Japanese is a dynamic language spoken by about 128 million people, mostly in Japan. It is also a challenging language, especially if you’re learning on your own!

Fortunately, with an abundance of great Japanese courses available, there has never been a better time to learn Japanese than now. In our opinion, JapanesePod101 is the most well thought out and fun language learning program out there (Read our full JapanesePod101 review to find out why!).

Plus you can now get an excellent rate why you buy with JapanesePod101 promo codes when you enter the JapanesePod101 coupons at checkout.

Both new and existing customers can take advantage of these 77%, 60% and 30% promo codes for JapanesePod101.

77% or 60% Off Promo Codes for JapanesePod101 (Premium Membership Only)

Click the blue button below to access the secret sales page and read more about the 60% or 77% lifetime discount offer and japanesepod101 promo codes (the best discount available). This unadvertised promotion might not be for everyone, as the up-front subscription cost is high, but if you plan on studying long-term then it’s a great way to save a good bundle when you buy through the sales page (with promo codes already entered).

30% Off (Any Membership) JapanesePod101 Coupon Code for 2022

Here is the discount code to activate your JapanesePod101 lifetime account and get up to $165 off JapanesePod101.com (based on a 24-month PremiumPlus subscription – both the premium subscription & basic subscriptions are cheaper). Your 30% discount code is automatically applied to your subscription plans at checkout when you sign up using the link below:

Existing JapanesePod101 users can also receive the discount by using the promo code. Read on for more information on using it with your account.

How to use the JapanesePod101 Coupon Code

First-Time Users

Snagging your discount for JapanesePod101 is as easy as 1-2-3. Even so, we have listed the steps and included pictures, so you can easily follow along and get the best deals for all subscription plans.

1. Click here for your JapanesePod101 Discount Code

You will be directed to JapanesePod101 site. Please note that the discount coupon has already been applied to the listed prices.

2. Choose your Subscription Plan

Here, you will be asked to choose from a JapanesePod101 Basic, Premium or Premium PLUS subscription plans. Each monthly subscription plan will be covered in more detail later in this article.

3. Enter Payment Info

Next, you will enter your payment information including your verified billing address. Accepted forms of payments include Visa, MasterCard, American Express and PayPal.

4. Choose a Subscription Term

Then, you will choose the length of your subscription from one to 24 months at checkout. The monthly charge for JapanesePod101 drops significantly the longer your subscription length. Coupled with your 30% discount code, you can save loads of money by opting for a longer membership for JapanesePod101.

5. Verify Your Account

Finally, you will be directed to enter your email address and verify your account. You can now begin one of the most in-depth programs for learning how to speak Japanese and master the language online.

Existing JapanesePod101 Users

If you are already enjoying learning the Japanese language and culture online with the JapanesePod101 content, you are eligible to save, using codes, coupons, promotions, and offers. Follow the steps below to take advantage of this offer.

1. First, you must log in to your JapanesePod101 account.

2. After you’re logged in, come back to this page and click on our discount code link:

3. You will then be asked to choose your subscription plan. This is an excellent time to upgrade to Premium or Premium PLUS if you have been using the Basic monthly subscription plan.

4. Next, you will be asked to update or verify your payment information and choose the length of your subscription. As mentioned, the monthly cost for JapanesePod101 is cheaper when you sign up for a longer period of time (in addition to when you apply the JapanesePod101 promo code).

5. Once you click “Complete” at the bottom of your screen, you will be able to continue enjoying JapanesePod101 as you were or with your upgraded features (with coupons now applied).

Does the JapanesePod101 Coupon Code Work Everywhere?

Yes! You can use these promo codes for JapanesePod101 from anywhere you have access to the internet.

JapanesePod101 by Innovative Language is the leading language learning program in many areas around the globe. This truly exemplifies the phrase learning-on-the-go.

Should I Choose Basic, Premium or Premium PLUS Subscription?

