A daily Japanese news podcast for learners. Each episode covers a real news story with vocabulary breakdowns, grammar notes, and practice quizzes. Hosted by Maya.
2026年9月30日 · 7:34
Japan's Imperial Household Agency has released two delightful photos: the Emperor and Empress visiting Ghibli Park, and smiling from the window of the Cat Bus. Learn Japanese…
2026年9月29日 · 9:43
Japan's most famous university has chosen its next leader — and for the first time in its long history, the job goes to a woman. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana,…
2026年9月29日 · 7:32
Young workers from about seventy countries just competed in a big skills competition in Shanghai — a kind of Olympics for job skills — and Japan came home with ten medals. Learn…
2026年9月28日 · 10:01
Starting next month, Japan's beer tax rules change in a big way — real beer gets cheaper, while cheaper beer-like drinks go up. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana,…
2026年9月28日 · 7:26
In a big park in western Tokyo, four million cosmos flowers are in bloom right now, turning a whole hill bright yellow. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and…
2026年9月27日 · 10:07
At the Asian Games in Nagoya, a Japanese runner won the men's marathon for the first time in eight years. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar.…
2026年9月27日 · 7:40
This coming Thursday is a special day in Tokyo — Citizens Day, when zoos, gardens, and museums all over the city open their doors for free. Learn Japanese with native audio,…
2026年9月26日 · 10:15
At the Asian Games in Nagoya, an eleven-year-old boy has just made sports history. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N4-N3.
2026年9月26日 · 7:57
Last night, people all over Japan looked up at the sky for a beautiful autumn tradition — the harvest moon. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar.…
2026年9月25日 · 9:30
Japan's biggest mobile carrier, Docomo, has announced it is raising its prices. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N4-N3.
2026年9月25日 · 7:54
A movie about small, cute characters has become Japan's biggest hit of the year. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N5-N4.
2026年9月24日 · 10:16
At the Asian Games in Japan, a seventeen-year-old swimmer has just rewritten the world record book. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N4-N3.
2026年9月24日 · 8:09
A big zoo in Yokohama has just welcomed its thirty-millionth visitor since it opened. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N5-N4.
2026年9月23日 · 9:43
Typhoon Number twenty-five brushed past Japan's Pacific coast during the holiday weekend, bringing record rain to the Tokyo area. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana,…
2026年9月23日 · 8:06
All across Japan, the autumn traffic safety campaign is underway — ten days of extra care on the roads as the days get shorter. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana,…
2026年9月22日 · 8:56
Tonight in Tokyo, Japanese basketball opened a brand-new top league — exactly ten years after the old league's very first game. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana,…
2026年9月22日 · 7:30
At an aquarium in Tokyo, two baby green sea turtles have just gone on display — and their new names mean Star and Sky. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and…
2026年9月21日 · 9:11
New government data shows the elderly share of the population has hit a record high. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N4-N3.
2026年9月21日 · 8:01
At a zoo in Sendai, an African elephant named Mary has turned sixty — the oldest African elephant Japan has ever had. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and…
2026年9月20日 · 9:14
The Bank of Japan has raised its key interest rate to the highest level in thirty-one years. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N4-N3.
