beforebreakfast.net

Happy New Year’s, everyone! Did you all send out your 年賀状（ねんがじょう） yet? (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you should probably go here and read more about it.) I hope everyone has a great New Year’s Eve. I’ll be spending mine in New York City (GIANT BALL DROPS WHILE CHAOS REIGNS IN THE […]

[Read more →]

In English, we have the word "hypocrite," which is defined by dictionary.com as follows:
1. a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, esp. a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.
2. a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, esp. one […]

[Read more →]

In Japanese, なぞなぞ (known in English as "riddles") are something with which Japanese people are intimately familiar from an early age. Some well-known examples in English can be seen below. (Mouse-over the lines in black to reveal the answers.)
What’s black and white and red (read) all over?
A newspaper.
When is a door not a door?
When it’s […]

[Read more →]

Now, it’s time for some poetry! I’ll try to explain all of the words that I think aren’t extremely basic. The explanations will come after the poem itself, along with an attempt at a translation.
This is one of my favorite poems, by one of my favorite poets, 谷川俊太郎（たにかわしゅんたろう）. An accomplished poet, translator, and an all-around […]

[Read more →]

A nice 四字熟語（よじじゅくご） to start us off:
晴耕雨読（せいこううどく）
These words of wisdom are a brilliant recommendation from the past.
Loosely translated, this phrase means "sunny days are for working in the field, but rainy days are for sitting inside and reading." I agree with this wholeheartedly.
Here’s how it breaks down, character-wise:
晴
clear weather
晴（は）れる: to be bright, to […]

[Read more →]