Our “Second Childhood” Through Anime
One thing I like about being involved with Japan and anime is the "second childhood" it allows us all to ...
Tag: Gundam
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 ...
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 ...
Thoughts on innovation and cameras in cell phones, the “next” Brad Pitt as an Otaku, and update on all those lovely fires…
Is teen heart-throb Zac Efron, the so-called "next Brad Pitt," an otaku? That's the question asked in a Japanese magazine ...
Learning about Japan through late-night TV, update on international marriage in Japan, and learning Chinese “for free”
I watch more than a little late-night Japanese TV, and I enjoy its light- hearted goofiness. The other night I ...
Japan dealing with counterfeit products from China, understand society and economics through Bull-Dog Sauce, and
Like other developed nations, many of the products the Japanese use every day are manufactured in China, and recently the ...
Weird new products in the U.S., getting Japanese onomatopoeia on the brain, and what to the Japanese think of us?
Whenever I come back to the U.S., I like to cruise the grocery stores to see what new products have ...
Gaijin battling to be the “King of Akihabara,” silly thoughts on Japanese company names, and life sometimes being fair in your favor
One Japanese TV show that never fails to please is TV Champion, which pits exceptional people against each other in ...
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 ...
Buddhist lucky and unlucky days in Japan, a funeral for a great anime character, and do you have a “good head”?
If you want to get married on the cheap in Japan, I suggest you do it on Butsumetsu ("Buddha's Death"), ...
Shinto funerals vs. Buddhist ones, what to wear to a funeral, and the three ages of anime
I attended a Japanese funeral over the weekend, after when the father of a friend passed away at the age ...
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 ...
Interesting careers open to gaijin in Japan, getting used to strange words, and do you know what year it is?
I get a lot of mail from people who'd like to live in Japan someday, and I do my best ...
What’s up with those big eyes and colored anime hair, and, understanding Japan’s great Meiji Restoration adventure
Many people first experience Japan through its animation, which has been a staple of entertainment here since Astro Boy was ...
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 ...
Understanding Japan through job resumes, reflections on the word “otaku” and Obi-Wan on our “point of view”
One way to compare Japan's more structured society with the U.S. and Europe is to look at the standardized Japanese ...
Funny English used in Japan, Japanese subject particles, and understanding culture through shoes
Perhaps more than any other people, the Japanese import words from other languages for their daily use, nearly always taking ...
Cultural reasons behind self-introductions in Japan, how to find good sushi, and Zeta Gundam III
A word you hear a lot in Japan is jiko shoukai (自己紹介) which just means "self introduction" but which has ...
Japanese people I have known, what makes girls act so cute, and a fun day for parents
During my time studying Japanese and teaching in Japan, I've met many different types of Japanese people: hardworking salarymen and ...
The Japanese and movies, learning Japanese through songs, and the famous food of Kyoto
The Japanese love movies, and watch a lot of them. Happily for gaijin like myself, they usually prefer watching U.S. ...
Superstitions and ghosts in Japan, and buzz about the new Zeta Gundam movie
Japan can be a superstitious place, with many beliefs that aren't always easy for Westerners to accept. In addition to ...
Weird Japanese food, and my collected wisdom from living in Japan
Japanese food is famous for containing things not usually eaten by Westerners, something which I was reminded of when my ...
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 ...
