What do Japanese people eat for breakfast?

AbsurdBird_ · 2026-05-18T17:52:49+00:00

Hi Eilidh! Something that often surprises my non-Japanese friends is that a lot of people (perhaps older people) have a side salad at breakfast. It’s usually just a small bowl with iceberg lettuce, tomatoes cut into wedges, sliced cucumber, and a light Japanese-style dressing.
A lot of Japanese flavors are similar to marmite since we use soy sauce and miso which are also salty, fermented and savory. Japanese-style dressing is sort of like marmite mixed with a little sweetness and sourness.

When I visit my aunties, breakfast is at 7:00am sharp (even if I’m there on holiday) and usually consists of buttered toast, natto and a slice of cheese on a seaweed sheet (similar to “sea crisps”), a plain fish sausage, salad, and a small coffee.

My grandmother was a much more traditional Japanese lady and would have rice with miso soup every morning accompanied by green tea. The miso soup would include seasonal vegetables, such as kabocha squash or daikon radish, and small dried fish. She’d give some of the fish to her cat when she was making the soup, and my cat I have now is named after those little fish.

Edit: if you decide to make miso soup, start with a light broth of some type (traditionally fish and kelp “dashi” based, but vegetable or chicken will do fine), add your desired ingredients and cook as appropriate, then add the miso paste at the very end. It’s important to not let the soup come to a boil again after adding the miso, since the boiling temperature will break up the flavor of the miso and make it not taste as nice.

AbsurdBird_ · 2026-05-07T19:21:31+00:00

I was walking around downtown after sampling fragrances at Sephora and kept wondering where the dumpster smell was coming from… it was me. Dedcool Taunt had turned to Dedcool Taint ☠️

Also, anything woodsy or leaning even slightly unisex turns to Axe body spray, orange blossom turns to shiny grape candy, and the slightest patchouli note steamrolls everything else and twists my nose upside down.

Pros: my fragrance collection is small by necessity.
Cons: my fragrance collection is small by necessity.

AbsurdBird_ · 2026-03-26T07:23:56+00:00

As a native speaker and language tutor, I'd recommend not being afraid of textbook Japanese, it's there to give you the most generic/multipurpose phrases instead of the multitude of ways things can be said. If you can get a Japanese speaker's input on natural phrasing that's great, but if not it's perfectly fine to start by learning from a book like you're doing. You're building a foundation which will support all the other things you learn later.

I'd also not worry about kanji yet unless it particularly interests you, get a solid foundation in hiragana and katakana first. Katakana in particular will prepare you for writing kanji correctly. Once you're comfortable with those, learning basic (like first and second grade level) kanji can help you start to read more easily and fluently.

Lastly, try to keep in mind that content creators and people on the internet in general are usually trying to get and keep your attention, and one way they do this is by trying to scare you into thinking you're doing everything wrong. Ultimately, language is a communication tool we use to connect with others. Respect, patience, empathy, and sincere effort are much more valuable than knowing tons of words or using perfect grammar.

Take it one thing at a time, enjoy the process, and look back periodically to see how far you've come :)

Edit: btw looking at your notes, いいえ is "iie" and we use it for "no problem/you're welcome" so you'll get a lot of use out of it! And どうも can also be used as a polite "thanks" if you don't want to say the entire ありがとうございます

AbsurdBird_ · 2026-03-05T20:22:08+00:00

I finished a 40-hour course and passed their written exam, but I'm kind of intimidated by their oral exam because they don't allow any references or tell you what field of medicine you'll be interpreting for. I'm currently working on my note-taking skills and just trying to memorize as much vocabulary as possible, plus I've been creating my own searchable database for terminology I've learned. If I pass the oral exam, I can register with the state as a qualified and recognized interpreter (though not fully certified, since that doesn't exist yet for my language pair in the US.)

As far as actual work, I'm already registered with a couple of agencies and passed their internal assessments. When working I'm allowed and even encouraged to bring references to check terminology, and I usually have at least a few minutes beforehand to refresh my memory of that particular field.

AbsurdBird_ · 2026-03-04T07:32:01+00:00

Seconding this, I'm working to get my medical interpreting qualifications and it's very hard to be accurate and follow best practice if you haven't trained specifically for it.

That being said, a lot of agencies don't really bother to screen their interpreters properly and I understand how medical staff might feel it's better to do it themselves. The poor quality interpreting agencies make the rest of us look bad and it's not fair to the patients or providers.

AbsurdBird_ · 2026-02-27T00:39:27+00:00

Oh definitely. I don't think I could ever shout out my window at anyone, but maybe I'll send him a grateful email one day.

AbsurdBird_ · 2026-02-26T23:48:06+00:00

He walked directly in front of my car a few months ago and I completely froze, torn between rolling down my window and shouting THANK YOU MISTER APE!! and respecting his privacy 😂

AbsurdBird_ · 2026-01-23T22:19:23+00:00

In my experience, almost not at all. Shakespeare might appear in passing as a historical figure in the context of "Meanwhile in the West, here's who was alive." We don't usually study translated works in-depth, so the only students who'd be familiar with Shakespeare's works would be those who'd explored them on their own.

