My Recent Maid Cafe Experience
The next time you're in Japan, I suggest you check out the maid cafes that can be found mostly around ...
Tag: cosplay
Anime and Japanese Pop Culture Are Everywhere
One thing I really like about being so involved with Japanese popular culture is the global nature of it, how ...
A big scandal in the Japanese Pentagon, fine dining in Tokyo, and Japan and its Beverly Hills 90210 connection.
Maybe my post on Wednesday about the Japanese not seeming to care about government waste was read by someone important. ...
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 ...
150,000 fans later, learning about Japan through the kanji for “child,” and comparing movies between Japan and the U.S.
Well, one weekend and a staggering 150,000 people later, the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con is past. It was a wild ...
Otakon wrap up, Japanese election results, and various thoughts about the “Founding Fathers” of modern Japan
Well, Otakon is over, and it was a real blast. As the premier anime convention on the East Coast, it's ...
More on the language of men and women, the Jerusalem of Otakuism, and all about sex and nudity in Japan (cool!)
There are subtle nuances in how we use language, and the speech we choose to use says something about all ...
Anime Expo update, advice on traveling in Japan, on the idea of Japan as “#81” and two words every pop Japanologist must know
We're still here at Anime Expo in Long Beach, and it's been a real blast. Monday is the last day ...
More fun at Star Wars Celebration IV, all about Japanese bathing, and some interesting ways you can study Japanese (or anything)
The Star Wars Celebration IV convention continues, and we're having lots of fun. Highlights have included Carrie Fisher coming by ...
Happy news at Torino, things foreigners find odd when they come to Japan, and all about Japanese heaters
The Torino Olympics have been going on for two weeks, and Japanese fans have been eagerly watching all the events ...
Chinese New Year and Japan, what Japanese drivers’ put on their cars, and our faithful dog
Chinese New Year is going on right now, and throughout Asia people are celebrating the cultural holiday. Although Japan switched ...
The origins of Japan’s cult of “studying,” more warm weather for Tokyo, and the latest in Otaku Culture from Japan
Japan is a very seasonal place, with specific things done only during the appropriate times of year. August is when ...
Being an American in Japan during Thanksgiving, subtleties of Japanese pronunciation, and a cultural lesson for PSP owners
By and large, an American expat living in Japan has two choices when it comes to celebrating Thanksgiving: completely forget ...
Japanese tricks to memorize anything, fun with “companions” in Tokyo, and thoughts on evangelical Buddhism
Hello again from Japan, where it's believed that only good things happen on Friday the 13th. There was a lot ...
Returning to my Otaku roots, my adventures in a “capsule hotel,” and what the Japanese really eat
Time was, people would go to the Akihabara (ah-ki-HAH-bah-rah, meaning "field of autumn leaves") area of Tokyo to buy some ...
A happy day in Japan, forgetting which kind of English you speak, and feeling “natsukashii” with my old Japanese textbook
It's a boy! All Japan is currently cheering the news that Princess Kiko has given birth to a boy. The ...
The hierarchy of language in Japan, trouble for “unhurried education” and, is my wife a Desperate Housewife?
Hello again from Japan, where, when two people say the same thing at the same time, they're then supposed to ...
More reflections on “freedom” and how it relates to James Dean, my trip to the Moon, and Japanese “standing nails”
Well, Otakon has passed and we're safely back in San Diego, our long, multi-stage vacation across America finally over. After ...
The end of Comicon again, thoughts on math and the abacus, and strategies for communication
It's that time of year again: the crowds have gone home, the D.C. Comics banners have been pulled down, and ...
What you can learn about public baths from Street Fighter II, Japan and Yellow Cabs, and the end of 0%
There are many things to like about Japan: beautiful temples, delicious food, cherry blossoms, and Hello Kitty bento boxes. But ...
The end of Anime Expo 2006, North Korea and their damn missles, and views on my ESL teaching days
Once again, Anime Expo has come to a close, and we're all going home, tired but feeling very energized. The ...
Notes from Anime Expo, culture shock and toilets, all about MOS Burger, and fun in Graceland
Hello again from an extremely enjoyable Anime Expo, which is still going on here in "Animeheim, CA." We're having lots ...
Benefits from Japan’s homogeneous culture, drawbacks to living in Japan, and the Japanese futon defined
Japan is, by and large, quite a homogeneous place. I've travelled from Sapporo to Hiroshima and have seen much of ...
Back in Japan with culture shock, all about Japanese dialects, perceptions between countries and A-Kon wrap up
Well, I'm back in Japan now, the land of sushi and small cars and very cute things. No matter how ...
