My students are always asking me what are good podcasts to help with learning Japanese. It’s a great question and I have spent the last few weeks listening to many of the Japanese language podcast options available on the app store to find an answer.
In general, I think it is a fantastic tool for improving your Japanese learning skills.
We all know it is easier to learn Japanese when spending time in Japan but that is difficult when you are in Australia. With the help of different tools and media platforms like podcasts and YouTube you can keep improve your Japanese faster as if you are in Japan. The best part about podcasts is that you can listen anywhere – in the car, in the train, while going for a walk – so it is a great way to keep yourself immersed in Japanese language learning in your everyday life outside the classroom.
However, after listing to many podcasts you should also be aware that they vary a lot in quality. Some teach Japanese completely wrong and many more are just dry, boring and difficult to listen to.
Here are my top 4 picks which are a good mix of entertaining and educational – enjoy!
Japanese VideoCast
If you like watching Japanese drama, this podcast may be a good fit for you. You can enjoy practice Japanese using examples straight from popular Japanese drama series. There is also a video component so you can experience this podcast with both audio and video.
Anime – Japanese Immersion
This is good Japanese podcast for fans of anime. Similar to the Japanese VideoCast it uses examples from popular Japanese anime movies and series such as ‘Kimi no na wa’ and ‘Death Note’.
Learn Japanese w/ Manga Sensei
This is a conversational podcast between a western background man and a Japanese woman covering many different topics. Their conversations are mix of English and Japanese which can be easier to listen to than other podcasts – particularly those with a single host. They both bring a different perspective to the conversation with the Japanese woman covering the technical and the English man able to break down elements of the conversation in a way that would make sense to native English speakers.
Real Japanese Conversation
This is another podcast from MANGA SENSEI with a similar format to the previous entry. The main difference is that this one is a bit more advanced and more suited to intermediate students. Both this and the MANGA SENSEI podcast are fantastic way to learn and better understand some of the nuances of Japanese conversation.
If you have any other recommended Japanese language podcasts please let me know 🙂
