NIHONGO CANDY – Japanese Learning Podcast (JLPT N5–N3)

Black clothes, throwing stars, secret techniques — that's the ninja you know from anime and games. In this episode we look at what the ninja of the Warring States period were really like.

This is Episode 8 of our mini-series on Japanese history, made for JLPT N5–N3 learners. In about seven minutes, you'll learn that a ninja's real job was gathering information (情報 / jōhō / jouhou), why Iga (伊賀) and Koga (甲賀 / Kōka / Kouka) became famous, and where the black costume actually came from — the kabuki (歌舞伎) stage of the Edo period. We also meet Hattori Hanzo (服部半蔵 / Hattori Hanzō / Hattori Hanzou), the "strongest ninja" of games who was in fact a spearman, and whose name still lives on at Tokyo's Hanzomon (半蔵門) subway station.

You'll also pick up five useful everyday words: 情報 (jōhō), 集める (atsumeru), 協力 (kyōryoku), 危険な (kiken na), and 無事に (buji ni).

Next episode: Battle tactics — how huge armies were moved, and how guns changed the way wars were fought.

🚀 NEXT STEPS FOR YOUR JAPANESE💻Systematic Learning (Self-Study)🎁 Podcast Listener Reward: Claim your exclusive discount through the link below:https://www.udemy.com/course/intermediate-japanese-jlpt-n3-course1/?couponCode=SEP26_NIHONGOCANDY⁠💻Executive Private Coaching (Live):https://www.welcjp.com/forindividuals📱 LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/in/mikisasakiwelc

#Samurai #JapaneseHistory #SengokuPeriod #SamuraiHistory #AnimeJapanese #Ninja #HattoriHanzo #Iga #NihongoCandy #LearnJapanese #JapaneseVocabulary #JLPTN5 #JLPTN4 #JLPTN3 #JapaneseForTravel #TravelInJapan #SpeakJapanese #JapanesePhrases #LivingInJapan #JapaneseConversation

Ever walked through a Japanese castle, or seen one in an anime or game? In this episode we look at how the castles of the samurai were built, and why so few of the original ones still stand.

This is Episode 7 of our mini-series on Japanese history, made for JLPT N5–N3 learners. In about seven minutes, you'll learn the two key parts of a castle — the tenshu (天守 / tenshu), the tall tower, and the ishigaki (石垣 / ishigaki), the stone walls — and meet three castles that still keep their original tenshu, all National Treasures (国宝 / kokuhō / kokuhou): Matsumoto (松本城), Inuyama (犬山城), and Himeji (姫路城), the "White Heron Castle." We finish in the castle town (城下町 / jōkamachi / joukamachi) of Kanazawa (金沢).

You'll also pick up five useful everyday words: 守る (mamoru), 防ぐ (fusegu), 残る (nokoru), 美しい (utsukushii), and 雰囲気 (fun'iki).

Next episode: Ninja — the ones you know from anime and games, and what they were really like.

🚀 NEXT STEPS FOR YOUR JAPANESE💻Systematic Learning (Self-Study)🎁 Podcast Listener Reward: Claim your exclusive discount through the link below:https://www.udemy.com/course/intermediate-japanese-jlpt-n3-course1/?couponCode=SEP26_NIHONGOCANDY💻Executive Private Coaching (Live):https://www.welcjp.com/forindividuals📱 LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/in/mikisasakiwelc

#Samurai #JapaneseHistory #SengokuPeriod #SamuraiHistory #AnimeJapanese #JapaneseCastles #HimejiCastle #MatsumotoCastle #NihongoCandy #LearnJapanese #JapaneseVocabulary #JLPTN5 #JLPTN4 #JLPTN3 #JapaneseForTravel #TravelInJapan #SpeakJapanese #JapanesePhrases #LivingInJapan #JapaneseConversation

Meet two of the most popular heroes of the Sengoku period — the ones you may already know from anime and games. Date Masamune (伊達政宗 / date masamune), the "one-eyed dragon," and Sanada Yukimura (真田幸村 / sanada yukimura), the "greatest warrior in Japan."

This is Episode 6 of our mini-series on Japanese history, made for JLPT N5–N3 learners. In about seven minutes, you'll learn the story behind Masamune's eyepatch and crescent-moon helmet, why Yukimura's bright red armor made him a legend after he nearly defeated Tokugawa Ieyasu, and how the two met just once, on opposite sides at the Siege of Osaka (大坂の陣).

