Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 12 months, you’ll be aware that a little Disney film has become one of the most popular animated films of all time.　Frozen is just as popular in Japan. Titled アナと雪の女王 (あなとゆきのじょおう; Anna and the Snow Queen), it has shattered (no pun intended) film records all over the place.

And just like all great cultural phenomena, it has entered the lexicon. The main song, ありのままで (in English, Let it Go; in Japanese, the phrase ありのままで means ‘just as it is’), has spawned thousands of online covers, including this rather excellent one, designed to encourage parents to look after their children.

But the cherry on top of this delicious frozen cake is that the English phrase ‘to let it go’ has been hijacked into 和製英語 (わせいえいご; English terms appropriated into new Japanese ones). Now, every time someone pulls out the 松たか子 (Matsu Takako) version of ありのままで, you can say they are れりごーる.

Whisky aficionados will be aware that, for the first time, the World Whisky Bible awarded its top prize this year to a Japanese single malt, the Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013. But how did Japan get so good at making the most traditionally Scottish drink?

Taketsuru Masataka is often said to be the father of whisky in Japan. He went to Scotland in 1918, discovered the taste of whisky, married a girl, moved back to Japan, and started brewing his own. The rest, they say, is history. Companies like サントリーand ニッカ are renowned around the world for their whiskeys.

Whisky in Japan is drunk much like 焼酎 (しょうちゅう; Japanese liquor), which means it is often mixed with hot water (お湯割り; おゆわり), or with cold water (水割り; みずわり).

Though Bryan Cranston may have been the one speaking Japanese in the recent Godzilla reboot, it’s important to remember that Godzilla is just one of many Japanese films in a uniquely Japanese genre of film called 特撮 (とくさつ). The first kanji, 特 (トク), literally means special, while the second, 撮 (サツ), comes from 撮る (とる), to take, or to film.

These “special films” are actually films which rely heavily on practical visual effects—think of the model Godzilla in the early films of the 1950s. These puppets and men in suits were influenced by traditional Japanese puppetry in art forms such as bunraku and kabuki.

There are some important words you can pull out when talking about tokusatsu: 怪獣 (かいじゅう; strange beast) and スーツメーション (suitmation, or the technique of getting a guy in a rubber suit to play a giant monster) are both staples of the genre.

Tokusatsu films have had a huge influence not just on Japanese pop culture, but on global pop culture, too—see Pacific Rim, for example, which takes kaiju to a whole new level; or Power Rangers, which have entertained children all over the world for years.

We were in Japan earlier this year, driving down the highway, when our Japanese friend asked us if we knew what the numberplate of the Mini in front of us meant. The numbers 3-2-9-8 could be read not just as さん・に・きゅう・はち, but as ミニクーパー. And thus, we were introduced to 語呂合わせ (ごろあわせ).

語呂合わせ is a form of Japanese wordplay using the fact that numbers in Japanese often have more than one reading. (Anyone studying Japanese will be familiar with the huge number of readings counting throws up.) 4-6-4-9, for example, becomes ヨロシク, while 8-8-9 becomes ハヤク (早く, quickly).

They are often used as mnemonics to help remember phone numbers—dentists, for example, often use 6-4-8-0 in their phone numbers, because it sounds like 虫歯なし (mushiba nashi; no rotten teeth).

Some days even have their own 語呂合わせ: 10 July is referred to as納豆の日 (なっとうのひ; Natto Day), while 5 January イチゴの日 (Strawberry Day).

Henry James Black is an oft-forgotten part of the Australia-Japan relationship, but his small part in history is important.

Having been raised speaking and reading Japanese, in 1878, after working as an English teacher, Henry Black met Shōrin Hakuen II (二代目松林伯圓), who inspired him to become a 落語家 (らくごか; rakugo storyteller). He eventually joined the 三遊派 (さんゆうは ; San’yū guild), where he adapted European texts as rakugo 噺 (はなし; stories).

Black took the name 快楽亭ブラック in 1891. Two years later, he married 木村アカ (Kimura Aka), and took日本国籍 (にほんこくせき; Japanese citizenship).Despite his relative success on stage, his Australian family felt that his life as a performer was not suitable, and eventually disowned him. Japanese crowds still loved his work, and he was invited in 1903 to record the first Japanese gramophone recording.

Kairakutei Black was the first non-Japanese rakugoka. His legacy remains intact today, with other people like ダイアン吉日 (Diane Kichijitsu) continuing to spread the word in Japanese and English even today.

If you want to test your Japanese, you can listen to this public lecture about Black.

能 (Noh) is one of the most important forms of Japanese theatre. Begun in the 13世紀 (13せいき; 13th century), Noh is renowned for its use of masks 能面 (のうめん), as well as its idiosyncratic ways of movement.

