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 ...
Tag: food
Japan’s Wonderful TV “Talents”
Spend a little time in front of a TV in Japan and you'll see more than a few interesting "talents" ...
The uncanny ability of the Japanese to deal with crowded spaces
It's natural for the Japanese to be more skilled at some things than folks in the U.S. or Europe. For ...
Eating “ekiben” (train station bento) on the Shinkansen
On Sunday I took my son into Tokyo to check out an exhibition on robots at the National Science Museum, ...
Thoughts on Christmas in Japan vs. America, my surprising first Christmas in Japan, and Japanese food for poor single men
Well, the stockings are hung by the chimney with care, and we're all getting ready for a wonderful Christmas around ...
The interesting status of voice actors in Japan, shortening foreign words in English and Japanese, and ways that the Japanese aren’t so polite
Anime has really gotten big in the U.S. in recent years, changing the face of popular culture as people are ...
Needing a sixth sense to communicate with people from other countries, this year’s kanji, and all about “smorking”
Talking with people from other cultures often requires a sense for words that's quite unrelated to speaking a foreign language. ...
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. ...
All about “joshiki” (Common Sense) and the Japanese, negative aspects of this, and some thoughts on turkey
Unlike the U.S. or most of Europe, Japan is a very homogenous country, where people tend to consider themselves part ...
The joy of “onigiri” rice balls, observations on cooperative elements of Japanese language, and man, that’s a really Nice Boat!
If you were to plan a picnic, you might pack a basket containing things like sandwiches, potato salad or maybe ...
All about Japanese swords, thoughts on the “horse with a heart mark” and government, and, can you ski?
Japanese swords are famous around the world, up there with ninjas and Hello Kitty as a symbol of the country. ...
Funny moments in Japan, Tokyo’s famous Asakusa district, and limitations of Japanese “humility”
(It looks like we were experiencing some problems with the site due to heavy server load, although it's fixed now. ...
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 ...
NOVA goes “nova,” the latest trends in women dressed up as men, and little “incompatibilities” between Japan and the U.S.
Well, what everyone feared has come to pass: the chain of English schools called NOVA has gone, well, nova, officially ...
Little differences between Japan and America like sandwiches, crime and honesty in Japan, and vending machine costumes?
Sometimes it's fun to notice the little differences between Japan and the U.S., like the way packaging of products is ...
Thoughts on how English loan words are used in Japanese, public affection in the English classroom, and the “V” sign
Sometimes it can seem that the Japanese use of creative English is totally random. I mean, how can you quantify ...
Having fun with perceptions, all about Japanese steak, and my trip to a Caribbean Beach
Perceptions are funny things, and it's surprising how easily they can be wrong. One day a student of mine asked ...
Questions about ice cream in Japan, on Japanese students who use their dictionaries too much, and funny corporate slogans in English
I was once asked if the Japanese eat any flavors of ice cream other than Green Tea. The answer, of ...
Linguistic foibles in Japanese, “made-in-Japan” English words for people who like mayonnaise, and questions about inflation
The other day my wife asked me what a "window-breaker" was. I assumed she was asking about a type of ...
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 possibility of Japan’s first “otaku” Prime Minister, various thoughts on bilingualism, and all about Japanese health drinks (and other potions)
The rush is on to choose a successor to Prime Minister Abe after his sudden resignation on Wednesday. I saw ...
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 ...
More about “standing out in a crowd,” what Steven Spielberg has to do with learning Japanese, and ways that Japanese people save space
I talked last time about how the dynamic of "standing out in a crowd" can work a little differently when ...
