Learn Japanese from the News

Amid the rise in remote working, Saku City in Nagano Prefecture is aiming to attract new residents. They've started a system to subsidize transportation costs for those living and working remotely in the area while making work trips out to urban hubs. Officials hope to curb the effects of population decline. We listen to the news story in Japanese, review the construction "A to B no aida" (between A and B), and learn expressions related to "hikkoshi" (changing residence) and "ijuu" (relocation).

Charles Oppenheimer, the grandson of the creator of the atomic bomb, spoke at a news conference in Japan, stressing that we should never use the bombs again. We listen to the news story and review the expression "ikenai" in "genbaku ya bakudan o tsukatte wa ikenai" (atomic bombs and bombs in general should not be used). We also learn about the story behind "senbazuru" (1,000 folded paper cranes).

In late August, torrential rainfall in central Tokyo caused rainwater to gush down entrances at Ichigaya subway station and flood the interior. Near Shinjuku Station, water erupted from a manhole and reached higher than human height. We review the news story in Japanese and learn expressions related to the verb "tamaru" (to accumulate) as well as terms you want to know to be prepared for inclement weather and natural disasters.