2026年9月20日 · 7:32
Autumn is here, and at a famous park in Saitama, near Tokyo, five million bright red flowers are starting to bloom. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and…
2026年9月19日 · 9:54
Toyota has unveiled a huge plan: four hundred thousand AI robots working alongside people in its factories. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar.…
2026年9月19日 · 7:29
Some happy news from southern Japan: the Kyushu bullet train is finally running on its full line again, fifty-two days after a big earthquake stopped part of it. Learn Japanese…
2026年9月18日 · 9:17
Yesterday, Prime Minister Takaichi reshuffled her cabinet, launching a new lineup focused on the economy. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar.…
2026年9月18日 · 8:08
Starting tomorrow, Japan begins a rare five-day holiday called Silver Week — the first one in eleven years — and millions of people are getting ready to travel. Learn Japanese…
2026年9月17日 · 9:08
The Tokyo Game Show, Japan's biggest video game event, opened today for its thirtieth-anniversary edition — the largest one ever. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana,…
2026年9月17日 · 7:58
Here is some good news for sushi lovers — countries around the Pacific have agreed to let fishermen catch more bluefin tuna, because the fish has made a great comeback. Learn…
2026年9月16日 · 9:56
A one-hundred-two-year-old climber has been certified by Guinness World Records as the oldest man ever to reach the top of Mount Fuji. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana,…
2026年9月16日 · 7:25
In Yamagata, in northern Japan, the governor and a group of elementary school students harvested a brand-new variety of rice together. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana,…
2026年9月15日 · 9:58
Japan's population aged one hundred or older has topped one hundred thousand for the first time ever. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level…
2026年9月15日 · 7:31
The autumn grand sumo tournament has just started in Tokyo, and every seat is sold out. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N5-N4.
2026年9月14日 · 9:47
Okinawa has elected a new governor — a forty-two-year-old newcomer who defeated the incumbent. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N4-N3.
2026年9月14日 · 7:24
Japan's men's volleyball team has won the Asian Championship — and with it, a ticket to the Los Angeles Olympics. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and…
2026年9月13日 · 10:03
A major power company is giving up its bid to restart a nuclear plant, after a data scandal. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N4-N3.
2026年9月13日 · 7:29
Japan's under-eighteen baseball team — all high school students — has reached the final of the Asian Championship in Taiwan. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana,…
2026年9月12日 · 10:13
A Japanese scientist who studies sleep has just won one of the world's top medical prizes. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N4-N3.
2026年9月12日 · 8:19
This week, Apple announced its new iPhones — and for the first time, one of them folds like a book. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N5-N4.
2026年9月11日 · 10:21
Rice farmers in Japan are quitting at a record pace this year, even after rice prices surged. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N4-N3.
2026年9月11日 · 7:51
A brand-new skyscraper has just opened right in front of Tokyo Station, full of restaurants, a theater, and a huge bus terminal. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana,…
2026年9月10日 · 10:19
South Korea's Samsung Electronics has opened a big semiconductor research center in Yokohama, teaming up with Japan on next-generation chip technology. Learn Japanese with native…
2026年9月10日 · 8:10
Japan's famous bullet train is getting new luxury seats — almost like little private rooms on rails. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level…
2026年9月9日 · 9:08
After almost twenty-five years, the penguin on Japan's Suica transit card is retiring, and the public gets to vote on its successor. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana,…
2026年9月9日 · 7:30
Japan just changed a big traffic rule. On the narrow streets where people live, cars must now drive much more slowly. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and…
2026年9月8日 · 9:55
Japan's fifteen-year-olds just topped every OECD country in the world's biggest school survey — but there is a catch in the results. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana,…
2026年9月8日 · 7:51
It's autumn fruit season in Japan, and one big green grape is the star of the markets right now. This year it's sweeter than usual — and cheaper, too. Learn Japanese with native…
2026年9月7日 · 9:54
Asia's biggest sports festival opens in Japan later this month, and athletes are already arriving. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N4-N3.
2026年9月7日 · 10:02
Japan's economy may have just made history: the current expansion could now be the longest since the end of the war. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and…
2026年9月7日 · 7:26
Prince Hisahito, a young member of Japan's imperial family, has just turned twenty. Today we hear about his birthday and his life as a university student. Learn Japanese with…
2026年8月28日 · 8:06
Ten years ago this week, the anime movie Your Name opened in theaters across Japan. Now the director and fans are celebrating its birthday. Learn Japanese with native audio,…
2026年8月27日 · 9:58
Yayoi Kusama, the artist loved around the world for her polka dots and pumpkin sculptures, has died at the age of ninety-seven. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana,…
2026年8月27日 · 7:15
At a big safari park in western Japan, a baby elephant has been born — the first one there in thirty-five years. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and…
2026年8月26日 · 10:09
Automaker Suzuki has unveiled its first kei-car electric vehicle, the e SKY, set to go on sale this autumn. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar.…
2026年8月26日 · 7:20
At a zoo in western Japan, twin baby jaguars have just met the public for the first time. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N5-N4.