Basic

The Basic monthly subscription grants you access to the extensive video and audio lesson library. Download and print PDFs of your lessons to study over later. You will be able to access JapanesePod101 basic on desktop, laptop, Android, iPhone or iPad and you will have access to hundreds of core words and phrases every month.

Opt for the Basic monthly subscription if you:

Premium

The Premium monthly subscription includes all the same features in the Basic subscription plus interactive lesson quizzes & interactive learning tools. You’ll receive full access to flashcards, HD video, thousands of core words and phrases, daily Japanese lessons, voice-recording tools, audio dictionary and grammar bank.

Opt for the most popular  Premium monthly subscription if you:

Premium PLUS

The Premium PLUS subscription is the best way to immerse yourself in all things Japanese. You will have complete access to video and audio lesson libraries, as well as one-on-one access to a native Japanese speaking teacher.

Other features included with the Premium PLUS subscription include everything included with the Premium subscription plus ongoing professional assessments, personalized learning plans and personal assignments.

Consider opting for the Premium PLUS monthly subscription if you:

Tips for Getting the Most out of Your Subscription

We are so glad you have signed up with JapanesePod101 to begin your journey to Japanese fluency. Whether you are just starting out or continuing on your adventure (with a better rate using our coupons, of course,) the following tips can help you make the most out of your subscription and study time.

1. Carve out daily time to study. Even 30 minutes a day is helpful when learning a language.
2. Opt-in on Word of the Day and Daily Lesson emails for daily refreshers.
3. Use downtime driving in traffic or riding the subway to listen to Japanese Podcasts.
4. Print lessons and read over them when you cannot watch or listen to them.
5. Use all learning tools in your subscription for different approaches to learning.
6. Ask your teacher questions – Premium PLUS subscribers.
7. Keep track of your progress on your dashboard, and earn points.
8. Seek out groups, watch movies, and listen to music or podcasts in Japanese to enhance understanding.
9. Invite your friends to use this discount code offer, too, so you can learn Japanese together.

Michael

Michael has lived in Japan on and off for almost 10 years. He loves studying Japanese, and is currently working on going from N2 to N1 on the JLPT.

The information in this review is up to date as of February 16th, 2021.

There are a variety of reasons to learn to speak Japanese. First, it is often included as one of the most important languages to learn for global business. Next, Japanese is a language and culture so different from our own that it can be an exciting adventure to learn something so new. If you are ready to take on this adventure and learn to speak Japanese, check out our review for Japanese Uncovered.

Japanese Uncovered Review: Overview

Japanese Uncovered is taught by Olly Richards, a fluent-Japanese speaker who also speaks seven other languages. Olly has a team of two others that help explain the writing system, grammar, culture, and pronunciations. Richards uses his own immersive StoryLearning method to teach you how to speak Japanese.

You are expected to read and listen to the story without committing anything to memory. A portion of the quirky story is told over the course of 20 lessons. You begin by learning simple words and phrases and build upon this foundation as you advance.

Japanese Uncovered promises to:

• help you learn Japanese quickly through immersion instead of memorization
• help you memorize and retain vocabulary by seeing it used
• help you understand the language because of extensive listening
• help you learn Japanese grammar without memorizing the rules

Good Points About Japanese Uncovered

Less Intimidating than Other Courses

The very idea that Japanese is so different from our own language can scare people away from learning to speak it. However, once you begin the first lesson, Richards and co-instructor, Ai Sensei, make you feel at ease like it is possible to learn Japanese regardless of your preconceived ideas about it. You aren’t expected to begin memorizing, but instead to simply listen and practice speaking.

Learning all Writing Systems

While many programs begin with romaji, or the Romanization of Japanese, and eventually turn over to the Japanese writing systems, Japanese Uncovered begins giving you hiragana along with Romaji right away. Eventually, katakana and kanji are also introduced to get you used to thinking like a Japanese speaker.

Comprehensive and Structured

Because of the complexities of speaking Japanese, any self-teaching course must be comprehensive. Each Japanese Uncovered lesson covers vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, pronunciation, culture, and writing. It also covers Keigo, the levels of formality and politeness to use in various situations.