You'll also pick up five useful everyday words: 目立つ (medatsu), 倒す (taosu), 見事な (migoto na), 敵 (teki), and 味方 (mikata). In our "Japanese You Can Still Use Today" corner, we look at nihon-ichi (日本一), "the best in Japan."

Next episode: Japanese castles — the towering keeps and stone walls where the samurai lived.

🚀 NEXT STEPS FOR YOUR JAPANESE💻Systematic Learning (Self-Study)🎁 Podcast Listener Reward: Claim your exclusive discount through the link below:https://www.udemy.com/course/intermediate-japanese-jlpt-n3-course1/?couponCode=JULY26_NIHONGOCANDY💻Executive Private Coaching (Live):https://www.welcjp.com/forindividuals📱 LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/in/mikisasakiwelc

#Samurai #JapaneseHistory #SengokuPeriod #SamuraiHistory #AnimeJapanese #DateMasamune #SanadaYukimura #NihongoCandy #LearnJapanese #JapaneseVocabulary #JLPTN5 #JLPTN4 #JLPTN3 #JapaneseForTravel #TravelInJapan #SpeakJapanese #JapanesePhrases #LivingInJapan #JapaneseConversation

Takeda Shingen (武田信玄 / takeda shingen) and Uesugi Kenshin (上杉謙信 / uesugi kenshin) were destined rivals who clashed again and again — and yet respected each other deeply.

This is Episode 5 of our mini-series on Japanese history, made for JLPT N5–N3 learners. In about seven minutes, you'll meet the "Tiger of Kai" and the "Dragon of Echigo," follow their Battles of Kawanakajima (川中島の戦い) and the legend of their duel, and learn the meaning of Shingen's famous banner, Fūrinkazan (風林火山 / fuurinkazan) — "as fast as the wind, as quiet as a forest, as fierce as fire, and as still as a mountain."

You'll also pick up five useful everyday words: 宿命 (shukumei), 激しい (hageshii), 悲しむ (kanashimu), 認める (mitomeru), and 尊敬する (sonkei suru). In our "Japanese You Can Still Use Today" corner, we look at the idiom teki ni shio o okuru (敵に塩を送る), "to send salt to the enemy" — helping a rival in trouble, an attitude that reflects the spirit of bushidō (武士道 / bushidō / bushidou), the way of the samurai.

Next episode: Date Masamune (伊達政宗), the "one-eyed dragon," and Sanada Yukimura (真田幸村), called the greatest warrior in Japan.

🚀 NEXT STEPS FOR YOUR JAPANESE💻Systematic Learning (Self-Study)🎁 Podcast Listener Reward: Claim your exclusive discount through the link below: https://www.udemy.com/course/intermediate-japanese-jlpt-n3-course1/?couponCode=AUG26_NIHONGOCANDY💻Executive Private Coaching (Live):https://www.welcjp.com/forindividuals📱 LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/in/mikisasakiwelc

#Samurai #JapaneseHistory #SengokuPeriod #SamuraiHistory #AnimeJapanese #TakedaShingen #UesugiKenshin #Bushido #NihongoCandy #LearnJapanese #JapaneseVocabulary #JLPTN5 #JLPTN4 #JLPTN3 #JapaneseForTravel #TravelInJapan #SpeakJapanese #JapanesePhrases #LivingInJapan #JapaneseConversation

Who was Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康 / tokugawa ieyasu), the man who waited and finally won all of Japan?

This is Episode 4 of our mini-series on Japanese history, made for JLPT N5–N3 learners. In about seven minutes, you'll follow Ieyasu from his long years as a hostage (人質) to his victory at the Battle of Sekigahara (関ヶ原の戦い, 1600), and see how he opened the Edo shogunate (江戸幕府, 1603) and began about 260 years of peace.

You'll also meet the famous "cuckoo poems" (ホトトギスの句) that capture the very different characters of the three great heroes — Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu — and pick up five useful everyday words: 手に入れる (te ni ireru), 恵まれている (megumarete iru), 平和な (heiwa na), 性格 (seikaku), and 我慢する (gaman suru). And here's a fun cultural note: even today, Japanese people sometimes compare themselves or others to one of these three men.

