New “keitai” phones for my family, all about Japanese names, and the Pluto – Gamilon connection
Saturday was "new keitai day" for our family, and we all went down to the local "au" store to get ...
Tag: Japanese language
Understanding how perceptions of foreigners affects us, learning culture through anime, and time to study some Japanese!
All countries are affected to a certain extent by the views of foreigners. I've read that the Chinese never really ...
The custom of gift-giving in Japan, the problem of Japanese forgetting kanji, and my kids’ approach to bilingualism
One complex subject in Japan is that of gift giving. The Japanese are very much into exchanging gifts, and the ...
Culture shock related to cars, subtleties of language, and all about Japanese pocket tissue
When I first got to Japan, I had plenty of culture shock related to auto- mobiles. Cars are very important ...
The end of Comicon again, thoughts on math and the abacus, and strategies for communication
It's that time of year again: the crowds have gone home, the D.C. Comics banners have been pulled down, and ...
My Narita Reconsideration, a very useful Japanese mantra, and an important virtue for Japanese to have
Like Tokyo Disneyland, the New Tokyo International Airport is not located in Tokyo, being situated in Narita City, Chiba Prefecture, ...
The value of spending a year abroad, various definitions of “bilingual,” and observations on Japanese females
If you ever find yourself in the position of giving guidance to a young person, try to turn them onto ...
Fun with my talking car, the act of reading Japanese, and new business ideas in Japan
First of all, we had a problem with our mail server, which caused Monday's emails to show up a day ...
Peter’s recommendations for karaoke, how kanji works, and where Japanese company names come from
I'm a fan of karaoke, and if there's a microphone nearby, you can bet I'll be willing to pick it ...
Japan and “acting your age,” all about Japanese seaweed, and the official dictionary of Japan
I've written before about how the "eyes of others" (hito no me) can be a strong force in keeping Japanese ...
Traffic safety week, things you have to get used to in Japan, and all about the Yakuza
Japan has one of the lowest birthrates of any modern nation, with just 1.38 children born per couple, which will ...
Language reflects on culture, fun with kanji and English words, and the mysteries of April 1 in Japan
I've always thought that language both reflects culture and influences it, and part of the reason the French are so ...
The new Tokyo Tower, an experiment in conformity, and classics of Japanese literature
There's a perception that the Japanese are more conformist than people in Europe or the States. Leaving aside the question ...
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 ...
Bilingualism and “English wars” between my kids, the American-or-British question, and 4-kanji phrases
I've always been fascinated with the subject of bilingualism, of how the brain adapts to thinking in two languages, and ...
Being a Champion of Justice, thoughts on “Image English” in advertising, and the perfect gifts for White Day
I remain convinced that the foreigners who live in Japan furnish an important service to the country, by providing a ...
Valentine’s Day and Chocolate in Japan, learning about Japan through “fighting five team” shows, and Japanese linguistic poverty
Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and all throughout Japan men are looking forward to receiving the gift of chocolate from females ...
An easy Japanese pronunciation guide, fun with the word “origami” and glottal stops and you
I clearly remember an episode back in the third grade. I had checked a book called Flying Origami by Eiji ...
Japan and its paper doors, young people who imitate James Dean, and bilingualism tricks with kids
Japan's come a long way from the classic image of "paper houses," but paper is still commonly used in modern ...
Japanese Buddhist attitudes about land, and ruminations on when I first arrived in Japan
One big difference between Japan and America is the attitude people have towards land and personal mobility. In the U.S. ...
Cold and snow in Japan, the Japanese vs Albert Einstein, and Japanese studying “best practices”
Hello from freezing, windy Japan! The country has been hit by a cold front of Siberian winds that have chilled ...
All about the busy month of December, Japanese dialectology, and the new color of money
We've entered that hectic time near the end of the year that the Japanese call shiwasu, which was originally the ...
The joy of eating Cheetos, new crimes on the rise in Japan, and some really “radical” kanji for you
One of the benefits to living the expat life is coming to value the things from home you used to ...
My son goes to a “juku,” funny English the Japanese create, and various Halloween related stuff
My son has joined the millions of Japanese kids who attend a juku, the famous cram schools where students go ...
