Did you know two of the oldest businesses (still in business now) are in Japan. Seriously, they are over 1,400 and 1,300 years old respectively.
Founded: 578 AD
Japanese construction company Kongo Gumi 金剛組 was the world's oldest continuously operating independent company until it was absorbed as a subsidiary of another larger construction company in 2006.
Nshiyama Onsen Keiunkan 西山温泉 慶雲館 is a hot spring hotel in Hayakawa, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. Founded in 705 AD, it is the oldest hotel and one of the oldest companies in operation.
Since 1996, Japanese-Online has been provided as a free service from PSPinc with the purpose of providing resources to individuals interested in learning about the Japanese Language and culture.
Japanese-Online has content suited to varying levels of study, including lessons for beginners as well as lessons tailored for those who need grammar and writing resources. Lessons are best suited to those who have basic understanding of hiragana and katakana alphabets before moving on to the more advanced grammar and particle lessons. Grammar lessons focus on learning about writing and creating more complex sentences and most lessons will not use romaji (Japanese sounds written with roman letters). Kanji is used in the lessons with hiragana and English translations provided.