Next episode: Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin (武田信玄と上杉謙信), the destined rivals of Kawanakajima.

🚀 NEXT STEPS FOR YOUR JAPANESE💻Systematic Learning (Self-Study)🎁 Podcast Listener Reward: Claim your exclusive discount through the link below:https://www.udemy.com/course/intermediate-japanese-jlpt-n3-course1/?couponCode=AUG26_NIHONGOCANDY💻Executive Private Coaching (Live):https://www.welcjp.com/forindividuals📱 LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/in/mikisasakiwelc

#Samurai #JapaneseHistory #SengokuPeriod #SamuraiHistory #AnimeJapanese #TokugawaIeyasu #NihongoCandy #LearnJapanese #JapaneseVocabulary #JLPTN5 #JLPTN4 #JLPTN3 #JapaneseForTravel #TravelInJapan #SpeakJapanese #JapanesePhrases #LivingInJapan #JapaneseConversation

Who was Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豊臣秀吉 / toyotomi hideyoshi), the man who was born a farmer's son and ended up ruling all of Japan?

This is Episode 3 of our mini-series on Japanese history, made for JLPT N5–N3 learners. In about seven minutes, you'll follow Hideyoshi from his first job carrying his lord's sandals, to the moment he took over after Nobunaga's death, to the unification of Japan in 1590 — and see what he did with that power, through the land survey (検地 / kenchi) and the sword hunt (刀狩 / katanagari).

You'll also pick up five useful everyday words: 出世する (shusse suru), 気が利く (ki ga kiku), 認める (mitomeru), 工夫する (kufū suru / kufuu suru), and 成しとげる (nashitogeru). In our "Japanese You Can Still Use Today" corner, we look at how 出世する is used at work in Japan today.

Next episode: Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康), the man who took power and became the first shōgun of the peaceful Edo period.

🚀 NEXT STEPS FOR YOUR JAPANESE💻Systematic Learning (Self-Study)🎁 Podcast Listener Reward: Claim your exclusive discount through the link below:https://www.udemy.com/course/intermediate-japanese-jlpt-n3-course1/?couponCode=JULY26_NIHONGOCANDY💻Executive Private Coaching (Live):https://www.welcjp.com/forindividuals📱 LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/in/mikisasakiwelc

#Samurai #JapaneseHistory #SengokuPeriod #SamuraiHistory #AnimeJapanese #ToyotomiHideyoshi #NihongoCandy #LearnJapanese #JapaneseVocabulary #JLPTN5 #JLPTN4 #JLPTN3 #JapaneseForTravel #TravelInJapan #SpeakJapanese #JapanesePhrases #LivingInJapan #JapaneseConversation

Who was Oda Nobunaga (織田信長 / oda nobunaga), the revolutionary who changed the Sengoku period?

This is Episode 2 of our mini-series on Japanese history, made for JLPT N5–N3 learners. In about seven minutes, you'll follow Nobunaga from the Battle of Okehazama (桶狭間の戦い, 1560) — where a young lord once called a "fool" defeated a huge army — to his revolutionary policies, his dream of tenka fubu (天下布武), and his sudden end at the Incident at Honnō-ji (本能寺の変, 1582).

You'll also pick up five useful everyday words: 革命児 (kakumeiji), 思いがけない (omoigakenai), あきらめる (akirameru), こだわる (kodawaru), and 裏切る (uragiru). In our "Japanese You Can Still Use Today" corner, we look at how 革命児 is used in business, sports, and music today.

Next episode: Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豊臣秀吉), who rose from humble beginnings to unify Japan.

🚀 NEXT STEPS FOR YOUR JAPANESE💻Systematic Learning (Self-Study)🎁 Podcast Listener Reward: Claim your exclusive discount through the link below:https://www.udemy.com/course/intermediate-japanese-jlpt-n3-course1/?couponCode=JULY26_NIHONGOCANDY💻Executive Private Coaching (Live):https://www.welcjp.com/forindividuals📱 LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/in/mikisasakiwelc

#Samurai #JapaneseHistory #SengokuPeriod #SamuraiHistory #AnimeJapanese #OdaNobunaga #NihongoCandy #LearnJapanese #JapaneseVocabulary #JLPTN5 #JLPTN4 #JLPTN3 #JapaneseForTravel #TravelInJapan #SpeakJapanese #JapanesePhrases #LivingInJapan #JapaneseConversation

What was Japan's Sengoku period (戦国時代 / sengoku jidai), and why does it appear in so many anime, manga, and games?

