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Haruki Murakami's new novel is out in Japan! I've read the first two chapters and give my immediate impressions divided into three sections: spoiler free, loose suggestions about content, and spoiler-palooza. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to howtojapanese@gmail.com. You can also follow How to Japanese on Substack, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

We're 24 hours away from the publication of Murakami's latest novel! In this episode, I go through a laundry list of vocabulary that ties together Murakami's fiction over the years, run through a set of predictions I made (both prior to and after the title announcement), and then dig deep into spoiler territory about how exactly the new novel might be connected to Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. Check out the links I mention on the blog. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to howtojapanese@gmail.com. You can also follow How to Japanese on Substack, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

This week I go through all the books--fiction, nonfiction, and translations--that Murakami Haruki published from 2006 to 2023. Take a look at the blog post for all the links I mentioned, and follow along during the podcast using the Google Sheets spreadsheet I created with all Murakami's publications: https://bit.ly/MurakamiBibliography Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to howtojapanese@gmail.com. You can also follow How to Japanese on Substack, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

This week I go through all the books--fiction, nonfiction, and translations--that Murakami Haruki published from 1988 to 2005. Take a look at the blog post for all the links I mentioned, and follow along during the podcast using the Google Sheets spreadsheet I created with all Murakami's publications: https://bit.ly/MurakamiBibliography Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to howtojapanese@gmail.com. You can also follow How to Japanese on Substack, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

This week I go through all the books--fiction, nonfiction, and translations--that Murakami Haruki published from 1979 to 1987. Take a look at the blog post for all the links I mentioned, and follow along during the podcast using the Google Sheets spreadsheet I created with all Murakami's publications: https://bit.ly/MurakamiBibliography Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to howtojapanese@gmail.com. You can also follow How to Japanese on Substack, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

I've spent the last two months re-reading Haruki Murakami's novels, and here are my power rankings. What do you think? What are his most and least successful novels? Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to howtojapanese@gmail.com. You can also follow How to Japanese on Substack, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

This week, I take a look at Murakami's famous origin story with the help of writer and translator Matt Schley. We looked at ten different accounts of the day that Murakami was inspired to become a writer. Check out the blog for more details on each. Thanks again to Matt. You can read his translation of Soda Kazuhiro's Why I Make Documentaries: On Observational Filmmaking available via Viaindustriae Publishing. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to howtojapanese@gmail.com. You can also follow How to Japanese on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Welcome to Season 3 of the How to Japanese Podcast, the Murakami Season. Here's the initial intro episode I was planning. Check out the blog for a link to the Murakami commentary I mention toward the end. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to howtojapanese@gmail.com. You can also follow How to Japanese on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

We have the title for the new Murakami novel due out on April 13! It's the same title as a 1980 novella that Murakami disavowed as a "failed work" but later rewrote as Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. Here's what we know about that novella, and here are my best guesses about what we could be getting next month. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to howtojapanese@gmail.com. You can also follow How to Japanese on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

On the final episode this season, I talk about the importance of celebrating your little victories as you study a language. And in Japanese, I think about how to balance introversion and extroversion as you're studying. Listen until the end - I provide a short update on one of the episodes from Season 1. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to howtojapanese@gmail.com. You can also follow How to Japanese on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Jens Petersen has been working in real estate in Tokyo for over 13 years. He initially found interest in Japanese independent music. In recent years his interest has also branched out into the art world. We spoke about learning Japanese, finding an immersive environment, and job hunting at job fairs. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to howtojapanese@gmail.com. You can also follow How to Japanese on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

There is an official order to the 都道府県 (todōfuken, prefectures) in Japan. I share some thoughts about it and in Japanese discuss the importance of learning how to really devour (貪る, musaboru) your Japanese studies. This is a nice post with a close look at the numbering. Here is the official website for the 全国地方公共団体コード. And I previously wrote about the alphabet in Japanese. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to howtojapanese@gmail.com. You can also follow How to Japanese on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Molly Des Jardin is a language and computer nerd who came to study Japanese, and later book and media history of modern Japan. She quickly got sucked into both for the long term and enjoyed the 'B-kyu' adventures she got to have while working or studying in Fukuoka, Yokohama, and the least cool wards of Tokyo. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to howtojapanese@gmail.com. You can also follow How to Japanese on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Substack, and Facebook.

This is an audio version of a presentation I gave to departing JETs at the Consulate-General of Japan in Chicago. Usually I'm able to drill the JETs to get them speaking a little Japanese. Obviously it's virtual this year, so I recorded a version to use as reference. This material might be useful for others interested in teaching in Japan. Follow along with the slides, which can be accessed here. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to howtojapanese@gmail.com. You can also follow How to Japanese on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Substack, and Facebook.

What's something that surprised you about Japan that was completely ordinary? For me it was the access to swimming pools. Living in Japan changed my relationship with swimming for the better. And in Japanese, I talk about 趣味 (shumi, hobbies/interests) and their role in Japanese study. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to howtojapanese@gmail.com. You can also follow How to Japanese on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Mike Grant is the co-founder of Devil Craft brewing and has been operating in Tokyo for 10 years as of this year. Devil Craft has four locations in the Tokyo area. See Craft Beer Professional's interview with Mike here. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to howtojapanese@gmail.com. You can also follow How to Japanese on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Substack, and Facebook.

The Katakana Fallacy is the mistaken belief that katakana are more difficult to learn than hiragana (and maybe even kanji?!). A closer look at what drives this believe helps explain why Japanese is, in fact, the easiest language in the world. And in Japanese, I talk about linguistic crutches and how to avoid them. I've been writing about the ideas behind the Katakana Fallacy since this post in 2008. And this is the Anki deck of katakana words that I mentioned might be helpful. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to howtojapanese@gmail.com. You can also follow How to Japanese on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Mercedez Clewis is a Japanese to English localization editor and proofreader as well as a pop culture writer and critic. See her website here. We spoke about intensive Japanese study programs, teaching on the JET Program, and breaking into translation/writing/localization as a freelancer. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to howtojapanese@gmail.com. You can also follow How to Japanese on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Substack, and Facebook.

かもしれない (kamoshirenai, may/might) has subtle nuances, and it can be easy to overuse. I talk about a time when I did, and how many years later that mistake allowed me to become an advice columnist very briefly. And in Japanese, I go into my unfortunate history with 食中毒 (shokuchūdoku, food poisoning) in Japan. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to howtojapanese@gmail.com. You can also follow How to Japanese on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Brian Epstein is a patent attorney with Modal Law who has been working with Japanese clients and patent attorneys for his 14-year career. He started his own practice in 2019 and plans to visit Japan again shortly after the borders reopen. We discuss patent law and communication with Japanese business partners. Feel free to reach out with any questions or 悩み事 to howtojapanese@gmail.com. You can also follow How to Japanese on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.