The Old West comes to Karuizawa, and World Peace through Japanese verb conjugations
This weekend we all got in the car and headed off to Karuizawa ("ka-roo-EE-za-wa"), our favorite mountain getaway, for a ...
Tag: culture
The challenge of the Japanese toilet, how place names work in Japan, and words for “I”
There are many challenges for foreigners who come to Japan: learning the unwritten social rules (which probably don't apply to ...
On stereotypes, how and why words jump from one language to another, and trying to recall the term “gynecologist”
Stereotypes are really not good, since they cause us to make assumptions about people from other countries before we've gotten ...
All about Commodore Perry, more on Japan’s culture of “sho ga nai” and our “second house”
Hello again from Japan, the home of "rinse in shampoo" (which means shampoo that contains cream rinse in it). One ...
December tests in Japan, my favorite place in my prefecture, and a cool Japanese artist
The month of December means many things: Christmas, spending time with loved ones, and what the Japanese call "shiwasu," that ...
All about weddings and wedding capitalism in Japan, and what it is to be “good head”
One interesting area of life in Japan is weddings, and Japanese really take the subject of getting married seriously. One ...
Japan’s latest boom: Akiba-kei, Otaku Culture and “Densha Otoko”
Japan is the land of the "boom" and every year something new seems to come out of left field and ...
Humility in Japan, the many faces of apologies, and Japanese calendars
Hello again from J-List. We're a day late with the update because of some database related problems, but the update ...
A small Okinawa town in Bolivia, Tomo gets a new car, and thoughts on luck in Japan
Hello from Japan. We've been having some off-and-on problems with the J-List server, which we've gotten under control again, we ...
The Otaku Standardized Test and origin of the word, Japan’s hot summer, and aloe flavored yogurt
Hello again from Japan, and a special weekend update to J-List!I've written before about how the Japanese like to take ...
iTunes Music Store comes to Japan, on Japanese drinking culture, and some happy news at J-List
After a long wait, Apple's iTunes Japan music store has finally opened, allowing customers here to download Japanese and international ...
Ways to learn a foreign language, and on receiving complements about your use of chopsticks
Attempting to master a foreign language is a big undertaking, and if you want to become fluent someday you need ...
My return to Japan, and little things that bothered me along the way
Hello again from J-List! I've made the hop from California back to Japan, and have once again slipped into my ...
Beautiful girls wearing Swatches, uses of the word “wa” and the concept of style in Japan
Sometimes you don't know what Japan will throw at you next. Once I was shopping in Tokyo, checking out the ...
China as the source of culture for Japan, and all about Japan’s tendency to be seasonal about everything
Just as almost all aspects of modern European culture have their basis in Rome and Greece, much of Japan's culture ...
Understanding Japan through its cute characters, and duality in learning Japanese language
There are many ways to approach an understanding of Japan, through the classical aspects of the country, through its music, ...
$70 for a Captain Santa T-shirt, and parent’s day at my son’s new English school
You've been in Japan too long when you pay over $70 for a Captain Santa T-shirt and realize a few ...
J-List drink party, funny phrases you can try at home, and thoughts on Japanese English
Japanese students study a total of six years of English, even more if they go on to college, and even ...
Video games in Japan, and information on tuxedos for Chihuahuas
Every few weeks my kids bug me to take them to the "ge-sen," or game center, and I give in ...
Ah, my days as a single man in Japan
Hello again from Japan! Today is a holiday here, Shunbun no Hi, or the first day of spring. It's nice ...
The history of the Pocky company and Japan’s tiny land mass
Hello again from Japan, the home of such products as Mapple (map book), Crunky (crunchy chocolate) and Quickle Wiper (floor ...
What the month of March means to the Japanese
The month of March means different things to different people. In Japan it's a time of partings (wakare no kisetsu), ...
Reflections on Japanese TV, and the history of Loose Socks
One of our favorite Japanese TV shows is Trivia no Izumi (the Fountain of Trivia, a title that sounds similar ...
All about Japanese girl & guy idols
One of the more interesting aspects of Japan is the effect Japan's "idol culture" has on everyday life. You can't ...