Perhaps the most interesting of these is すり足, or sliding feet. Like a more refined Michael Jackson, Noh performers move around the wooden stage without lifting their feet. Instead, they slide along the polished boards made of 檜 (hinoki; Japanese cypress) without making a sound. The silence of these movements is then contrasted with stomps and jumps to emphasise important parts of the performance.

Suriashi is not just limited to Noh. It is used by other theatre genres, including 狂言 (kyōgen)—and is even used in some forms of Japanese martial arts, including 剣道 (kendō) and 合気道 (aikidō).

It might be getting cold down under, but it’s heating up in Japan as summer arrives. If you catch the train in Tokyo, you may notice that some サラリーマン (salarymen) have ditched the traditional uniform of dark suit, white shirt and tie for something a bit more casual.

This is part of the クールビズ (CoolBiz) promotion by the government of Japan. In an attempt to save electricity, they have slowed down the rate of air conditioning in their office buildings, and asked staff to wear a short-sleeved shirt—and no tie.

Though this practice began in the mid-2000s, it wasn’t until after the 2011 tsunami that CoolBiz became widespread. Forced 節電 (setsuden; conservation of electricity) became common in many large cities, forcing people to live without their air conditioners. And if you’ve ever been to Japan in summer, you’ll know how painful that can be.

Japanese politicians have led the way for クールビズ to encourage others to do the same. Some have even been spotted encouraging their public servants to throw away their boring white shirts for からゆしウェア, a style of shirt popular in Okinawa that resembles Hawaiian aloha styles.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of what is perhaps the most famous and important work in Japanese literature: こゝろ (Kokoro), by 漱石夏目 (Sōseki Natsume).

As with English literature of the time, Kokoro was serialised in the 朝日新聞 (あさひしんぶん). For five months in 1904, the story of 先生 and 私 unfolded, and Kokoro’s status as Sōseki’s 代表作 (だいひょうさく; representative work) was cemented.

Though kanji still use 同の時点 (どうのじてん; iteration marks) to repeat characters (think 時々, 人々 etc.), it is no longer common practice to use the 一の時点 (いちのじてん) to mark repeated kana. Many modern editions of the novel simply call it こころ.

If you want to challenge yourself, try reading Kokoro in Japanese! You can find it copyright-free in various places around the internet. Alternatively, check out the new translation from Meredith McKinney, Australian academic and translator at the Australian National University.

On 1 April this year, people in Japan woke up to find that the price of almost everything they buy had risen by 3%. No, this wasn’t a really bad April Fool’s Day prank—the national 消費税 (しょうひぜい; consumption tax) had risen (増税; ぞうせい) from 5% to 8%.

After a lengthy political battle from both sides of the debate, the current ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party (自民党; jimintō), led by Prime Minister Abe Shinzo (阿部晋三), confirmed the tax increase would happen on 1 April 2014.

The word itself comes from two words: 消費 (しょうひ; consumption, expenditure) and 税 (ぜい; tax).

That last kanji has a couple of other hand compound, including 税抜き (ぜいぬき; excluding tax) and 税込み (ぜいこみ; including tax). Keep an eye for these if you’re travelling in Japan!

And finally, if trying to work out price increases sounds like too much work, check out this handy guide to price increases on important, everyday items.

Do you love eating out, but don’t like spending piles of money just to eat the best food available? You might just like B級グルメ or, roughly translated, “B grade gourmet food”.

The word itself is a combination of two others: B級 (きゅう), or B-grade, and グルメ, which in this context means “gourmet food”. Though the word has been around since the late 1980s, it has taken off big-time recently with the introduction of the annual B1グランプリ, a competition designed to find the best (and the cheapest) food around. Previous winners have included stalwarts like 焼きそば (やきそば) and せんべい.

So while there might be 15 Michelin-starred restaurants in Tokyo, you don’t have to spend big to eat well in Japan. We’ve spoken before of 名物 (めいぶつ; local specialties), and this is where they shine. From greasy たこ焼き on the streets of Osaka, to, to this entire site of goodies from 埼玉県 (さいたまけん), there’s a whole world of cheap, delicious foods to explore!

While academics around the world still debate the existence of 忍者 (にんじゃ), we’ve found something even better. Meet the くノ一 (くのいち): female ninjas.

Eagle-eyed readers will have noticed that the three characters used to write the word in Japanese are also the three strokes of the kanji 女, and it is from here that the word is said to have originated.

Since their first appearance in the original textbook on ninajs, the 万川集海 (ばんせんしゅうかい; bansenshūkai), in 1676, the idea of female ninjas has taken Japanese pop (and high) culture by storm. Though never confirmed, it is believed that a noblewoman in the 16世紀 (16せいき; 16th century) named 望月千代女 (もちづきちよめ) set up a group of women who could move freely because of their status.

Scores of novels, manga and movies have been made about these terrifying and secretive women. Iga, a town with a long ninja history, even have a team in the national women’s football league called the Iga Kunoichi.