Nostalgia and the Showa Era, a serious definition of “coincidence” and World Cup bad news
Like most people, the Japanese have a tendency to look back with fondness on bygone eras, which they often sum ...
Tag: manga
Japan’s relationship to China and “Kampo” medicine, skills a foreigner in Japan needs, and all about tipping
Roughly speaking, Japan's historical relationship to China is similar to that of the West and ancient Rome and Greece: the ...
Japan’s education and going to school on Saturdays, the Protestant Work Ethic in Japan, and all about Japanese dentists
I've always been impressed with Japan's dedication to education, the great amount of national resources that are put into teaching ...
Ways to save the Japanese from extinction, the darling of figure skating, and cell phones for kids?
With Japan's population having already peaked, the country is undergoing a national debate about how to raise its brith rate. ...
Experiments with Japanese literature, my impressions on positives and negatives education in Japan, and squid ink pizza
Coming to Japan brought many surprises for me, and not just the usual things like beer vending machines and ikasumi ...
Golden Week in Japan, “indoctronating” my bilingual kids, and all about the otaku
We're right in the middle of Golden Week, a cluster of Japanese holidays that usually fall near each other. One ...
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 ...
The mathematical aspects of Japanese grammar, Japan and its environment, and ways to fluster a Japanese person
A show I like a lot is NHK's Eigo de Shaberanaito ("I must say it in English"), which helps motivate ...
This year’s Meat Day celebration in Japan, my lust for American cell phones, and the meaning of “recycle” in Japan
The Japanese often play with numbers in interesting ways, converting the numerals into sounds to make messages. Through a phonetic ...
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. ...
The music scene in Japan, ways to stay cheaply in Japan, and all about Valentine’s Day
The music scene in Japan is rich and varied, with its own unique ebbs and flows of visual rock, hip ...
Japanese aesthetics not found in Vegas, how computers display Japanese, and bilingualism
We're on our way back from Las Vegas, tired but sated from our time here. The AVN show was good ...
On the Japanese concept of “normal,” ideas that Japanese can’t come up with, and how to be rude to the Emperor
Hello again from J-List. We're still enjoying our vacation in the U.S., this time in beautiful San Luis Obispo, where ...
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 ...
A new way of thinking about Japanese animation, and this year’s Japanese slang words
Japanese animation has been a huge influence on the West over the years, and there are many ways that American ...
Japanese people I have known, what makes girls act so cute, and a fun day for parents
During my time studying Japanese and teaching in Japan, I've met many different types of Japanese people: hardworking salarymen and ...
Unique businesses that exist in Japan, Rubik’s Cube, and more Funny English Words
Japan is a unique place, and the economic forces that cause this kind of business or that to spring up ...
On stereotypes, how and why words jump from one language to another, and trying to recall the term “gynecologist”
Stereotypes are really not good, since they cause us to make assumptions about people from other countries before we've gotten ...
The Japanese and movies, learning Japanese through songs, and the famous food of Kyoto
The Japanese love movies, and watch a lot of them. Happily for gaijin like myself, they usually prefer watching U.S. ...
All about coffee in Japan, where cheap “low mileage” engines come from, and the psyches of students of Japanese
Have you ever strolled into a coffee shop an ordered an "American"? Although green tea seems as popular a drink ...
Japan’s latest boom: Akiba-kei, Otaku Culture and “Densha Otoko”
Japan is the land of the "boom" and every year something new seems to come out of left field and ...