High Production Value

From the quality of the videos, to the PDF layouts and course design, it’s obvious that a lot of time, money and attention have been paid to production value. Japanese Uncovered ‘feels’ like a premium product, and the video quality is one of the best we’ve seen in a language course.

Bad Points About Japanese Uncovered

Lack of Learning Tools

The majority of your learning will be through video, which can feel redundant, at times. You can download and print the writing worksheets, but there are no voice-recording tools to practice and hone your pronunciation. You also won’t find flashcards or other game-like activities if you need a break from lessons.

Lessons can be Monotonous

Richards can sometimes give long introductions and explanations about lessons, which left us spacing out somewhat. On the other hand, there are times where you almost feel as if there is too much being crammed into one lesson, which also left us drifting away. It is a love/hate relationship with Richards’ teachings in that it is interesting, personal, and comfortable, but sometimes drawn out.

Who would like Japanese Uncovered?

Japanese Uncovered is a great resource for those with little to no knowledge of Japanese up to low-intermediate speakers. If you plan to become fluent in Japanese, this is an ideal beginner course that strongly mingles the language and culture as it is in real life.

Who would NOT like Japanese Uncovered?

Because this course is structured and comprehensive for learning to speak Japanese, it would not be relevant for those who may just want to learn quick travel phrases or the like. The goal of this course is to give the beginner a solid foundation into speaking Japanese.

Features of Japanese Uncovered

Welcome and Introduction

Olly Richards offers a warm welcome to introduce you to the course and show you how to use it. This is important, because ultimately you are responsible for recording whether you’ve completed a lesson or not. Richards is encouraging and friendly, making this feel like you are learning from a friend.

20 Chapters

Each chapter consists of seven lessons along with an introduction to the chapter, review quiz, and additional listening resources. Your first activity in Richards’ StoryLearning method is to Listen & Read. A Japanese speaker narrates a story, and there are transcripts to follow along in Romaji. After this activity, you will advance through the lessons about what you’ve read.

Vocabulary, Grammar, Pronunciation

Richards and Ai host the next videos which point out key vocabulary and grammar in the text. Most of these videos consist of Richards highlighting onscreen words and word combinations. The pronunciations are usually hosted by Ai, and because you are watching her in the video, you can learn exactly how she forms her words. This helps you learn your own pronunciation. Both hosts feel like friends, but some of these videos last up to 40 minutes and can feel too long.

Learning the Script and Language & Culture

We really enjoy Learning the Script lessons. You can print out the writing worksheets to easily follow along with Ai as she shows you hiragana and eventually, katakana and kanji. We would recommend getting Japanese writing pens in order to give yourself the most genuine experience with Japanese script. It can also make this section more enjoyable.

Richards covers the Language & Culture lessons and generally explains the differences between English and Japanese. For example, in English, we say “your friends.” In Japanese, we say “Alex’s friends” instead of using you or your.

Keigo

The Keigo lessons cover the way you speak in Japan. Some instances will be much more formal than others, and Keigo covers speaking to others and showing respect. It also encompasses how to speak humbly about yourself.

Speaking Activities

These activities can be completed alone or with a Japanese instructor. Print these activities and practice speaking with another.

Quizzes and Progress Reports

The quiz is a short multiple-choice test over what you have learned in the chapter. Though it can be useful for review, it really isn’t significant enough to cover the entire chapter.

Progress reports are a way for you to get feedback from your instructors. You are asked what you need help with, how the chapter could be improved, and what you liked the best. This gives you a chance to ask questions or share your input.

Bonus Lessons

Bonus lessons include the Deadliest Chopsticks Sins and Japanese Golden 100. The chopsticks lesson teaches some etiquette about how to use them and what not to do with them. The use and placement of chopsticks have very certain roles in Japanese culture, so this bonus lesson is much more important than many might initially think.

Additional Resources

This section includes transcripts of the story in kana and kanji, vocabulary lists, slow and regular speech recordings, and the chapter syllabus.

