【Podcast】S2-2 Exchanging Letters? | 文通

Answer these quiz questions if you’ve listened to a new episode of my podcast.

If it was difficult, read the transcript below and try again.

Good morning. Hello. Good afternoon.
I am a Japanese teacher, Emi.

Today, I’m also going to speak slowly in easy Japanese.
There is also a script on my website, so please listen while checking it.

The Obon holiday in Japan is over.
Do you know what “Obon” is?

Obon is an event in Japan in August.
It is a summer event.
Every year, Obon is from August 13th to 16th.

During Obon, we think about people who have passed away.
“亡くなる” means the same thing as “死ぬ,” which means “to die.”
It is a time to think about grandparents and other family members who have passed away.

It is similar to Mexico’s Día de Muertos.

In Japanese, this Mexican event is called “Shisha no Hi.”
“死者” means people who have died, or “dead people.”
“日” means “day.”
So, it means “The Day of the Dead.”

During Obon, many companies are closed.
My husband also had time off from work.
So, I also took a break from my lessons.
I took time off work and went to my husband’s family’s home.

During Obon, Japanese people go back to their family homes and relax.
But some people also travel.
We went back to our family’s home.

Do you have a summer vacation?
Did you go anywhere this month, in August?
Did you do any summer activities or water sports?
Please tell me.

Today’s topic is “buntsū.”

What is “buntsū”?
Do you know?

Here’s a hint.
If you are watching the video on YouTube, you might know.

The hint is “tegami,” which means “letter.”
In English, “手紙” is “letter.”

“文通” means exchanging letters.
“交換” means “exchange.”
We exchange letters.
So, “文通” means “exchanging letters.”

Today, I’m going to talk about exchanging letters.

First, I’ll teach you some new words for today.

“tegami”
A letter is a piece of paper with a message written on it.
It is “tegami.”

And “buntsuu.”

“文通” means exchanging letters.
It is “exchanging letters.”

And “penparu.”

“ペンパル” is the same as the English word “pen pal,” right?
But in Japanese, you can also say “buntsuu tomodachi,” which means a friend you exchange letters with.

“Pen pal.”
I have a pen pal.

And “retaa setto.”

A letter set is a set with an envelope and paper.

And next is “fuutou.”

“fuutou” means “envelope.”

And you use paper together with an envelope, right?
In Japanese, “paper” is called “便箋.”

Paper that you can write a message on is called “便箋.”

“binsen.”

“binsen” and “fuutou” together make a “レターセット,” or letter set.

And next is “bunbougu.”
Do you know what “bunbougu” means?

“Bunbougu” includes things like pens,
scissors… scissors,
and box cutters are also “Bunbougu”.
Tape is also “Bunbougu”.

It means “stationery.” “Bunbougu”

And then there is “シール,” which I love. “シール.”

“シール” is “sticker” in English, but in Japanese, you can use “ステッカー” for bigger ones.
But in Japanese, we often use the word “シール.”

Also, you use a stamp when you send a letter, right?
“Stamp” is “切手” in Japanese. “切手.”

When you send a letter, you put a stamp on it.
You put a stamp on it and send it.

And in Japan, you take this letter to the post office.
You go to the post office and send the letter.

“yuubin-kyoku,” = “post office.”

Okay, we checked 10 new words.
I’ll use them in this episode, so please listen carefully.

And let’s check today’s grammar, too.

Today’s grammar is:

“I would be happy if I could [Verb].”

Before “V-ta ra,” we use the past tense of the potential form.

For example,
“iketa” means “to be able to go” or “was able to go.”

For example,

“I would be happy if I could go to Disneyland.”

Also,

“I would be happy if I could receive a letter.”

Let’s practice together so that you can use “V-tara ureshii desu.”

Have you ever exchanged letters with someone?
When you were a child, did you give letters to your friends?
Did you receive letters?

