping - the dust then goes into the 「ちりとり」 (dustpan). Common phrases: 「庭を掃く」, 「落ち葉を掃く」, 「掃き掃除」 (sweeping, as opposed to 「拭き掃除」, wiping). Be careful with the homophones: 「履く」 is to put on shoes or trousers, and 「吐く」 is to vomit or to breathe out - three very different verbs pronounced はく, separated only by context and kanji. Related words: 「ほうき」 (houki, broom), 「ちりとり」 (chiritori, dustpan), 「掃除」 (souji, cleaning).

・拭く (ふく) - To wipe. It takes a cloth or paper and removes dirt or moisture: 「机を拭く」, 「窓を拭く」, 「手を拭く」. It also covers the body and face - 「汗を拭く」 (wipe away sweat), 「涙を拭く」 (wipe away tears) - which gives it a gentle, caring register in writing. In schools the cloth is a 「雑巾」 (zoukin), and 「雑巾がけ」 is the distinctive practice of wiping a floor at speed, on hands and feet. Note the homophone 「吹く」, to blow. Related words: 「雑巾」 (zoukin, cleaning cloth), 「タオル」 (taoru, towel), 「磨く」 (migaku, to polish).

・責任 (せきにん) - Responsibility. The core collocations are 「責任を持つ」 (to take responsibility for something ongoing), 「責任を取る」 (to accept the consequences after something goes wrong - in Japanese workplaces this can mean resigning), and 「責任感がある」 (to have a strong sense of duty - high praise). Note the useful adjective 「無責任」 (musekinin, irresponsible). In this episode the word does quiet work: school cleaning is framed not as labour but as learning that the space you use is yours to maintain. Related words: 「義務」 (gimu, obligation), 「担当」 (tantou, the person in charge), 「当番」 (touban, one's turn on duty).

📄 Get the Full Transcript with Furigana & Study Guide on our Patreon!シャドーイングに便利な「ふりがな付き台本」はこちら：👉 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/posts/155837588⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Welcome to Episode 96 of Real Japanese Talk with Haruka & Saki! 🗼🐙

🎤 Saki's friend turned down a karaoke invitation because they can't sing - which, in Japan, is a bit like refusing dinner because you're not a chef. 🎯

You'll learn three words:

• 歌う (utau) - to sing, plus its useful relatives 「鼻歌」 and 「音痴」

• 盛り上がる (moriagaru) - for a group's mood to lift; the actual point of the evening

• 十八番 (juuhachiban / ohako) - your signature song, your party piece

💡 Inside: why skill has nothing to do with it, and why the song everyone can join in on beats the one you sing beautifully alone; 「鼻歌」 for humming and 「音痴」 for singing off-key - fine about yourself, not about others; the strange word 「十八番」, readable two ways, and the kabuki family who supposedly kept their eighteen best plays in a box; 「ヒトカラ」, solo karaoke, now normal enough to have shops built for it; free-time pricing and cheap afternoons; the scoring function that restarts the fun; and the quiet closing number that ends the night.

Perfect for N4-N3 learners who want to say yes next time. Tokyo & Kansai dialogue, fully shadowable. Full transcript & study notes on Patreon. 🎧

【Today's Vocabulary / 今日の言葉】

・歌う (うたう) - To sing. Simple in itself, but its neighbours are the useful part. 「鼻歌」 (hanauta) is humming to yourself - literally "nose song" - as in 「鼻歌を歌う」. 「音痴」 (onchi) means tone-deaf or off-key; it is normal self-deprecation (「私、音痴なので」) but rude about someone else, and it extends humorously to other incapacities: 「方向音痴」 is having no sense of direction. Also note 「歌い上げる」 (to belt something out) and 「一曲」 (ikkyoku, one song), the counter you need to offer or request one. Related words: 「曲」 (kyoku, a track), 「声」 (koe, voice), 「音程」 (ontei, pitch).