Click the images below to see screenshots of PDF transcripts in the Kana version and Furigana:

How Japanese Uncovered Compares to Other Popular Japanese Programs

Japanese Uncovered vs. JapanesePod101

JapanesePod101 is a monthly-subscription language-learning program brought to you by Innovative Language. It uses a combination of videos, podcasts, and learning tools to help you learn to speak Japanese. Higher-priced premium subscription plans grant you the ability to speak one-on-one with your instructors and receive personal learning plans. New materials are added regularly to each subscription level, so the content can feel endless. You will also find a variety of game-like tools to help you retain information you’ve learned.

Though we cannot argue about the comprehensiveness of JapanesePod101, it feels much less personal than Japanese Uncovered. We like having the option of posting comments or questions after each lesson and receiving answers to those questions. With JapanesePod101, you only get access to your instructor after paying a higher monthly rate for it.

You can read our full review of JapanesePod101 here.

Japanese Uncovered vs. Pimsleur Japanese

Pimsleur Japanese is based on a similar concept as Japanese Uncovered in that it uses a more organic approach to learning to speak another language. Pimsleur consists of Japanese podcasts for lessons. You are only expected to listen and absorb the language just like you did your native language. There are two monthly subscription rates to access Pimsleur, and you can listen to the podcasts anywhere you go.

Unlike Japanese Uncovered, there is very little taught about Japanese culture and formality norms. We think this can leave you wanting for more, and Pimsleur might be better used as a supplemental program.

You can read our full review of Pimsleur Japanese here.

How Much Is Japanese Uncovered?

The Japanese Uncovered beginner course is $297 and includes 20 chapters loaded with content. Once you have completed this course, you may want to try the intermediate Japanese: Conversations course to further your knowledge. This course is $197 and includes 20 chapters of conversations also using the StoryLearning method. Once you’ve purchased a course or courses, you have access to the lessons and content for life. You can also access it on all of your electronic devices.

Japanese Uncovered Review: Final Thoughts

Is Japanese Uncovered worth the money? For a serious beginner student who wants to learn Japanese at their own pace, we say it definitely is. This is a very comprehensive course with a unique teaching method that will keep you motivated to study. Some of the information can feel monotonous, but that is to be expected of learning any new language.

Probably our favorite aspect of Japanese Uncovered is the hosts. Both Olly Richards and Ai Sensei are encouraging and welcoming. This helps give you the confidence to overcome the idea that Japanese is too difficult and intimidating to learn.

Overall, we give this course a 4.2 out of 5. If you’re on the fence, you can use this link below to get a free trial of Japanese Uncovered:

Michael

Michael has lived in Japan on and off for almost 10 years. He loves studying Japanese, and is currently working on going from N2 to N1 on the JLPT.

Way back in 2013, Rohan wrote on Perapera about why he loved using his Kindle for learning Japanese, but at that time I don’t think you could register a foreign Kindle to Amazon Japan. Well now you can! This article is to explain how to buy Japanese Kindle books on Amazon Japan and why that’s such a huge deal.

Why the Kindle is AMAZING for Learning Japanese

Thousands and thousands of Japanese books

If you already own a kindle, you probably know one of the best reasons to have one:

I used to backpack around a lot in Southeast Asia, and when I got my first kindle (2nd generation — like the one in the photo below), it was a game changer.

Pre-Kindle, I would carry one or two Lonely Planet guidebooks, one non fiction book, and a novel (I need to read fiction to go to sleep). Post-Kindle, I could carry all these and more in the kindle’s digital storage.

But the biggest thing for Japanese learners is that you can connect your kindle to the Japanese Amazon store and have access to tons and tons of books in Japanese.

Up until a few months ago, I was using my Kindle with the Canadian Amazon store, and I was searching for Japanese titles in romaji.  In my experience, less than 1 in 10 Japanese books I searched were available in the Canada store, and selection was often limited to self-published authors.