When I was a child, I often wrote letters to my friends.
Sometimes, I wrote things like, “Let’s hang out this weekend,” or I wrote about someone I liked.

But when you become an adult, you don’t write many letters anymore, right?
Do you?

Since I became an adult, I only write letters for my husband’s birthday or my friends’ birthdays.
Only on special occasions.

Sometimes, you would be happy if you received a letter, right?
I would be happy.
Receiving a letter would make me happy.

So, last year, I wanted to have friends to exchange letters with.

A friend to exchange letters with is a pen pal, right?
I wanted to have pen pals.

Because I wanted pen pals, I used a website called Global Penfriends to look for one.

But recently, I haven’t sent a letter to my pen pal.

I also received this letter from my pen pal.
But I haven’t read it yet.
I’m going to read it now.

I haven’t written a reply to this letter yet, so today I’m going to write a reply to my pen pal.

When I write a letter, I always put stickers in it.

This file is my sticker book.
But there are quite a lot of stickers in it.

Yes, this is my sticker book, but it’s a little messy.

I often buy stickers at Daiso like this.
I buy lots of stickers at the 100-yen shop.

But I got this hedgehog sticker from my pen pal.

DAISO has lots of cute stickers, so I end up buying them without thinking.
There are a lot of stickers, aren’t there?

But I also have stickers that aren’t from Daiso.
This one… this is a little interesting and rare sticker.

Last year, there was an Expo in Osaka, Japan.
In Japanese, it is called “万博.”

I bought a sticker of the character from that Expo.
This character’s name is Myaku-Myaku.

It is a red and blue character.
It has a slightly interesting shape.

And this sticker has Osaka dialect, or Kansai dialect, written on it.

It says “まいど” here.
I think “まいど” is similar to “ありがとう,” or “thank you.”
Yes, “まいど” can also mean “thank you.”
It can also have a meaning a little like “hello.”

So, this is a slightly rare and interesting sticker.

Also, I like Kirby, so I have this Kirby sticker, too.

And recently, this character… a frog… a frog character?
It’s actually an alien character, and it’s called Keroro Gunso.
I’ve recently started liking Keroro Gunso, so I bought this sticker, too.

So, I have quite a lot of stickers.
And when I send a letter, I put a sticker inside the envelope and send it.

I would also be happy to receive a postcard.

In Japanese, we also say “posutokādo” for postcard.
You can also say “hagaki” in Japanese.

But when it has a design on it, we often call it a “posutokādo.”

When I went to Taiwan, I bought postcards from Taiwan.

I also have postcards of Mt. Fuji.
Two years ago, in 2024, I climbed Mt. Fuji with my husband and bought this Mt. Fuji postcard.

So, I have a lot of postcards.

Okay, now I’m going to read the letter I received from my pen pals and write a reply to the letter.

I’ll write the reply, then go to the post office and send it.
I’ll send the letter.

Okay, let’s review today’s grammar.
Let’s review.

Today’s grammar was;

“I would be happy if I could [Verb].”

“I would be happy if I could receive a letter.”

And,

“I would be even happier if there were stickers inside the letter.”
“I would be happy if there were stickers.”

And,

“I would be happy if I could find a cute letter set.”

Whenever I find a cute letter set, I always end up buying it.

What would make you happy if you could do it?

Would you be happy if you could receive a letter?
Would you be happy if you could find a cute letter set?
Would you be happy if you could find a memo pad or paper with a cute design?

“V-tara ureshii desu.”
Please try using it.

You should all try writing a letter, too.

Try writing one to a friend, your family, or someone you like or your partner.

Postcards are also good.
An envelope… a letter is good, too.

Who would you like to write a letter to?
Do you have a pen pal?
Do you have a friend you exchange letters with?

Please tell me.

A transcript for today’s podcast is on my website.
The website is en-nihongo.com .

I’d be very happy if you could share your thoughts/impressions in this episode!

I’ll see you in the next episode.
Jaa ne-!