Learning About Keigo (Polite Japanese) and Anime
Each language is special, with its own set of interesting features. Romance languages, for example, have nouns that come in ...
Tag: education
Big Changes for Japan’s Educational System
Big changes are in store for Japan's schools: the end of yutori kyoiku, translatable as "easy-does-it education," when Japan's Ministry ...
Groups and Japan
Groups are, of course, extremely important to human beings, since you can't have much of a society without them. The ...
Humor in America, The U.K., Japan
Humor is a very cultural thing, and it's fun to analyze the things people from different countries consider amusing -- ...
Is Competition Good for Students?
One interesting aspect of education in Japan is how students face competition in many forms which helps make them better ...
Japanese Cultural Lessons from OH! Mikey
There was a bizarre Japanese TV show that was on a few years back called OH! Mikey, in which an ...
What Shall We Do About Summer?
My family is going through our annual "what are we going to do about summer?" decision-making process, trying to make ...
Japanese Memory Tricks
Quick, what's the square root of five? I have no idea, but my wife knows: it's 2.2360679. How about the ...
What Color “Randoseru” (School Backpack) Are You?
In the U.S., "back to school" season is in August, when parents prepare for the start of the new school ...
Observations on Japanese education, and “No Media Day”
The other day I came home from work to spend some time with the kids, and I suggested popping a ...
The rivalry of Universities: Keio vs. Waseda
Have you ever noticed that when two groups occupy a similar space, rivalries emerge? Whether you're talking about Mac vs ...
Some thoughts on the series “Lost,” how to brighten a Japanese salaryman’s day, and how learning Japanese can get you fewer dates
I've caught the "Lost" bug, and am enjoying watching the series on DVD here in San Diego. One interesting aspect ...
You’ve been in Japan too long when you ‘teach’ someone your phone number, all about the history of Panasonic, and fun with English phrases in Japan
"You've been in Japan too long when you 'teach' someone your phone number." Of course, we all use different words ...
The mechanisms of Japan’s group structures, big differences in education between Japan and the U.S., and some useful Japanese words
The Japanese, as I've written many times, are quite group oriented, and it's interesting to observe some of the actual ...
Frustration at teaching English in Japan, “sorry” to see Prime Minister Abe go, how to pronounce Japanese, and “see you later, bald person”
My wife has decided to volunteer at my daughter's elementary school as an assistant in the English classes they have ...
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 ...
Observations on the Japanese and music culture, things you learn as an ESL teacher, and comparing San Diego to Japan
One observation I've made about Japan in the 15+ years I've spent there is, they pay a little more attention ...
Thinking about “conformity” some more, making English easier for students to learn, and the Brazil you can visit from Tokyo for 1000 yen
I've written about conformity in one form or another a lot recently. The word isn't one that Americans probably have ...
Japan, education and conformity, thoughts on memorizing various stuff, and the enigma of barley tea in the summer
Japan is a country that's very focused on education, and I've always observed that parents seem to put more energy ...
Shared experiences through anime and manga, on raising kids who are “half,” and understanding an aspect of Japan through Newsweek
Anime and comic books -- which are collectively referred with the term "manga" in Japanese -- are an inseparable part ...
Funny things you may see in Japan, strategies for taking tests, and an important difference between Japanese and American schools
Hello again from Japan where getting your hair colored is known as a "hair manicure."For some reason, one of the ...
The Japanese fear of making mistakes, the end of the Japanese blood type myth, and panty shots in anime you didn’t expect to see
Although the Japanese generally study six years of English (or up to ten if they take it in college), they're ...
An expected bit of Irish in Japan, thoughts on Japan’s slow-changing educational system, and all about the concept of “kakko ii”
Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day, a celebration of all things Irish in the U.S. and, presumeably, Ireland. As you might ...