After doing a little research, I found out I could change my kindle to the Japanese Amazon store. Now I have access to hundreds of thousands of Japanese kindle books! (If this isn’t exciting to you, maybe you’re learning the wrong language…)

So instead of reading the Harry Potter books again in Japanese (which is fine if that’s all you’ve got access to), I can actually choose books on a topic that I’m genuinely interested in.

Think of all the time you’ve spent boring yourself to sleep reading articles in a Japanese textbook — not super fun right? But now imagine that instead you get to read about things that you’re actually interested in. It makes learning that much more engaging and keeps you reading longer.

Here’s what Tim Ferriss has to say about reading within your interests in another language.

For example, I’m interested in someday opening up a cafe, so I recently read a book called Shoboi Kissaten*

The built in Japanese-English dictionary makes learning new words super fast and efficient

Let’s say you come across a word, and you’re pretty sure you know the reading.

From the kanji you also have a rough idea of the meaning.

If this were a paper book, you might skip looking it up and just go with your gut. But with the Kindle, looking up a word means you just need to touch it with your finger. It takes only a second to see the reading and meaning, compared to what could take much longer looking it up on your phone.

And because you actually look up the word, you realize the reading you thought was close, but wrong. And the meaning is completely different! Enough to change the meaning of the whole sentence.

This actually happens more than I expected: I thought the reading was ABC, but actually it was ABD. If I keep reading without looking it up, I’m essentially reinforcing that incorrect ABC pathway in my brain. Or memorizing a word with an incorrect reading or meaning.

Not only that, but using the kindle saves a ton of time and distractions. I can look up 10 words in the space of time it takes me to look up 1 on my phone (especially if it’s a kanji I don’t know). And when you switch from a book to your phone dictionary, it’s not uncommon to be distracted by notifications, messages or email.  (This study shows that interruptions negatively affect cognitive tasks)

So if you’re keeping score, using the kindle to read Japanese:

Not a bad start!

How To Register Your Kindle on Amazon Japan & Buy Japanese Kindle Books

I should note here: if, for whatever reason, you’re not keen on registering your Kindle with Amazon.co.jp, there are other options. You can find some decent Japanese books on your local Amazon store by browsing kindle books by department and navigating to “Japanese Books”. Here’s the shortcut link that will take you there.  (Affiliate link)

Some important notes before you get started

You can only register your kindle to one localized Amazon store. If you register your Kindle with Amazon.co.jp, you won’t be able to access the content you’ve bought from your local Amazon store. However, if you later re-register your kindle with your local Amazon, you can get your purchased content content back.

I was able to register my Kindle to Amazon.co.jp, but not on the first try — it took a little trial and error. Below are the steps that led me to be able to use my kindle on Amazon.co.jp:

Step 1: Register a new account on Amazon.co.jp

To avoid duplicate account issues, I suggest signing up using a different email address than on your local Amazon. (Trust me: this will make it easier to register your kindle on Amazon Japan)

Step 2: Add your payment info and address

After you’ve successfully created your account and confirmed your email address, log in and go to Account Settings.  (You can change the interface language to English first if you need to)

You’ll need to add a Japanese address to your account. If you’re not currently living in Japan, well…   I’m not advocating you do this, but in theory, you could add a past address that you’ve lived in Japan. (Or search for an address on Google Maps to use for your account.)

Then add your personal credit card details so you can subscribe to Kindle Unlimited or buy Kindle books. In my experience, foreign credit cards are accepted (I used my Canadian Visa and it works fine).

Step 3:  Wait 20 minutes

After I made my new Amazon Japan account, I tried registering my Kindle a few times right away, but it didn’t work.

Then I waited maybe 20 minutes and tried again. It worked!  So I recommend waiting for Amazon’s servers to catch up behind the scenes before registering your device. If you get rejected here, wait a little longer and try again!

Step 4: Reset your Kindle and register it with your new Amazon account

In your Kindle Device Options, choose “Reset” to reset your Kindle to the factory settings.

After some time reformatting, your Kindle will restart and ask you your language, and for your Amazon account credentials.

When it asks for your Amazon account, use your Amazon.co.jp credentials, and it should work.

