Episode 10: Hatsu Warai & Japanese New Year Confusion (Shōgatsu, Shinnenkai)

Welcome to 2026 — and our first 初笑い (hatsu warai), the first laugh of the New Year 🎍

Nihongo to English hits Episode 10 with Japanese New Year traditions, language mix-ups, and joyful confusion.

We talk oshōgatsu, bonenkai, and shinnenkai, New Year foods, long tamago jokes, karuta vs. hanafuda, and why the Japanese New Year lasts more than one day. Along the way, we confuse similar-sounding words, invent new ones, and laugh a lot.

Then it’s classic Genki-style chaos:
Japanese numbers, phone numbers, telling time, time zones, awkward role play, and the mystery of analog clocks — in two languages.

Also in this episode:
• Hatsu warai (first laugh of the year)
• Bibimbap pronunciation debates - provided by @vividkitchen_global on IG

• Japanese New Year resolutions
• Tokyo vs. New York time
• Snacks, food labels, and eating only after the podcast ends

A bilingual Japanese–English comedy podcast that’s lightly educational, very conversational, and proudly unpolished.

2026年最初の**初笑い（はつわらい）**エピソード！

第10回の「Nihongo to English」では、お正月（お正月・忘年会・新年会）の話から始まり、日本語と英語が入り混じった会話、言い間違い、食べ物トーク、そして時間・数字・ロールプレイまで、ゆるく楽しく脱線します。

勉強というより、笑いながら「なんとなく分かる」バイリンガル・ポッドキャストです。

Theme Jingle by Michelle MaliZaki