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Japan Culture Navi 日本語

Pop Culture

Anime, manga, idols, games, otaku culture and cosplay.

60 entries

Tap a title to open the full entry: three lengths of English explanation, the questions people actually ask, ready-made phrases and audio.

Essential（11）

Standard（39）

ArtsStandard shogi将棋Japanese chess
ArtsStandard Hyakunin Isshu百人一首a hundred poems and the card game
Annual EventsStandard halloween japan日本のハロウィンHalloween as a street costume event
FolkloreStandard kaidan怪談Japanese ghost stories
FolkloreStandard kuchisake-onna口裂け女the slit-mouthed woman, Japan's most famous modern urban legend
Food & DrinkStandard dagashi駄菓子the cheap sweets children buy with their own money
Modern JapanStandard net cafeネットカフェinternet cafe with private booths
Modern JapanStandard hassha melody発車メロディーstation departure jingles
Modern JapanStandard mahjong麻雀the four-player tile game, and where it sits legally
Seasons & NatureStandard kingyo金魚goldfish, and the summer festival game of scooping them
Pop CultureStandard esportseスポーツcompetitive gaming in Japan
Pop CultureStandard otakuオタクsomeone obsessively into a hobby
Pop CultureStandard gachagachaガチャガチャcapsule toy vending machine
Pop CultureStandard karutaかるたthe card game where you race to grab the right card
Pop CultureStandard character bunkaキャラクター文化characters attached to everything
Pop CultureStandard game centerゲームセンターvideo game arcade
Pop CultureStandard cosplayコスプレdressing as a character
Pop CultureStandard Weekly Shonen Jumpジャンプと週刊漫画誌the manga magazine where reader postcards ranking each week's chapters can decide a series' fate
Pop CultureStandard variety showsバラエティ番組Japanese TV variety programs
Pop CultureStandard purikuraプリクラphoto sticker booths
Pop CultureStandard yuru-kyaraゆるキャラlocal mascot characters
Pop CultureStandard Lolita fashionロリータファッションa modest, Victorian-inspired street fashion born in Harajuku, built around long skirts and frills
Pop CultureStandard onge音ゲーrhythm games
Pop CultureStandard hanafuda花札the flower card game
Pop CultureStandard kissaten morning service喫茶店とモーニングthe free breakfast set old-style coffee shops add to the price of a single coffee
Pop CultureStandard koshien cheering甲子園の応援the organized brass-band and stand cheering that fills the stadium during the national high school baseball tournament
Pop CultureStandard Kohaku Uta Gassen紅白歌合戦the New Year's Eve song contest on public television
Pop CultureStandard kamishibai紙芝居the paper theater a storyteller carried on a bicycle
Pop CultureStandard jidaigeki時代劇the period drama set before the Meiji era
Pop CultureStandard Showa retro昭和レトロa nostalgia trend for the look and feel of Japan's postwar Showa decades
Pop CultureStandard oshikatsu推し活supporting your favorite
Pop CultureStandard seiyu声優voice actors
Pop CultureStandard mukashi no asobi昔の遊びthe pre-electronic children's games still taught in schools
Pop CultureStandard itasha痛車a car wrapped in large anime or game character graphics
Pop CultureStandard train otaku鉄道ファンJapan's railway enthusiasts, a hobby broad enough to include photographers, sound recorders and model builders
Pop CultureStandard doujin music同人音楽self-released music made and sold by independent circles, often at fan conventions
Pop CultureStandard Japanese film日本映画Japanese cinema, then and now
Pop CultureStandard manga kissa漫画喫茶manga and internet cafes
Pop CultureStandard manzai漫才two-person stand-up comedy

Advanced（10）