Happy Sunday Japanophiles, Herewith the 10th issue of the Hai Japan Newsletter — your Weekly Dose of Japan!

Ok, I know what some of you are here for…

HEREWITH THE JAPANESE CORE 600: THE ULTIMATE 10 WEEK BEGINNER BOOTCAMP (FOR FREE)😄 !!!! [Get Now!]

Here’s the YouTube Video link as well :)

This is a TEMPORARY offer so it’ll be deleted soon!

(I’ll send out a notice on my IG and email before then)

So, if you’re here, lucky you!

And one more thing…

I’m happy to announce a collaboration between me and Hikari Sensei (@japanesewithhikari IG).

Hikari Sensei has a Japanese Beginner’s Course that I believe (with my freebie 😄) can really take your Japanese to the next level — in 30 days!

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1. Live Your Japan Dream: Whether you're dreaming of living in Japan, want to connect with your heritage, or just love anime and want to understand it in the original language, this course is perfect for you!

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4. Flexible Learning: Learn at your own pace, on any device, and get daily support from your instructor. Plus, with a 30-day money-back guarantee, you've got nothing to lose!

5. Awesome Bonuses: Get exclusive access to JLPT N5 Exam Preparation (For the Hai Japan Community ONLY), a Japan Travel Guidebook, and a personalized Kanji translation of your name, making your learning journey even more exciting.

Don't miss out! Registrations are closing soon (Monday 10 am JST).

Start your Japanese learning adventure today! Sign up here.

Ok, without further ado!

In today’s email:

• Nearly 11 million Elderly Japanese will live alone by 2050

• Essential Japanese Particles Run-through.

• Anime of the Week.

• Cool pictures, grammar tidbits, and more!

This newsletter follows the K.A.W.A.I.I format (a format I made up) which you’ll figure out as you read. You’re free to reply to this newsletter to share any thoughts or opinions you may have.

Now without further ramblings, enjoy!😁 

• これはとても面白い写真ですね！ Kore wa totemo omoshiroi shashin desu ne! This is a very funny picture!

• 猫はとても面白いです。 Neko wa totemo omoshiroi desu. Cats are very funny.

• その猫はブラジャーを着けています！ Sono neko wa burajā o kete imasu! That cat is wearing a brassiere!

• 私は猫を飼いたいですし、このような写真をもっと見たいです。 Watashi wa neko o kaitai desu shi, kono yōna shashin o motto mitai desu. I wish I had a cat, and I want to see more pictures like this.

Grammar & Vocabulary

1. これはとても面白い写真ですね！

   • これは (kore wa): "This is"

   • とても (totemo): "very"

   • 面白い (omoshiroi): "interesting" or "funny"

   • 写真です (shashin desu): "picture is"

   • ね (ne): A particle used at the end of a sentence to seek agreement or confirmation, similar to "isn't it?" or "right?"

2. 猫はとても面白いです。

   • 猫は (neko wa): "As for cats"

   • とても (totemo): "very"

   • 面白いです (omoshiroi desu): "are interesting" or "are funny"

3. その猫はブラジャーを着けています！

   • その猫は (sono neko wa): "That cat"

   • ブラジャーを (burajā o): "brassiere (accusative particle)"

   • 着けています (kakete imasu): "is wearing" (present progressive form)

4. 私は猫を飼いたいですし、このような写真をもっと見たいです。

   • 私は (watashi wa): "As for me" or "I"

   • 猫を飼いたいです (neko o kaitai desu): "want to have a cat" (desire form)

   • し (shi): A conjunction indicating reasoning or cause-and-effect, similar to "and" or "so"

   • このような (kono yōna): "like this" or "this kind of"

   • 写真を (shashin o): "picture (accusative particle)"

   • もっと (motto): "more"

   • 見たいです (mitai desu): "want to see" or "wish to see" (desire form)

These sentences demonstrate various grammar points such as particles, verb conjugations (including the desire form and present progressive form), and conjunctions, all of which are essential in forming complex sentences in Japanese.

Anime of the week from the 5th of April to 12th of April from animecorner.com 

Have you watched any of these? 😄 

Japan's imperial family makes Instagram debut

The account has more than 350,000 followers after it posted 60 photos and five videos on its first day.

Japan's imperial family has debuted on Instagram to connect with a younger audience and dispel their reclusive image. The account, managed by the Imperial Household Agency, features Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako, and Princess Aiko in official duties and public appearances.

Their first post, celebrating the new year, shows the family smiling together. Subsequent posts include meetings with foreign dignitaries like the Crown Prince of Brunei.

The account is reserved, with no following or comments allowed. Messages must be sent through the official website. The agency aims to offer a glimpse into the family's duties and may expand to include other royal members.

The move follows other royal families' social media presence, but the agency is cautious after Princess Mako Komuro faced criticism, delaying her marriage. With over 350,000 followers already, the account shows promise in modernizing the imperial family's image.

