The magazine that introduces the real Japan to the world
Hiragana Times has been published since 1986 and has readers in more than 90 countries. Hiragana Times introduces the real Japan to foreigners by looking at Japan as an attractive, unique town in the global village. The magazine includes information about living in Japan as well as information about mastering communication with Japanese. Inside Hiragana Times, the world of Japan becomes reality, and one can experience the cultural frontier between Japan and the rest of the world.

Many exciting articles for readers
Read fascinating interview articles, for example "Cover Story”, "Business Spotlight" and "The International Couple Scene." In addition, Hiragana Times features articles that introduce Japan such as those in the “Insight into Japan” section, including "Japanese Practices", "Close up Japan", "Japan Watching," "Japanese History Makers" and “Working in Japan.” Hiragana Times also features pages of practical information such as "Visa Q&A," "Hot Spots" and “Topics and Events,” in which a wide variety of interesting information about the latest trends, events, books and new products is available.

Hiragana Times can be read without a dictionary
The spread of internationalization across the world is creating an increasing need for people to become bilingual. To help you meet this need, Hiragana Times is published in both Japanese and English, and furigana are placed above each kanji to make Japanese study even easier. Hiragana Times is designed so that Japanese and non-Japanese can read the same content.
An outstanding feature of Hiragana Times is that foreigners can learn Japanese and Japanese can learn English without having to check difficult text with a dictionary, since each Japanese paragraph is followed by its English translation. Both the Japanese and English texts are written at the native level, which means that your reading ability will be the same as that of a native if you completely understand the text.

Revolutionary new format! Articles with “English furigana” and audio
Since the October 2007 issue, “English furigana” has been added beneath the Japanese sentences in the 8-page “Insight into Japan(text sample)” section. As appropriate English words are positioned below each Japanese word or phrase, you will be able to understand Japanese sentences without having to use a dictionary. Furigana is also placed above each kanji.
Now Japanese learners will be able to read kanji and understand the meaning of the sentences on the spot. In addition, you can send questions about the Japanese text and/or the article content free of charge. Furthermore, this section is also available as an audio version (sold separately and accompanied by the PDF version. See below for more information.) This revolutionary new Japanese language text layout is a world first and will be especially useful for English learners and business people.

English-Japanese audio version is separately on sale
The 8-page “Insight into Japan” section that explains tailored-for-foreigners information about Japan is available with audio. English and Japanese sentences are recorded alternatively sentence by sentence. This means you will be able to understand the text even without using a textbook. Sentences are recorded a little slower than normal speaking speed, so they will be easy to listen to and will be ideal for those people wanting to learn Japanese and/or English. Since recordings are created in MP3 format, you will be able to directly listen to them on your PC or download them onto an iPod or other mobile devices.

Contents
•Japanese Practices (Sample)
•Close up Japan (Sample)
•Japan Watching (Sample)
•Japanese History Makers (Sample)
•Working in Japan (Sample)

A PDF version (data) of Hiragana Times is also available.
The PDF version of Hiragana Times contains exactly the same contents and layout as the printed magazine. You can purchase this pdf version from anywhere in the world. By printing every page on your printer, you will be able to create your own Hiragana Times magazine. The magazine can be viewed page by page on the Web and enlarged or reduced simply by clicking on the screen.
The audio of the “Insight into Japan” is accompanied by the PDF version (See above for more information.)

Once you read it you will be hooked
Hiragana Times is a language study magazine that has been edited in a way that places more importance on helping readers enjoy the content. Readers are mainly in their 20s and 30s, but the number of middle-aged and elderly readers has been rapidly increasing in recent years. Hiragana Times is truly a global magazine for the global age, in which you can study a language while learning information about Japan. This unique concept was recognized at the NTT magazine contest where Hiragana Times was awarded the Grand Prize twice and the Best Editing Award once on separate occasions. Furthermore, the articles are often used in English and Japanese examinations by universities, schools and other institutions.

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