Tag: gaijin

A lot of foreigners want to come work in Japan, but aren't so keen on working in the field usually ...

I often write about how Japan is a homogeneous place in which 98.5% of the people consider themselves to be ...

I like to think I've made the most of my time in Japan, having a wide range of experiences in ...

One thing about Japanese women which amuses my wife no end is their pre-conceived notions about what it's like when ...

One theme I write about often is the Japanese idea of 常識 joshiki, translatable as the knowledge that every (Japanese) ...

When I came to Japan my head was filled with silly stereotypes of delicate wooden houses with paper walls. The ...

When foreigners come to Japan they're immediately enthralled with the beautiful temples and shrines they encounter here. Japan has two ...

One concept that's very important in Japan is 信頼 shinrai (SHEEN-rye), meaning "trust." There are many situations when you see ...

Japan was a very different place when I came here back in 1991. Back then, foreigners were happy if we ...

One convenient thing about the Japanese language is the high number of foreign loan words that are in use, which ...

Before the Internet, Japan was a truly mysterious place, and it was difficult to access information about the country from ...

Japan is probably the only country where eating too quietly will get comments from people around you. The correct way ...

Yesterday several J-List staff members and I went to Tokyo Big Sight to check out the International Gift Show, a ...

It's quite well known that, despite six or more years of studying English, Japanese people aren't always great at communicating ...

When foreigners come to Japan, one of the first cultural differences they run into is the custom of taking shoes ...

While it's generally fun to be a foreigner living in Japan -- the people are nice, the sushi is cheap ...

Part of Peter's Unified Theory of Japan is that the Japanese greatly desire to be seen in a favorable light ...

When you live in Japan, you naturally develop a new set of skills in order to survive. Very few streets ...

Forming stereotypes about others is part of being human, and sometimes it's a fun subject to explore. Since Westerners make ...

Japan has been called "the only country that cares what its foreigners think," and judging from the large number of ...

No matter how careful we might be, cultural misunderstandings are going to happen, like a Japanese homestay student I knew ...

Hello again from J-List! It's time for another slice of life from the land of strawberry and whipped cream sandwiches. ...

Last time I talked about some of the challenges Japan is facing as its population falls due to a combination ...

As an American living in Japan, I go about my day in a normal way, hitting the gym, filling my ...