2026年8月25日 · 10:00
Seven years after a fire destroyed it, the main hall of Okinawa's Shuri Castle has been rebuilt — and its reopening date is now set. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana,…
2026年8月25日 · 7:28
At a zoo in Nagoya, a very unusual baby animal was born — a little armadillo. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N5-N4.
2026年8月24日 · 10:44
Four historic Japanese waterways — from an Edo-era canal to the moat of an ancient tomb — have just been named World Heritage Irrigation Structures. Learn Japanese with native…
2026年8月24日 · 7:41
At an aquarium in northern Japan, a polar bear got a very big and very special summer present. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N5-N4.
2026年8月23日 · 10:40
Japan's Olympic champion figure-skating pair shared some happy personal news today — an engagement, sealed with a proposal on the ice. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana,…
2026年8月23日 · 7:32
Japan is getting ready for an exciting trip into space — a new probe will fly all the way to a moon of Mars, and bring something back. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana,…
2026年8月22日 · 10:00
Japan's summer high school baseball tournament crowned its champion today, with a dramatic comeback in the final at Koshien Stadium. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana,…
2026年8月22日 · 8:02
In Japan, autumn is the season of a famous grilled fish — the Pacific saury. But this year, that fish is becoming rare and expensive. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana,…
2026年8月21日 · 9:53
Japan's consumer prices rose one point eight percent in July, and inflation is picking up speed again. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level…
2026年8月21日 · 7:27
From a famous zoo in Hokkaido, in northern Japan, comes some happy news about a very rare baby animal. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level…
2026年8月20日 · 10:01
The average price of a new condominium in the greater Tokyo area has hit a record high. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N4-N3.
2026年8月19日 · 9:57
Japan's long-term interest rate has climbed to its highest level in about thirty years. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N4-N3.
2026年8月19日 · 7:33
In Tokyo, high school students from all over Japan gave speeches — not with their voices, but with their hands, in sign language. And Princess Kako came to cheer them on. Learn…
2026年8月18日 · 10:07
Japan's latest economic growth numbers are out — still positive, but weaker than expected. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N4-N3.
2026年8月18日 · 7:27
In Tokushima, one of Japan's biggest and oldest summer dance festivals has just ended, after five days of music and dancing. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana,…
2026年8月17日 · 9:29
Volcanic activity is rising at Mount Aso in Kumamoto, and the eruption alert level has been raised to three. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar.…
2026年8月17日 · 8:02
Last night, giant fires glowed on the mountains of Kyoto — a summer tradition with a beautiful meaning. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level…
2026年8月16日 · 9:22
Tokyo's Ueno Zoo is saying goodbye to its old panda house — demolition starts tomorrow. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N4-N3.
2026年8月16日 · 8:02
In eastern Hokkaido, a tiny salamander is getting some big help from the government. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N5-N4.
2026年8月15日 · 9:22
Eighty-one years ago today, the Second World War ended for Japan. This evening's story is about the national memorial ceremony held in Tokyo for those who died in the war. Learn…
2026年8月15日 · 7:33
Some happy news from Nagoya — one of the rarest animals in the world just had a baby at the city zoo. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level…
2026年8月14日 · 10:06
This evening's story is about rice. The average supermarket price of rice has gone up for the first time in seven weeks — but only slightly, and prices are still expected to keep…
2026年8月14日 · 8:16
It's shooting star season — one of the year's most famous meteor showers is lighting up Japan's summer night sky, and this year the conditions are perfect. Learn Japanese with…
2026年8月13日 · 9:49
This evening, record-breaking rain hit Chiba Prefecture, next to Tokyo, and the weather agency issued its highest-level emergency warning for fourteen cities. Learn Japanese with…
2026年8月13日 · 8:25
Today's story is about three old Japanese paintings that were separated about one hundred fifty years ago — one stayed in Japan, and two crossed the ocean. Now they are together…
2026年8月12日 · 10:13
Japanese researchers have announced a major discovery: a toxin made by gut bacteria appears to be behind nearly half of the country's colorectal cancer cases. Learn Japanese with…
2026年8月12日 · 7:39
Some happy news from Okinawa — a baby dolphin was born at a famous aquarium, and since Monday visitors can finally meet her. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana,…
2026年8月11日 · 10:13
Before dawn this morning, Japan's new flagship rocket lifted off, carrying a key satellite for the country's own version of GPS. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana,…
2026年8月11日 · 8:33
今日は「山の日」、記念の全国大会が飛騨高山で開催 Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N5-N4.