This is Episode 1 of our new mini-series on Japanese history, made for JLPT N5–N3 learners. In about seven minutes, you'll learn what the Warring States period was, when it began (the Ōnin War of 1467), and the key idea behind it — gekokujō (下剋上), the lower overthrowing those above.

You'll also pick up six essential words: 戦国時代, 下剋上 (gekokujō), 大名 (daimyō), 天下 (tenka), 天下統一 (tenka tōitsu), and 武将 (bushō). In our "Japanese You Can Still Use Today" corner, we look at how 下剋上 is used in modern sports and everyday life.

Next episode: Oda Nobunaga (織田信長), the revolutionary who changed the era.

🚀 NEXT STEPS FOR YOUR JAPANESE💻Systematic Learning (Self-Study)🎁 Podcast Listener Reward: Claim your exclusive discount through the link below:https://www.udemy.com/course/intermediate-japanese-jlpt-n3-course1/?couponCode=JULY26_NIHONGOCANDY💻Executive Private Coaching (Live):https://www.welcjp.com/forindividuals📱 LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/in/mikisasakiwelc

#Samurai #JapaneseHistory #SengokuPeriod #SamuraiHistory #AnimeJapanese #Gekokujo #NihongoCandy #LearnJapanese #JapaneseVocabulary #JLPTN5 #JLPTN4 #JLPTN3 #JapaneseForTravel #TravelInJapan #SpeakJapanese #JapanesePhrases #LivingInJapan #JapaneseConversation

Want to ask a friend or coworker how their trip was — and share your own travel stories in Japanese? Learn the essential Japanese vocabulary for asking about and talking about a recent trip — including どうだった (do datta / how was it?), 一番 (ichiban / the most, number one), 最高 (saiko / the best, amazing), 景色 (keshiki / scenery, view), 感動する (kando suru / to be moved, touched), and おすすめ (osusume / a recommendation) — so you can confidently talk about travel with friends and coworkers in Japanese.

🚀 NEXT STEPS FOR YOUR JAPANESE
💻Systematic Learning (Self-Study)
🎁 Podcast Listener Reward: Claim your exclusive discount through the link below:
https://www.udemy.com/course/intermediate-japanese-jlpt-n3-course1/?couponCode=JULY26_NIHONGOCANDY
💻Executive Private Coaching (Live): https://www.welcjp.com/forindividuals
📱 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mikisasakiwelc

#NihongoCandy #LearnJapanese #JapaneseVocabulary #JLPTN5 #JLPTN4 #JLPTN3 #JapaneseForTravel #TravelInJapan #SpeakJapanese #JapanesePhrases #LivingInJapan #JapaneseConversation

Need to explain sales figures, trends, or data in a Japanese meeting or presentation? Learn the essential Japanese vocabulary for describing how numbers change — including 上がる (agaru / to go up), 下がる (sagaru / to go down), 増える (fueru / to increase), 減る (heru / to decrease), 横ばい (yokobai / flat, unchanged), 大きく (ookiku / greatly), わずかに (wazuka ni / slightly), and ほぼ (hobo / almost) — so you can confidently present data and talk about trends in Japanese.

🚀 NEXT STEPS FOR YOUR JAPANESE

💻Systematic Learning (Self-Study) 🎁 Podcast Listener Reward: Claim your exclusive discount through the link below: ⁠https://www.udemy.com/course/intermediate-japanese-jlpt-n3-course1/?couponCode=JULY26_NIHONGOCANDY

💻Executive Private Coaching (Live): ⁠https://www.welcjp.com/forindividuals⁠

📱 LinkedIn: ⁠www.linkedin.com/in/mikisasakiwelc⁠

#NihongoCandy #LearnJapanese #JapaneseVocabulary #JLPTN5 #JLPTN4 #JLPTN3 #BusinessJapanese #JapaneseForBusiness #ビジネス日本語 #Presentation #プレゼン #SpeakJapanese #JapanesePhrases #LivingInJapan