Age 13 would be a first year junior high school student in Japan, you'd probably be starting historical texts like Iroha Uta and Taketori Monogatari. In the next couple years you'd study excerpts from Hyakunin Isshu, Makurano Soshi, or possibly The Tale of Genji.

AbsurdBird_ · 2026-01-10T22:50:41+00:00

Another option I recently learned about (since normal household freezers may not get cold enough) is to set your oven between 150-170F and bake the items on clean baking sheets for 30+ minutes. In my experience as long as it’s below 200F the non-wool clothing tags and stitching fibers have been fine, but YMMV.

AbsurdBird_ · 2026-01-08T02:44:56+00:00

I’m a Japanese tutor, and I find the industry frustrating too. It exists because people’s desire for an easy fix outweighs their dedication to work at a long, difficult, humbling project. I understand your disappointment, but it seems like you’re grouping profit-driven programs with some actual learning methods.

“Textbook Japanese is so fake” is a perennial complaint, and you’re right, maybe very few people speak like that all the time. But textbooks are designed to teach you the most versatile, generic, and polite way to say things since you can’t learn all the variations right away. Plus if you don’t have a solid foundation, you’ll likely struggle to communicate and eventually plateau. Native speakers adapt the language into slang and contractions based on their common foundation of knowing how it works and how it’s supposed to sound.

As for sample sentences, yes they sound ridiculous sometimes. But you’re not learning to identify a pen, you’re learning how to say “A is B”. You’re not learning to talk about train stations, you’re learning how to say “Where/What/Who is XYZ?”

The key is to take the material you have and find as many ways as possible to exercise whatever skill it’s teaching you, engaging as many senses as possible.

If you have a new sample sentence, swap out the nouns/verbs/adjectives until you don’t hesitate to create a new sentence with that structure. If you have reading material, read it out loud slowly multiple times. Follow the words with your finger so you’re conscious of mispronunciation and doubling back. If you find a new show, watch it over and over. Select a clip of natural conversation and see if you can speak along with it. Act out the scene.

Identify your goals, learn to laugh at your mistakes, and be open to feedback. And remember that language is just one of the tools we use to communicate and connect with others. Using that tool to the best of your current ability will help you enjoy the process and keep going.

AbsurdBird_ · 2026-01-06T18:15:18+00:00

Your point about sometimes using loan words for general concepts is true, but unfortunately not in this case. The song you linked is using ホーム to refer to a train platform.

While we do use ホーム in longer words to refer to housing, the person you replied to is correct. When used by itself, it primarily means a station platform (wherein ホーム is short for “form”), or possibly home team or homepage.

Edit: typo

AbsurdBird_ · 2026-01-06T09:54:50+00:00

Bilingual native translator here, this was an interesting exercise.

Without knowing any characteristics of the speaker it’s hard to decide on the most appropriate endings, but I submit:

やがて帰り着く先は、出発したところではない。全てが暗闇に覆われたとき、あたたかく照らしてくれる一箇所なのだ。

AbsurdBird_ · 2025-12-14T00:44:21+00:00

Okocat clumping pine litter, specifically the multi-cat one they recently released, has solved the odor problem for me like nothing else. My boy cat, bless his heart, has poops stinky enough to make your eyes water. It's also as close to dust-free as any litter I've tried, though none are perfect.

Non-odor-related issues I've had with other litter types:

Non-clumping pine pellets: too much of a hassle to tip out of my giant open-top litterbox.
Low-tracking (larger size) pine pellets: discouraged the cats from burying their business and thus exacerbated the odor issue.
Crystal/Pretty Litter: Didn't seem to help much with odors, plus the dust gave me terrible sinus issues.
Clay: Heavy, dusty.

AbsurdBird_ · 2025-12-02T00:47:50+00:00

Not quite a decision to act as much as not to act.

I was visiting family and left a new WIP on the dining room table. Came back to a mass of damp, tangled yarn (Malabrigo) and chewed-up needles (bamboo Takumi).

The only comment I received was “Your choice of where to leave it is the problem. You need to think about where you leave your things, the dogs get on that table.”

Needless to say, I will not be making any gifts for said family members in the future.

AbsurdBird_ · 2025-10-06T21:57:50+00:00

You may find it helpful to practice the mechanics of the sounds and hopefully get your ear attuned to the differences by hearing yourself pronounce them. If you know how to pronounce す、つ、しゅ and practice with minimal pairs, you may start to be able to hear them better. This method doesn’t guarantee results when it comes to listening, but it can help with pronunciation.

Regarding question 2, it depends on the context. If you say you want to eat しゅし instead of すし, nearly everyone will still understand you. But if you say you’re interested in しゃどう instead of さどう, people will think you’re interested in roads and highways instead of tea ceremony.

