Living Like a Local in Japan
Like Duolingo, but for Living Like a Local in Japan. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
For the part of you with thirty open tabs that never became anything.
Free during early access · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in Living Like a Local in Japan
- Deeper bows signify higher levels of respect or gravity
- The 30-degree bow is the standard for professional interactions
- Bending the back or neck instead of the waist is a sign of poor form
- The pause at the bottom shows sincerity and prevents the bow from looking rushed
- Matching the degree of the bow to the social context and relationship
- The physical sequence of a respectful bow to avoid awkwardness
- Bowing while walking or talking is considered rude
- Hands should be kept still (at sides for men, clasped in front for women) rather than swinging
- Blue indicates a cold beverage
- Red indicates a hot beverage
- IC cards like Suica or Pasmo are standard payment methods
- Most machines do not accept international credit cards directly
- Identifying temperature by color-coded labels
- Identifying the most common non-cash payment method
- Machines accept 10, 50, 100, and 500 yen coins
- Machines accept 1,000 yen bills but rarely larger denominations
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives Living Like a Local in Japan the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
You are meeting a new client for a business chat. Which bow depth is the standard choice?
Get it right to open this lesson and 23 more in the app.
Where Living Like a Local in Japan takes you
Master the art of Japanese daily life, from navigating a busy sushi bar to understanding the unspoken rules of politeness. Discover how ancient traditions still shape the modern streets of Tokyo today.
- 1
Navigate Your First Day
- The Art of the Bow
- How to Use a Vending Machine
- Ordering Sushi Without Stress
- Taking the Train Like a Pro
- Shoes On or Shoes Off?
- 2
Read the Room
- The Power of Silence
- Gift Giving and Red Envelopes
- Table Manners and Chopstick Taboos
- 3
The Soul of the Culture
- Finding Beauty in Imperfection
- The Seasons in Food and Art
- Why Toilets and Robots Matter
- Shrines vs. Temples
3 sections · 12 units · 24 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
You pick the voice
Living Like a Local in Japan is taught in the Explain Like I'm 5 style: no big words. promise.. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start Living Like a Local in Japan today.
Download Tomo, search Living Like a Local in Japan, and play your first lesson in under a minute.