Now you’re ready to go to the Amazon store and start getting Japanese books!

Using Kindle Unlimited on Amazon.co.jp

If you register your kindle to the Japanese Amazon, you can sign up for Kindle Unlimited in the Japanese store!

What does this mean? It means you have all-you-can-read access to thousands of Japanese books for only 980 yen per month. Which, if you read more than 2 books per month, is a pretty good deal.

Reading Manga using the Kindle App

If you’re into reading manga, I highly recommend downloading the Kindle app on your phone or tablet and using your Japanese amazon account to sign in. Reading manga on your phone is generally a better experience than trying to read manga on a regular kindle. In my opinion, the regular Kindle is just a little too slow to respond and zoom in to be good for manga.

Side note: I wasn’t really into manga until recently, when I found a few non-fiction ones recently that are really good! I’ve added them to the recommended Japanese Kindle books section below.

Bonus Pro-Tip: How to Send Websites and Articles to your Kindle to Read Later

Ok, here’s another tip that’s been pretty awesome:

Reading long articles on your PC  or phone in a web browser isn’t really a great user experience. Wouldn’t it be better if you could read them on your kindle, all nicely formatted and ad-free?

Luckily for you, Amazon has enabled a way to send digital content (including websites) to your kindle.

Here’s how:

1. First, download the Push to Kindle extension and install it in your google chrome browser.

2. Log into your Amazon Japan account and go to the Manage Devices page. Then find your kindle email address. Copy this to your clipboard or notepad for now.

3. Find a web article you want to read on Kindle. In the Chrome toolbar, click the ‘Push to Kindle’ Icon.

4. Add your Kindle email address to the Chrome extension here:

5. Before you hit send, you need to copy the kindle (at) fivefilters.org email address and add it to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List.

Manage Your Content and Devices > Preferences > Personal Document Settings

6. Hit Send!  Then you just need to connect your Kindle to your wifi network and wait a little bit. The document will download automatically.

My Favorite Japanese Books on Kindle (so far)

Ok, I have to preface this section to say that — embarrassingly — my blog about learning foreign languages doesn’t support showing Japanese characters at the moment (something about UTF-8 encoding?). If anyone can help me fix this please contact me! 

So unfortunately all the book titles below will be in romaji…  : /

Favorite Kindle Unlimited Books

Yume wo kanaeru zou

A fun story about a guy learning how to chase his dreams from an animated Elephant statue.

Kintore ga saikyou no solution

Weight training advice, backed up by science, in an entertaining writing style.

10 kiro yasete eikyuu keep suru diet

An entertaining take on ‘diets’ and why they usually fail. I need to lose about 5 kg, so I hope this works!

Girls Nomad Life

A compilation of interviews with female remote workers. Great info and inspiration for aspiring ‘digital nomads.’  (Ok, my girlfriend wrote this one so I’m a little biased!)

Best Paid Kindle Books

Shoboi Kissaten

I really enjoyed this one. Pretty cool story about a guy almost giving up on life, and then opening up a ‘dull’ cafe in Tokyo.

Shoboi Kigyou

Found this one after reading Shoboi Kissaten. This one is more about the philosophy behind the “Shoboi Kigyou” movement.

Favorite Manga on Kindle

As I mentioned above, for Manga I really recommend using the Kindle app on your phone or tablet. It’s just much easier to read.

0en de akiya wo moratte, Tokyo e dasshutsu

I’m interested in the ‘akiya’ (empty house) phenomenon in Japan, so it was eye-opening to see what living in one would look like.

Bocchi Mura

Another book about what it’s like to live in the Japanese ‘inaka’. Combines photos with manga essays.

Thai de ukkya ukkya nikki

The funny (and true) adventures of a Japanese guy who moves to Thailand and finds love.

Are you using Amazon Japan with your Kindle? If you have some good book recommendations or learning tips, let us know in the comments!

Michael

Michael has lived in Japan on and off for almost 10 years. He loves studying Japanese, and is currently working on going from N2 to N1 on the JLPT.