Pronunciation Meaning and Origin of 平成 (Heisei) The name of ‘平成‘ (Heisei) reflects the wish for world peace. It was coined in reference to two Chinese phrases ‘内平外成’ meaning ‘peace inside and prosperity outside’ and ‘地平天成’ meaning ‘the peaceful and prosperous world’. The former appears in ‘書経’ (‘Shujing’,‘The Book of Documents’), and the latter in 史記 (‘Shiji’, ‘The Records of the Grand Historian’), both of which are ancient Chinese literature. The Zeitgeist of Heisei Era Bubble Economy The Heisei era got off to an auspicious start, with Japan’s over-inflated economy reaching its pinnacle. At the time, the top 5 companies by market capitalization in the world were all Japanese, and…Read More
Origin and Meaning of the Japanese Era “Shōwa (昭和)”
昭和 (Shōwa) is the Japanese imperial era that spanned 62 years from December 25th, 1926 to January 7th, 1989.Read More
Origin and Meaning of Reiwa (令和): Japan’s Imperial Era from 2019
Today, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga has announced the name of Japan’s new era, ‘令和’ (Reiwa). The new era is set to start on May 1, when Crown Prince Naruhito will become the new Emperor after Emperor Akihito abdicates on April 30. 令和 will be the 248th era in the history of Japan.Read More
What’s 合コン (gōkon) and 街コン (machikon) in Japanese
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Definition
合コン indicates a Japanese-style group blind date. It is usually held at …Read More