Tag: Japan

As with any language, Japanese has certain weirdness built into it. There are, of course, words for occupations which have ...

Last time I wrote about the concept of "bottle keep," which is when you pre-purchase a bottle of liquor for ...

One concept in Japan I like a lot is shinrai (SHEEN-rye), which just means "trust," although as is usually the ...

I write a lot about wacky Japanese television because, well, it's so wacky. While I do my best to correct ...

One of the defining features of the Japanese people is humility, known as kenson (ken-sohn). This manifests itself in interesting ...

The other day I called the hotel I usually stay at whenever I go to Tokyo -- Hotel Mets Shibuya, ...

Things I like about winter in Japan: wearing my hanten kimono coat while enjoying a dinner of nabe with the ...

Late night TV in Japan is always fun. One show I like to catch sometimes is called Arita and MMatsuko ...

There's something about living in Japan that makes you appreciate things from another age, which are old and out-of-date by ...

Happy New Year to everyone, and best wishes for a safe and peaceful 2011 from your friends in Japan at ...

It's funny how words change as they move from one language to another. The word "sabotage" supposedly came from the ...

It's funny the way the names of food influences our perception of them. I am big fan of tofu, and ...

Names in Japanese are quite different from what we're used to in the West. Right off the bat, the family ...

I saw that NBC and SyFy has cancelled Stargate: Universe series after two seasons. Since I'm currently (and belatedly) watching ...

We've entered that hectic period near the end of the year the Japanese call "Shiwasu," and it seems no one ...

Although Christmas is a relatively recent import into Japan, the giving and receiving of gifts has always been a big ...

There's more to communication than just words, especially in a country like Japan. Often a negative opinion is expressed indirectly, ...

Well, December is here, and everyone is very busy. The old Japanese name for December is Shiwasu, which today is ...

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

There are some interesting things to be found on Japanese TV, like a show in which a comedian goes into ...

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

Things I love about Japan: buying a hot can of coffee or corn pottage and drinking it on the train ...

In accordance with the Treaty of San Francisco, I'm required to blog about certain core Japan-related concepts every year or ...

One thing you have to understand about the Japanese is, they like lists, such as the Three Beautiful Sights of ...