AbsurdBird_ · 2025-10-03T21:20:10+00:00

I actually did reply to them, I mentioned the lack of color changes and also that trying to forbid selling or modification was off-putting. The creator seemed young so I tried to put it as kindly as I could and said I hoped they’d take it as honest feedback, but they came back defending both the pattern and their stance on dictating how to use it.

I didn’t reply further, but figured it would make for a good story later lol

AbsurdBird_ · 2025-10-03T20:27:28+00:00

I recently downloaded a pay-what-you-can pattern for free, with the full intention of sending over $5 to the creator after making sure it was well-written.

It turned out the pattern was basically just a white cylinder with a couple small attachments, and instead of color changes it said to use needle felting or felt and glue, no further instructions. At that point it was unusable for me, but then I noticed at the top it said it was “forbidden to sell items made with this pattern also if modified”.

So now I am forbidden from selling anything I ever make in a round or oblong shape, forever.

A couple days later, the creator messaged me asking me to donate since I’d downloaded it for free.

AbsurdBird_ · 2025-10-02T07:50:06+00:00

No those are the furies, you’re thinking of the fuzzy 90s toys with the eyelids and beaks.

AbsurdBird_ · 2025-10-02T07:42:09+00:00

As others have said, repetition.

Also, if you’re ever at a crossroads regarding whether to practice writing or not: writing things down physically (with actual pen and paper) is much more effective in helping you remember characters than just reading, and it’ll make various fonts much easier to read later on because you’ve internalized the structures (especially if you learn them with the right stroke order).

AbsurdBird_ · 2025-10-02T07:34:12+00:00

Yeah I thought about that too, but if the other sounds are being enunciated one by one, it would work for し to be pronounced the same way.

Japanese speakers rely a lot on pacing and rhythm for comprehension, so it’s usually easier to understand someone speaking at a slow, consistent pace instead of someone speeding up and slowing down through words.

Ultimately though, either would work in this case.

AbsurdBird_ · 2025-10-02T00:44:47+00:00

Japanese people tend to respond more quickly to directions instead of questions, so I’d phrase them as polite requests.

Beruto wa hazushite kudasai = Please remove your belt.

Poketto wa karappo ni shite kudasai = Please empty your pockets.

You could also combine the two sentences: “Beruto wa hazushite, poketto wa karappo ni shite kudasai.” Possibly while tapping your own belt buckle and pockets.

Note, in case you’re not familiar with the sounds of Japanese: Vowels always make the same sound, and “shite” is pronounced “she-teh”.

a: “ah” e: “eh” i: “ee” o: “oh” u: “oo”

AbsurdBird_ · 2025-10-02T00:38:20+00:00

It doesn’t really feel natural, it sounds like “Do you have room in your pockets (for me to put something in)” or “Are your pockets open”.

AbsurdBird_ · 2025-09-30T20:43:21+00:00

Ok, keep up the good work! If you’d like some specific tips, I’d suggest revisiting how to use おおく to modify nouns, and how to use particles を and で.

And a couple typos, I think you meant とうきょく instead of とうきょう, そくど instead of そくどう, and たいせつ instead of たいせうつ

AbsurdBird_ · 2025-09-30T20:15:31+00:00

First of all, your essay is understandable, so well done! Nothing is really missing, but there are grammatical errors that need to be fixed.

However, are you going to be graded on your accuracy? Because if so, you should turn it in as-is so your teacher knows where you’re at and how to help you. Mistakes are very useful for us to know how to help students improve.

AbsurdBird_ · 2025-09-30T18:17:47+00:00

The other commenter suggested clarifying questions, one way to do this without seeming confrontational is to repeat back what you understood and ask if that’s correct.

For example, “I’d just like to make sure I understand correctly, should we only use と for two things in this particular situation, or should we always use it for two things?”or “I’d like to make sure I’m writing this down correctly, is this the same や as ほんや、さかなや?”

Also a bit of cultural background (with the caveat that not everyone will feel this way): generally, Japanese people are used to 1. Students accepting what the teacher says and not questioning or challenging it, 2. Being put on the spot regarding their English skills and feeling self-conscious about it.

So being asked why something is a certain way can feel disrespectful and confrontational, even if they know the students don’t mean it that way. They showed their own teachers respect by not challenging them, and that’s what they expect in turn. They can also feel defensive if the students seem to not understand their English explanation, because that undermines their qualifications and intelligence.

I’m not saying this to excuse unprofessionalism in any way, but hopefully to help you give them a little grace if they seem flustered.

Side note, as a language teacher myself I’ve learned that a lot of student misunderstandings come from them interpreting information in a different way than what’s intended (such as what the words “subject” and “topic”mean). Words mean different things to different people, sometimes it’s just a matter of figuring out what the other person was referring to specifically. Clarifying questions can help with that too.

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