Popular
New articles!
-
Yoshiwara Tsunagi: The Ryokan Yukata Pattern You Can Wear Home
The Story Behind the Name Yoshiwara tsunagi takes its name from a real place: Yoshiwara, the licensed entertainment district of Edo-period Tokyo. The pattern — squares with notched corners, linked diagonally into a continuous chain — first appeared on the noren curtains of the tebikijaya, the teahouses that guided visitors into the district. The name carries two old interpretations. The first is a little wry: once you stepped into Yoshiwara, people said, you were “chained” there — pulled in and slow to leave. A Kinder Reading Took Over The second reading is kinder, and it’s the one that stuck: that…
Explore by topic
History of Japanese alphabet: Hiragana
Let’s cook Japanese food!
Shimmy-J Designs
こんにちは。
I’m Shimachan
Welcome to “Picture this: Japanese words”!
Hello there! My name is Shimachan.
This picture book series was born from my wish to make learning Japanese fun for everyone. I’ve designed it so that even if you’ve never heard a word of Japanese before, you can learn by looking at the pictures, almost like singing a song or playing a game.
You’ll learn not only pronunciation, but also the unique pitch accent of Japanese, which is shown visually so you can understand it even without a native Japanese speaker by your side. Feel free to share the book with your family and friends and have fun saying the words out loud together!
Now, let’s start our Japanese adventure!
Let’s connect
Join the fun!
Stay updated with our latest tutorials and ideas by joining my newsletter.
New Release!
Recent Instagram post