2026年8月10日 · 10:04
Last month, Nichirei, one of Japan's biggest frozen-food companies, was hit by a cyberattack — and now hackers have published the stolen data. Learn Japanese with native audio,…
2026年8月10日 · 8:32
At the Zoorasia zoo in Yokohama, twin baby giant anteaters were born this spring — the first anteater twins ever in Japan. Now there is happy news about them. Learn Japanese with…
2026年8月9日 · 9:56
Japan now grows less of its own food than ever before — the country's food self-sufficiency rate has fallen to a record low. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana,…
2026年8月9日 · 8:07
Yesterday's date was very special in Japan — year eight, month eight, day eight, three eights in a row. Many couples chose that lucky day to get married. Learn Japanese with…
2026年8月8日 · 10:37
Japan's great summer homecoming has begun — this weekend, millions of people are heading back to their hometowns by bullet train, car, and plane for the mid-August holiday. Learn…
2026年8月8日 · 8:17
Tomorrow in Kochi City, on the island of Shikoku, one of Japan's most famous dance festivals begins — thousands of dancers fill the streets, with small wooden clappers in their…
2026年8月7日 · 10:13
This week, two companies announced a plan to build Japan's biggest AI data center — not in Tokyo, but in Akita City in northern Japan, at a cost of over two trillion yen. Learn…
2026年8月7日 · 8:08
今日は「立秋」、暦の上では秋が始まる Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana, vocabulary and grammar. Level N5-N4.
2026年8月6日 · 11:37
Eighty-one years ago today, an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. This morning the city held its peace memorial ceremony, joined by representatives from a record number of…
2026年8月6日 · 8:32
This morning in Sendai, in northern Japan, the city's famous star festival begins — the streets fill with thousands of giant paper streamers. Learn Japanese with native audio,…
2026年8月5日 · 9:38
In the world of shogi, Japanese chess, Tomoka Nishiyama is one title away from becoming the first woman ever to qualify as a full professional player. Today she met the press…
2026年8月5日 · 8:00
This week in Akita, in northern Japan, the night sky is full of glowing lanterns. Performers balance long bamboo poles covered with lanterns on their hands, foreheads, and…
2026年8月4日 · 10:49
Automaker Nissan is back in the black for the first time in two years, after deep cost cuts — but its road ahead is still rough. Learn Japanese with native audio, furigana,…
2026年8月4日 · 8:01
A brand-new species of jellyfish, named after the Japanese god of fire, has just gone on display for the first time anywhere in the world, at two aquariums in Japan. Learn…
2026年8月3日 · 11:46
For the first time in fifteen years, Japan and the United States have jointly stepped into the currency market, buying yen to stop its historic slide. Learn Japanese with native…
2026年8月3日 · 8:01
This weekend, one of Japan's most famous summer festivals started in Aomori, in the north of Japan. Huge glowing paper figures parade through the city at night. Learn Japanese…
2026年8月2日 · 12:32
As of yesterday, Japan's old paper health insurance cards can no longer be used at hospitals — the country has fully switched to a digital insurance card built into the national…
2026年8月2日 · 7:50
This week, Japan decided on a plan to raise the minimum wage. The national average will go up to a new record. It is important news for everyone who works, especially part-time…