・盛り上がる (もりあがる) - For a mood to rise; for a gathering, a conversation or a crowd to come alive. 「パーティーが盛り上がった」, 「話が盛り上がる」 (the conversation really got going), 「盛り上がっているね」 (you lot are having fun). The transitive partner 「盛り上げる」 means to get a group going - 「場を盛り上げる」 is a genuine social skill, and 「盛り上げ上手」 is high praise. Literally the verb means to swell or bulge upward, which is the image: the mood rising like ground pushed up. Related words: 「にぎやか」 (nigiyaka, lively), 「テンションが上がる」 (tenshon ga agaru, to get hyped), 「白ける」 (shirakeru, for a mood to die - the exact opposite).

・十八番 (じゅうはちばん) - One's speciality, party piece, signature song - read either 「じゅうはちばん」 or, more colloquially, 「おはこ」. At karaoke it means the song you always sing: 「私の十八番です」. The origin is usually traced to kabuki: the Ichikawa family designated eighteen plays as their finest works, and the story goes that the scripts were kept in a box - hence 「おはこ」, "the box." Beyond singing it covers any signature act: 「彼の十八番の料理」. Related words: 「得意」 (tokui, good at), 「持ち歌」 (mochiuta, one's own song), 「定番」 (teiban, a standard, the usual choice).

📄 Get the Full Transcript with Furigana & Study Guide on our Patreon!シャドーイングに便利な「ふりがな付き台本」はこちら：👉 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/posts/155837588⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Welcome to Episode 95 of Real Japanese Talk with Haruka & Saki! 🗼🐙

♨️ Saki's friend climbed into the hot spring still clutching their towel - for modesty - and got told off on the spot. It is the single most common mistake visitors make, and nobody explains the rules beforehand. 🎯

You'll learn three words:

• 浸かる (tsukaru) - to soak; to sit in hot water rather than merely enter it

• 流す (nagasu) - to rinse away; the washing you must do before getting in

• 恥ずかしい (hazukashii) - embarrassed; the real barrier for most first-timers

💡 Inside: why 「浸かる」 is a different act from 「入る」, and why soaking up to the shoulders is the whole point of a Japanese bath; the rinse-first rule and 「かけ湯」 with the little bucket, including the shampoo suds that have to be gone; the honest answer to the embarrassment question - nobody is looking, everyone is busy with themselves, five minutes and you're fine; and then the towel itself - small towel in, big towel stays in the changing room, never in the water, on your head or the rim instead; long hair tied up; no swimming, no going under, no running; and drying off before you step out.

Perfect for N4-N3 learners planning a hot-spring trip. Tokyo & Kansai dialogue, fully shadowable. Full transcript & study notes on Patreon. 🎧

【Today's Vocabulary / 今日の言葉】

・浸かる (つかる) - To soak, to be immersed. The difference from 「入る」 is duration - 「お風呂に入る」 is the act of getting in, while 「浸かる」 is being in it, warming through: 「肩まで浸かる」 (soak up to your shoulders), 「ゆっくり浸かる」. It extends to anything submerged - 「水に浸かった家」 (a flooded house) - and figuratively to being steeped in a way of life: 「古い習慣に浸かっている」. Note the transitive partner 「浸ける」 (tsukeru, to soak something). Related words: 「温まる」 (atatamaru, to warm up), 「湯船」 (yubune, the bathtub), 「長湯」 (nagayu, a long soak).

・流す (ながす) - To let flow; in the bathhouse, to rinse off. 「体を流す」 is the pre-bath wash that makes shared water possible, and 「汗を流す」 means both to rinse away sweat and, idiomatically, to work hard. Elsewhere it covers flushing (「トイレを流す」), playing music through a room (「音楽を流す」), shedding tears (「涙を流す」) and the lovely 「水に流す」 - to let a grievance wash away, to forgive and forget. The intransitive partner is 「流れる」. Related words: 「洗う」 (arau, to wash), 「すすぐ」 (susugu, to rinse), 「かけ湯」 (kakeyu, pouring water over yourself before entering).

