Space Invaders
I happened to see that this month marks the 30th anniversary of the venerable "Invader Game," what Space Invaders is ...
Tag: culture
The Progenitors of the Otaku
The word otaku is a formal term meaning "you" or "your family" which acquired its alternate meaning of "obsessed fanboy" ...
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 ...
Meet Doraemon, Japan’s New Anime Ambassador
Japan has a new ambassador, and it's...Doraemon? Yes, the well-known robot cat from the future has been designated as the ...
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 ...
All About Tokyo and What To Do Here
Tokyo is the sprawling capital of Japan, home to 12 million people, a number which rises by several million during ...
Our “Second Childhood” Through Anime
One thing I like about being involved with Japan and anime is the "second childhood" it allows us all to ...
Adapting to Group Culture when Living in Japan
Living in Japan has certainly made me a more considerate person, and I generally thinks of others before acting on ...
The History of Akihabara
Akihabara is the area of Tokyo famous for its Electric Town shopping district and for being the international "Mecca" of ...
My First Impressions on Japan, Incl. “Fancy Shop” and “Viking”
You never forget your first impressions of something. Although it was seventeen years ago, I still vividly remember my arrival ...
Employment at Japanese Companies is Down
I caught a report on TV the other day about a unique problem Japanese companies are facing. It seems that ...
On Traditional “Sento” (Public Baths) and Street Fighter II
If you ever come to Japan, you really should be sure to sample the bathing culture here. Although onsen (natural ...
Understanding Kanji: The Basics
The Japanese writing system is based on kanji, the pictographs evolved by the Chinese starting around 2500 B.C., and China ...
Aizuchi, the Japanese Tradition of Saying “yes” All the Time
Leave it to Japan to turn concepts as simple as "yes" and "no" into something more complex than it needs ...
Do the Japanese Say “I Love You”?
Do the Japanese say "I love you"? It's an interesting question that touches on cultural issues as well as linguistic. ...
One Way of Understanding Japan’s Culture: Kata (Form)
One way of approaching an understanding of Japan is through the word kata, which means "form" and describes the many ...
Reflections on Beef Bowl and Japanese Culture
Over the weekend I took my son out for a bowl of gyudon, steamed beef over rice, the most popular ...
One Small Problem with Japan: Concrete and Asphalt
Japan is a great place, and I love living here. The country is beautiful, the culture always new and fascinating, ...
Thoughts on the Japanese fascination with Europe and the U.S.
Just as many in the U.S. and Europe have a fascination with all things Japanesque, the Japanese have their own ...
Rising Divorce Culture in Japan?
It's often said that Japan's society follows a decade or so behind the U.S., and looking at such areas as ...
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 ...
Karaoke Update: The Age of the Singing Otaku
The J-List staff had fun at our New Year's Party on Friday, and afterwards we engaged in that famous Japanese ...
Off to the J-List New Year’s Party now
I'm rushing to finish this update a little early since tonight we're having the J-List Shin-nen Kai, or New Year's ...
Happy New Year from J-List, observations on culture and gaijin, a dearth of new adults in Japan, and Japan as “supplier heaven”
Akemashite omedetou to all J-List readers! We had a nice, quiet New Year's Day, relaxing in the morning and watching ...
