Our Deep Japan storytellers, your Senpai.
Our Deep Japan storytellers,
your Senpai.
Our mission.
Deep Japan is a community-driven tourism platform offering authentic insights into Japanese culture, travel, and everyday life. Our diverse “Senpai” writers—many with over 20 years of living in Japan—share heartfelt stories, practical travel tips, and fascinating observations about the Japan they know and love.
Our mission is to shine a light on the thoughtful traditions and endearing quirks that define Japanese life, fostering a deeper appreciation for what makes this country so beautifully different.
Write for us. Tell your story.
Professional writing experience is not required—if you have lived in Japan for at least three years at any point, we welcome you to apply to join our Senpai writer community. Whether you first came to Japan to teach, study abroad, follow a partner, launch a new career, or simply chase a curiosity—we want to hear from you.
There are stories only you can tell, and at Deep Japan, we would be honored to give your voice a home.
Jyaane!
There are so many ways to say bye in Japanese, from the classic sayonara, which is quite formal and not really used that often in everyday conversation, to the more casual bai baaaii (taken from the English “bye”) and matane (“see you again!”). But the one I personally use most often is jyaane!
Jyaa essentially means “well then” and is usually followed by a sentence that indicates you’re summarizing or concluding something. It’s casual, so you wouldn’t use it when ending a work meeting. But, for example, if you and your friend are having a nice little catch-up over coffee and you’ve both finished your drinks, one of you might say, “Jyaa, ikokka!” — “Well then, shall we head out?”
The ending ne can be added to various words to express something like “right?” or “isn’t it?” For example, kirei da ne means “It’s so beautiful, isn’t it?” and oishii yo ne! means “It’s delicious, right?”
So, with adding ne to jyaa, you might think the combination doesn’t really make sense based on my explanation. After all, it would mean something like “Well then, isn’t it?” Hahah!
But jyaa ne has come to mean “bye”, and I guess the ne acts more as an implication here. Jyaa suggests that you’re wrapping things up without explicitly saying so — a nice example of the Japanese language’s high-context tendencies!
Hello there! I’m Hana, Editor-in-Chief of Deep Japan. Every Monday, I share a Japanese word, phrase, or expression with you.
Whether it helps enrich your Japanese vocabulary or simply gives you a new idea to reflect on, I hope it offers a little inspiration as we begin a fresh new week. We got this! Gambarimasho
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