The “Princess Di” of Japan, about Japan as a “vertical” society, and I can see the Sphinx from my house
There's a minor hullabaloo going on between Japan and Australia right now after the publication of a controversial book on ...
Tag: history
The history of Valentine’s Day in Japan, thoughts on why the Japanese are so harmonious, and a really cute picture of the Yamato
You probably know that they do Valentine's Day a little differently in Japan than in the West. Here, Feb. 14th ...
The reality of “learning Japanese,” Japan’s special relationship with garbage, and the history of the Japanese Postal Mark
One thing I've heard from foreigners who have recently come to Japan -- and which I've probably uttered myself a ...
Thoghts on learning Japanese back in 1987, the many nuances of Japanese name suffixes, and being romantic under an umbrella
I sometimes find myself thinking back to my college days when I first started learning Japanese, and it never fails ...
The art of faux pas in Japan, Internet-influenced advertising trends, and 100 “geniuses” the Japanese respect
I'll never forget the moment. In my first year of SDSU, my family got a Japanese homestay student who stayed ...
All about New Year’s Eve and Oshogasu in Japan, the big Kohaku TV event, and a New Year’s Card from us!
Hello again from J-List, where the country is preparing to say goodbye to the current year and ring in the ...
What the Japanese think of Americans, our trip to Guam, and ah, the smell of kerosene in the morning
As an expat American living away from my home country, it's sometimes interesting to ask the Japanese people around me ...
Good things and bad about living in Japan, more ways Japanese look to the West, and social benefits of love hotels
There are a lot of good things about living in Japan. Good food, from sushi to sashimi to Indian curry. ...
Confusingly noble business practices in Japan, ideas on gift-giving in Japanese society, and how cotton masks made $4 billion for AFLAC
Japan is always ready to surprise you in one way or another, and some of the business practices employed here ...
Education and high school dropouts in Japan, Japanese in touch with their history, and the biggest shock Japanese get when they go to the U.S.
I caught a post on Slashdot the other day about a surge in high school dropouts in the U.S., and ...
American uniqueness vs. Japanese uniformity, a new debate on “beautiful Japan” and the little joys of living in Japan
Just as Americans are accustomed to thinking of our country as a union of semi-soverign states, each with its own ...
What Japanese think of foreigners who learn their language, odd ways to get cell phone customers, and American politics seen through Japanese eyes
I'm often asked what the Japanese think of foreigners who go out of their way to learn the language. I ...
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 ...
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 ...
Japanese tricks to memorize anything, fun with “companions” in Tokyo, and thoughts on evangelical Buddhism
Hello again from Japan, where it's believed that only good things happen on Friday the 13th. There was a lot ...
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 ...
Typhoons and destruction in Japan, Respect for the Aged Day, and a death sentence for Japan’s scariest cult leader
Typhoon season has arrived in Japan, with Typhoon No. 13 (named "Shanshan" by the American weather service, although no one ...
A new social problem for Japanese, famous English phrases including “Boys, Be Ambitious,” and the Japanese obsession with design
Among the many problems modern Japan faces is katsuji-banare (ka-TSU-jee bah-NAH-ray), or a growing detachment from printed characters. Japan publishes ...
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 ...
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 ...
Japan’s most famous businessmen, when not to laugh at your students, and all about our prefecture
Japan's fascination with businessman Takafumi Horie (whose nickname is "Horiemon" because someone thought he looks like the character Doraemon) continues ...
My wife’s new respect for Johnny Depp, 15 minutes of fame for Baby Gorilla and Pyupa, and High School Baseball in Japan
Something odd happened while I was in the States: my wife decided that Johnny Depp was the neatest thing since ...
August and Yasukuni Shrine, a very Buddhist holiday, and small drinks and Japanese girls’ butts
Well, I've made my little hop across the Pacific, and am once again in hot, humid, kawaii Japan. When people ...
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 ...