・恥ずかしい (はずかしい) - Embarrassed, self-conscious, shy - and sometimes ashamed. It covers mild bashfulness (「恥ずかしがり屋」, a shy person), social awkwardness (「人前で歌うのは恥ずかしい」) and genuine shame (「恥ずかしい話ですが」, an embarrassing admission that often prefaces a confession). Note that Japanese uses it where English might say "awkward" or "cringe": 「昔の写真、恥ずかしい」. The related noun is 「恥」 (haji, shame), and 「恥をかく」 means to lose face. Related words: 「照れる」 (tereru, to be bashful), 「気まずい」 (kimazui, awkward between people), 「緊張する」 (kinchou suru, to be nervous).

📄 Get the Full Transcript with Furigana & Study Guide on our Patreon!シャドーイングに便利な「ふりがな付き台本」はこちら：👉 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/posts/155837588⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Transparency Disclosure: To maximize your learning experience, this podcast is produced using Google's generative AI technology for precise scriptwriting and clear, high-quality audio generation

Welcome to Episode 94 of Real Japanese Talk with Haruka & Saki! 🗼🐙

🍁 "You hunt the leaves? With what?" Saki's friend read the characters for 紅葉狩り and pictured weapons. Nothing gets caught, nothing gets picked - so why is it called hunting? 🎯

You'll learn three words:

• 色づく (irozuku) - for leaves or fruit to take on colour

• 眺める (nagameru) - to gaze at something, slowly and at a distance

• 盛り (sakari) - the peak; the very best moment of a season

💡 Inside: why a wide gap between day and night temperatures makes the colours deeper, and why that favours Kyoto in its ring of mountains; how 「眺める」 differs from plain 「見る」 - it carries time in it, which is the whole activity; the old story behind 「狩り」, from an era when people took a branch in hand to admire it, leaving the word behind after the picking stopped - and its living relatives, 「いちご狩り」 and 「ぶどう狩り」, where you really do pick; 「見頃」 and the nightly forecast that tracks it; and the autumn front that runs north to south, exactly opposite the cherry blossom - from late September in Hokkaido to late November in Kyoto.

Perfect for N4-N3 learners travelling in autumn. Tokyo & Kansai dialogue, fully shadowable. Full transcript & study notes on Patreon. 🎧

【Today's Vocabulary / 今日の言葉】

・色づく (いろづく) - To take on colour, to begin to turn. It is used for leaves reddening (「山が色づく」), fruit ripening into colour (「りんごが色づく」), and occasionally the sky at dusk. It is intransitive - the leaves do it by themselves; there is no one colouring them. Related nouns worth knowing: 「紅葉」 (read こうよう as a process, もみじ as the maple leaf itself), 「落ち葉」 (ochiba, fallen leaves), and 「枯れる」 (kareru, to wither), which is what comes after. Related words: 「染まる」 (somaru, to be dyed - more poetic), 「熟す」 (jukusu, to ripen).

・眺める (ながめる) - To gaze, to look out over. The difference from 「見る」 is time and distance: 「眺める」 implies an unhurried, wide, often distant look - 「景色を眺める」, 「窓の外を眺める」, 「ぼんやり眺める」 (to gaze absently). The noun 「眺め」 means a view, as in 「眺めがいい部屋」 (a room with a good view). Contrast 「見つめる」 (mitsumeru), which is the opposite in scale - staring intently at one thing, usually close by. Related words: 「見渡す」 (miwatasu, to survey a whole scene), 「見物する」 (kenbutsu suru, to sightsee), 「眺め」 (nagame, a view).

・盛り (さかり) - The peak, the height, the prime. Seasonally: 「桜が今が盛りだ」 (the cherry blossom is at its height); of people: 「働き盛り」 (the prime working years), 「育ち盛り」 (a growing child, always hungry); of weather: 「暑い盛り」 (the height of the heat). It comes from the verb 「盛る」/「盛ん」 (sakan, thriving). For seasonal viewing specifically, 「見頃」 (migoro, the best time to see it) is the word used in forecasts. Related words: 「見頃」 (migoro), 「旬」 (shun, in season, for food), 「ピーク」 (piiku, peak - the borrowed word).

