All about Saiou and his horse, update on our summer school trip decision, and enjoying Japan’s seasons through bug noises
The Japanese have a saying that they got from the Chinese that I mention from time to time: ningen banji, ...
Tag: manga
More on the language of men and women, the Jerusalem of Otakuism, and all about sex and nudity in Japan (cool!)
There are subtle nuances in how we use language, and the speech we choose to use says something about all ...
The lack of patriotic songs in Japan, what happened in our prefecture during WWII, and a useful word for Atari fans
The Fourth of July celebration was a lot of fun, a rare treat for me since Anime Expo usually falls ...
Dire straights for the Nova Bunny, Japanese test culture and manga artists, and all about Japanese democracy
The teaching of eikaiwa, or English conversation, is quite an industry in Japan, and there are many schools where people ...
More fun at Star Wars Celebration IV, all about Japanese bathing, and some interesting ways you can study Japanese (or anything)
The Star Wars Celebration IV convention continues, and we're having lots of fun. Highlights have included Carrie Fisher coming by ...
What a difference an elongated vowel makes, Jamestown vs. Sekigahara, and other cultural observations from a cunning linguist
What a difference an elongated vowel can make. Japanese is quite different from English, having had a totally unique developmental ...
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 ...
Bizarre urban legends of Japan, funny English words the Japanese invent, and where are all the pregnant women?
Urban legends are funny things, sometimes leading millions of people to believe something that just isn't true. When Gerber started ...
Living in Japan and changes in your native language, of Golden Week and flying carp, and a “Gaijin Battle” on Japanese TV
Living in Japan means adapting to many things, not the least of which is modifying your native language. When I ...
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"), ...
Concepts like giri and ninjo, eating raw fish in Boston and Hokkaido, and fun with a Japanese ear pick
No study of pop Japanology can be complete without exploring the twin concepts of giri and ninjo (義理と人情）, which crop ...
Embarrassments of being a foreigner in Japan, Japan’s latest “rose boom” and words that feature a unique kanji
Hello again from Japan, where the zipper in your pants is known as the "window of society" (shakai no mado).As ...
Happy news at Torino, things foreigners find odd when they come to Japan, and all about Japanese heaters
The Torino Olympics have been going on for two weeks, and Japanese fans have been eagerly watching all the events ...
Japan’s latest shining baseball star, fun space-saving innovations, and Japan is wasted on the Japanese
Japan takes its baseball seriously, and right now the whole country is closely watching Daisuke Matsuzaka as he starts his ...
How to sub-divide Japanese groups into “zoku” (tribes), all about Japanese rice, and what’s that blue spot on Taro’s butt?
Words always reflect the people that use them, and vice-versa. In American English our notions about individualism and not going ...
The origins of Japan’s cult of “studying,” more warm weather for Tokyo, and the latest in Otaku Culture from Japan
Japan is a very seasonal place, with specific things done only during the appropriate times of year. August is when ...
Understanding Japanese society through business cards, some fun Japanese words that are pregnant with meaning, and all about Shinjuku
I was making up some Japanese business cards for one of my employees yesterday, trying different layouts and fonts to ...
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 ...
Understanding world culture through Japanese hip hop music, thinking about thinking in a foreign language, and out with devils!
It's funny how culture criss-crosses the globe, never stopping at such laughable things as national borders as it flows to ...
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 ...
Culture shock for foreigners coming to Japan, reflections on the Japanese word “nantonaku” and test culture as a Great Democritizer in Japan
When a foreigner comes to live in Japan, he or she is in for some changes. I remember my first ...
Going to ge a haircut and learning about Japanese culture instead, when Japanese people must become bold, and using songs to master Japanese
People talk about convergence all the time, of things coming together in a more convenient form. Living in Japan, one ...
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 ...
Coming of Age Day in Japan, on Japanese puns used in TV commercials, and right wing politics at work in Japan
Today is a holiday in Japan, Seijin-no-hi, or Coming of Age Day. Venture into any Japanese city right now and ...