'Nearly 11M Japan elderly to live alone by 2050'

By 2050, one in five households in Japan will be elderly people living alone, according to a new study. 

The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research predicts that 10.8 million elderly individuals will live alone, comprising 20.6 percent of all households, up from 13.2 percent in 2020.

This trend is driven by factors such as delayed marriage and fewer children among young Japanese people.

The demographic shift poses challenges, including rising medical costs and a shrinking labor force.

Despite government efforts, the population decline and aging demographics continue, highlighting the need for effective solutions.

Music I’m listening to:

The list:

• Midori No Shoujo - Indigo La End

• Yumemitetano Atashi - DAOKO

• Nidone - Creepy Nuts

These are the songs that have been on rotation for me! There are more but I wouldn’t want to bombard you with 20+ songs!

“Midori No Shoujo” gives me a “nice Summertime Sunset drive with friends” vibe while DAOKO’s song’s progression from soft to loud is kind of satisfying! “Nidone” just makes me want to bob my head until my neck hurts haha.

I hope you enjoy!

Japanese Particles (Basics)

This is very important to learn.

We don’t have time to go through each particle in detail but here’s a quick run-through of articles in Japanese which will form the basis of all your learning!

1. は (wa): This particle is used as a topic marker, indicating the topic of a sentence. It can mark the grammatical subject or object.

2. が (ga): The particle が is a subject marker, indicating the subject of the sentence. It is also used as an emphatic particle.

3. を (o): The を particle is an object marker, indicating the direct object of a verb in a sentence.

4. の (no): This particle is used as a marker of possession, similar to the English "'s".

5. で (de): The particle で is a location marker, indicating the location where an action takes place.

6. と (to): This particle is used as a marker of accompaniment, indicating who or what something is done with.

7. も (mo): The も particle is an inclusive marker, meaning "also" or "too". It is used to indicate that the action or state applies to something else as well.

8. に (ni): The particle に is a movement marker, indicating the direction of movement or the location of existence.

9. か (ka): The particle か is a question marker, used at the end of a sentence to indicate a question. It can also be used as a choice marker.

10. へ (e): The へ particle is a movement marker, indicating the direction of movement towards a place.

These particles play crucial roles in Japanese grammar, helping to clarify the relationships between words in a sentence.

Here are examples for each particle:

1. は (wa):

   • Example: 私は学生です。 (Watashi wa gakusei desu.)

   • Translation: "I am a student."

   • Explanation: In this sentence, は (wa) marks 私 (watashi, "I") as the topic of the sentence.

2. が (ga):

   • Example: 彼が来ました。 (Kare ga kimashita.)

   • Translation: "He came."

   • Explanation: Here, が (ga) marks 彼 (kare, "he") as the subject of the sentence.

3. を (o):

   • Example: コーヒーを飲みます。 (Koohii o nomimasu.)

   • Translation: "I drink coffee."

   • Explanation: を (o) marks コーヒー (koohii, "coffee") as the direct object of the verb 飲みます (nomimasu, "drink").

4. の (no):

   • Example: これは私の本です。 (Kore wa watashi no hon desu.)

   • Translation: "This is my book."

   • Explanation: の (no) indicates possession, connecting 私 (watashi, "I") and 本 (hon, "book").

5. で (de):

   • Example: 公園で遊びます。 (Kouen de asobimasu.)

   • Translation: "I play in the park."

   • Explanation: で (de) indicates the location where the action 遊びます (asobimasu, "play") takes place.

6. と (to):

   • Example: 友達と映画を見ます。 (Tomodachi to eiga o mimasu.)

   • Translation: "I watch a movie with my friend."

   • Explanation: と (to) indicates the person with whom the action 見ます (mimasu, "watch") is done.

7. も (mo):

   • Example: 私も行きます。 (Watashi mo ikimasu.)

   • Translation: "I will go too."

   • Explanation: も (mo) indicates that the speaker will also perform the action 行きます (ikimasu, "go").

8. に (ni):

   • Example: 学校に行きます。 (Gakkou ni ikimasu.)

   • Translation: "I go to school."

   • Explanation: に (ni) indicates the direction of movement towards 学校 (gakkou, "school").

9. か (ka):

   • Example: これは本か？ (Kore wa hon ka?)

   • Translation: "Is this a book?"

   • Explanation: か (ka) turns the statement into a question, indicating uncertainty.

10. へ (e):

    • Example: 駅へ行きます。 (Eki e ikimasu.)

    • Translation: "I go to the station."

    • Explanation: へ (e) indicates the direction of movement towards 駅 (eki, "station").

That’s it!

Don’t forget to check out the course which will close in few hours from the release of this issue!

Thank you so much for reading this far!

I hope this issue was entertaining and educational to you all. Enjoy your Sunday, and don’t miss next week’s issue!