Tag: culture

I often write about how Japan is a homogeneous place in which 99% of the people consider themselves to be ...

I wrote recently about the "peace" sign that the Japanese are fond of making whenever they see a camera, despite ...

I've achieved a small milestone in my life, finally finishing the first manga I ever picked up. The series was ...

One of my favorite things about Japan are the trains. Perhaps it's because I'm from a country where "rail life" ...

Over the weekend I went to my daughter's annual school bazaar, which means that my life became a "school festival" ...

Each language has various unique features. One of the interesting aspects of Japanese is that there are multiple first- and ...

It's always fun to observe the little bits of Japanese culture that are communicated through anime. I was re-watching the ...

The other day I was watching a show about strange and unique world records people had achieved, and there was ...

When you take the train from Tokyo to Kyoto, the train line you use is the Tokaido Line. I've always ...

One interesting aspect of the Japanese is how concerned they are with how they appear to foreigners, especially from the ...

I took a trip down to Tokyo yesterday for a meeting with a company about some dating-sim games. As usual, ...

It's hard to over-estimate the cultural impact the Beatles have had on Japan, and over the decades many a student ...

It's interesting to see how the Internet continues to change the world we live in. In Japan, it's common for ...

The other day I turned on my TV and was greeted with an unexpected sight: popular SMAP singer and "talent" ...

Tomorrow I'm going on a bit of a vacation to northern Japan with my son, a fun trip that we're ...

This is Matsumoto Casatle, the castle we went to see today. One of the oldest and most beautiful castles in ...

It's funny how the Internet can bring out the best and the worst in people, and all of us seem ...

Beans and pickles aren't something you often associate with a country's national culture, but I've observed that you can learn ...

Last time I talked about how when coming to the U.S., Japanese people will actually prepare themselves mentally to be ...

Peter's favorite thing about Japan, #345: izakaya (ee-ZAH-kah-ya), a kind of cozy Japanese pub-restaurant that's filled with exotic food and ...

Because I'm fortunate enough to flit back and forth between the U.S. and Japan several times a year, I get ...

I'm big fan of Japanese girls and the kawaii things they do, and when I was a teacher, I loved ...

Bowing is an important form of social communication in Japan. Whether it's a short sumimasen accompanied by a brief lowering ...

Sometimes there are some interesting differences between East and West that can surprise you. I wrote recently that you're actually ...