Tag: history

Outside my office at J-List, a fire truck has just driven by, just like it does every evening this time ...

The 49th "Taiga Drama" -- the big budget jidai geki period drama put on by Japan's public broadcasting network NHK ...

Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of the suicide death of one of the most enigmatic Japanese men in recent history, ...

I was recently asked by one of my Twitter users if, after living in Japan for nearly two decades, I ...

Although I enjoy all manner of Japanese foods from sushi to sashimi to oyako-don (literally, "parent-and-child rice bowl" consisting of ...

Every gaijin living in Japan has a personal relationship with Kyoto, the beautiful city that served as Japan's capital for ...

I recently noticed a flyer for an interesting literary club in my neighborhood called the Tale of Genji Research Circle. ...

A few days ago my Japanese wife's uncle finally succumbed to his illness and passed away at the age of ...

Over the weekend I had the sad job of paying a final visit to my wife's uncle Kumakichi, who's in ...

As with Europe, Japan has had a long history which has left its mark on cities today. Most of Japan's ...

If you're in the New York area, you might consider checking out the exhibition Samurai in New York: The First ...

I remember when I first learned the Japanese word for "name" -- which is namae, pronounced nah-mah-eh -- I noticed ...

Sumo wrestling is the official sport of Japan, enjoying special status and support by the Japanese government. It's more than ...

Just as Americans are accustomed to thinking of our country as a union of semi-soverign states, each with its own ...

One of the better aspects about living in Japan, from the point of view as a Yankee expat, is the ...

As expected, the next Prime Minister of Japan has been chosen, and it's former Finance Minister Naoto Kan (warning, link ...

The Japanese are good at coming up with innovative ways of committing information to memory. Like the man who memorized ...

Perhaps my favorite aspect of anime and manga is the way they allow fans to access various emotions, from boy-meets-moe ...

The other day my wife had a surprise for us: Mexican tacos, which were certainly more welcome than the local ...

My son is in juken jigoku or "test hell" this year, as he prepares for his high school entrance exam ...

It's funny the way culture reflects language and vice-versa. One phrase you'll hear sometimes in Japanese is tenka no~, which ...

Once while my family was watching My Neighbor Totoro, the awesome animated film about a magical forest spirit that only ...

Manga are the famous comics that have come to define Japan around the world, although Japanese above a certain age ...

I often write about the latest wacky social trends to take root in Japan, since I know I'll never run ...