📄 Get the Full Transcript with Furigana & Study Guide on our Patreon!シャドーイングに便利な「ふりがな付き台本」はこちら：👉 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/posts/155837588⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Transparency Disclosure: To maximize your learning experience, this podcast is produced using Google's generative AI technology for precise scriptwriting and clear, high-quality audio generation

Welcome to Episode 93 of Real Japanese Talk with Haruka & Saki! 🗼🐙

🍻 Saki's friend was the only person at the table who ordered wine - and everyone had to sit and wait. There is a reason Japanese drinking parties start with the same drink, and it isn't that everybody loves beer. 🎯

You'll learn three words:

• 乾杯 (kanpai) - the toast; raising glasses together and starting to drink

• 注ぐ (tsugu) - to pour a drink, usually for somebody else

• 付き合い (tsukiai) - the socialising that keeps a relationship going

💡 Inside: why nobody drinks before the toast, and how that single rule explains "toriaezu biiru" - beer arrives fastest, so ordering it gets everyone in step; the glass-height rule when toasting with someone senior; why you don't pour your own drink in Japan, how to hold the bottle (label up, both hands), and the habit of watching your neighbour's glass; 「飲みニケーション」 and why it's fading, including the fact that pressuring people to drink is no longer acceptable; the first, second and even third round; and the simple advice for visitors - match the group on drink one, then order whatever you want.

Perfect for N4-N3 learners heading to Japan for work. Tokyo & Kansai dialogue, fully shadowable. Full transcript & study notes on Patreon. 🎧

【Today's Vocabulary / 今日の言葉】

・乾杯 (かんぱい) - A toast; "cheers." The characters mean "dry the cup," though nobody is expected to empty it. As a verb it takes 「に」 for what you're toasting: 「合格に乾杯！」. The important cultural point is procedural - 「乾杯」 marks the moment drinking begins, so glasses are not touched before it, and someone senior usually says a few words first. Note the more formal 「献杯」 (kenpai), used at memorial gatherings, where glasses are raised but not clinked. Related words: 「一杯」 (ippai, one glass), 「飲み会」 (nomikai, a drinking party), 「お疲れさま」 (otsukaresama, the standard greeting that precedes it).

・注ぐ (つぐ) - To pour a drink. In social settings the reciprocal habit matters: 「注ぎ合う」 (to keep each other's glasses filled) and 「お酌をする」 (oshaku wo suru, to pour for someone) describe an evening where nobody fills their own glass. Note the near-twin 「注ぐ」 read as そそぐ, which is broader - pouring liquid generally, and also devoting effort or attention (「力を注ぐ」). The polite request is 「お注ぎしましょうか」. Related words: 「お酌」 (oshaku, pouring for others), 「乾杯」 (kanpai), 「おかわり」 (okawari, a refill).

・付き合い (つきあい) - Association, socialising, keeping up a relationship. It covers business entertaining (「付き合いで飲む」, to drink because the situation requires it), neighbourly contact (「近所付き合い」), and long friendships (「長い付き合いです」). 「付き合いが悪い」 - literally "bad at socialising" - is a mild criticism aimed at someone who always declines invitations, and it carries real weight in Japanese workplaces. The verb 「付き合う」 also means to date someone. Related words: 「飲みニケーション」 (nominication, bonding through drinking), 「義理」 (giri, social obligation), 「断る」 (kotowaru, to decline).

📄 Get the Full Transcript with Furigana & Study Guide on our Patreon!シャドーイングに便利な「ふりがな付き台本」はこちら：👉 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/posts/155837588⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Transparency Disclosure: To maximize your learning experience, this podcast is produced using Google's generative AI technology for precise scriptwriting and clear, high-quality audio generation