On Superstitions and Lucky Days
One thing that surprised me about the Japanese was how superstitious many people here are, and there are many superstitions ...
Tag: Buddhism
History of Buddhism and, My Daughter Sees Dead People
The history of Buddhism in Japan is long, going back to the very beginning of the country's historical age, since ...
Slow Simmer: Outside Influences on Japan
Although it'd be a stretch to call a homogeneous country like Japan a "melting pot," modern Japanese society does represent ...
Um, Playboy Bunny Socks?
Obi-wan Kenobi said it best: a lot of the reality we perceive depends on our point of view. I've talked ...
The History of Akihabara
Akihabara is the area of Tokyo famous for its Electric Town shopping district and for being the international "Mecca" of ...
Thoughts on Japanese Politics
The U.S. Presidential race is on, with the various candidates debating the issues publicly as they jockey for votes on ...
Eating “ekiben” (train station bento) on the Shinkansen
On Sunday I took my son into Tokyo to check out an exhibition on robots at the National Science Museum, ...
Back in Japan and getting ready for New Year’s, my respect for hard work, and a great way to get money in 2008!
Hello again from J-List. Once again we've made the hop from San Diego to Japan, traveling the 5443 miles (8759 ...
Needing a sixth sense to communicate with people from other countries, this year’s kanji, and all about “smorking”
Talking with people from other cultures often requires a sense for words that's quite unrelated to speaking a foreign language. ...
Goodbye to New York, examining Japan’s Buddhism and Shinto religions, Buddhist Altars, and fun linguistic coincidences
Well, our fun time in New York is at an end, and now it's time to head back to San ...
All about Japanese swords, thoughts on the “horse with a heart mark” and government, and, can you ski?
Japanese swords are famous around the world, up there with ninjas and Hello Kitty as a symbol of the country. ...
Funny moments in Japan, Tokyo’s famous Asakusa district, and limitations of Japanese “humility”
(It looks like we were experiencing some problems with the site due to heavy server load, although it's fixed now. ...
Thoughts on biculturalism and Halloween, types of ramen you should try, and my fascination with Japanese females
Happy Halloween from J-List. Halloween is one of those "American" holidays (although originally Irish and Scottish) that has a way ...
The next Prime Minister of Japan is decided, more thoughts on how the Japanese keep their politics peaceful, and things to do in Tokyo
Well, the race for the leadership of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party is over, and the calm, moderate Yasuo Fukuda has ...
Summer fireworks and reflections on language, the poor plight of Sumo’s most famous wrestler, and what’s up with those Japanese name stamps?
Hanabi (花火), meaning "flower fire" or fireworks, are part of summer in Japan, and you can't watch three hours of ...
The end of an era in driving convenience, Japan’s Obon Buddhist holidays, and everything you wanted to know about what a kimono is
The end of an era for this particular gaijin has come. In the past, foreigners were permitted to drive in ...
Understanding Japan’s people through “Karaoke manners,” comparing cultures and “chicken scratches,” and an update at our Comicon booth
Karaoke (pronounced kah-rah-OH-kay) is the famous Japanese tradition of getting up and singing in front of others. The word literally ...
Friday the 13th and superstitions from Japan, thoughts on how to approach learning, and my take on Heroes and Japanese actors
Hello and happy Friday the 13th, often considered to be a day of good luck in Japan, since many festivals ...
Our plan to “reform” our home in Japan, the joys of getting citizenship, and times when Japan just throws you for a loop
Our plan to "reform" (remodel) our house in Japan is continuing apace, as we prepare to redo our bath area, ...
The only country where eating quietly is strange, how ethanol can affect the price of soy sauce, and gaijin drinking rules
First of all, we had a problem with checkout on the J-List and JBOX.com websites that caused orders to not ...
The challenge of raising kids in a foreign country, more on the shrine China and Korea love to hate, and a Shinto ceremony in my living room
First of all, a minor computer problem here in Japan caused some delays in processing orders on Friday. We're very ...
The history of family names in Japanese, why there are so many last names in use here, and the Japanese connection with Auld Lang Syne
Names in Japanese are quite different from what we're usually used to in the West. Right off the bat, the ...
Japan’s amazing adaptions of “black culture,” all about gestures used by the Japanese, and what’s the currency of Japan?
The Japanese are very good at taking outside culture and adapting it to fit their own needs, and they have ...
