Foreign accents and how they work in Japan, daylight savings time in Japan, and the joy of root beer
A recent commercial featured a voice saying, nihon-jin wa urusai! which means that Japanese are loud and obnoxious and fussy. ...
Tag: gaijin
Commomorating Karaoke Culture Day, a cruel joke on the population front, and all about mixed bathing in Japan
Japan is a big fan of naming special days to create awareness about things we take for granted, like Sweet ...
More on the concept of “senpai” including “gaijin seniority,” and the cutting edge of the female pachinko market
I talked last time about the invisible lines drawn between the three social groups in a Japanese school or organization, ...
Reasons why we hate living next to North Korea, all about the word ‘kawaii’ and a complex social concept
Japan is buzzing about North Korea's reported underground nuclear test, which took place a few hours ago. The news comes ...
Lessons we could learn from Japan about “safety driving,” pointing with the middle finger, and trivia on Japanese toilets
I've often thought that there are some really good ideas in Japan that the rest of the world could learn ...
Peter tastes local politics, the Joba horse-riding machine, and more info on blood types
Today I took a couple of hours off work to participate in local politics, heading down to sit in on ...
Politicial life after Koizumi, being at peace with taking your shoes off, and why Taro can’t code
The post-Koizumi era will soon be on us, now that Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe has officially been elected leader ...
More ways we foreigners can save Japan, all about “Nihonjinron” and superstitions about death
Last time I put forth the idea that perhaps one solution to Japan's birth rate woes might lie in international ...
Seeing Japan through iced coffee goggles, relieving stress through coloring books, and how we gaijin can save Japan from its falling birthrate!
Whenever my wife and I try a new restaurant we order aisu kohi, which we use to judge the dedication ...
A happy day in Japan, forgetting which kind of English you speak, and feeling “natsukashii” with my old Japanese textbook
It's a boy! All Japan is currently cheering the news that Princess Kiko has given birth to a boy. The ...
Stereotypes of foreigners by Japanese including Girls from Ipanema, Japan’s “other” staple food, and more
Living outside my home country as I do, the subject of stereotypes has always interested me. Everyone has certain preconceived ...
New “keitai” phones for my family, all about Japanese names, and the Pluto – Gamilon connection
Saturday was "new keitai day" for our family, and we all went down to the local "au" store to get ...
Understanding how perceptions of foreigners affects us, learning culture through anime, and time to study some Japanese!
All countries are affected to a certain extent by the views of foreigners. I've read that the Chinese never really ...
Things Japanese don’t expect gaijin to be able to do, learning proverbs in Japanese, and reflections on my childhood
There are several methods of learning a foreign language, including grammar-translation (learning grammar and example sentences), Total Physical Response ("Simon ...
The end of Comicon again, thoughts on math and the abacus, and strategies for communication
It's that time of year again: the crowds have gone home, the D.C. Comics banners have been pulled down, and ...
Fun in my Miata, all about Sake and what to avoid, and the sound of silence in Japanese
We're quite a Mazda family around here, with a Miata in San Diego, a Miata (or "Roadster," which Japanese think ...
What you can learn about public baths from Street Fighter II, Japan and Yellow Cabs, and the end of 0%
There are many things to like about Japan: beautiful temples, delicious food, cherry blossoms, and Hello Kitty bento boxes. But ...
The end of Anime Expo 2006, North Korea and their damn missles, and views on my ESL teaching days
Once again, Anime Expo has come to a close, and we're all going home, tired but feeling very energized. The ...
Notes from Anime Expo, culture shock and toilets, all about MOS Burger, and fun in Graceland
Hello again from an extremely enjoyable Anime Expo, which is still going on here in "Animeheim, CA." We're having lots ...
Japan’s relationship to China and “Kampo” medicine, skills a foreigner in Japan needs, and all about tipping
Roughly speaking, Japan's historical relationship to China is similar to that of the West and ancient Rome and Greece: the ...
Benefits from Japan’s homogeneous culture, drawbacks to living in Japan, and the Japanese futon defined
Japan is, by and large, quite a homogeneous place. I've travelled from Sapporo to Hiroshima and have seen much of ...
Peter’s recommendations for karaoke, how kanji works, and where Japanese company names come from
I'm a fan of karaoke, and if there's a microphone nearby, you can bet I'll be willing to pick it ...
Back in Japan with culture shock, all about Japanese dialects, perceptions between countries and A-Kon wrap up
Well, I'm back in Japan now, the land of sushi and small cars and very cute things. No matter how ...
Japan’s education and going to school on Saturdays, the Protestant Work Ethic in Japan, and all about Japanese dentists
I've always been impressed with Japan's dedication to education, the great amount of national resources that are put into teaching ...
