All About “Mascot Characters” in Japan, and Nara’s Ugly Buddha
One thing about the Japanese: they love kawaii, or cute, and this often takes the form of "mascot characters" who ...
Tag: memes
Goodbye to New York, examining Japan’s Buddhism and Shinto religions, Buddhist Altars, and fun linguistic coincidences
Well, our fun time in New York is at an end, and now it's time to head back to San ...
My hop to New York, narrowly dodging staying in the city’s worst hotel, and comparing it to the Star Wars Cantina
I've made the long hop from Japan to New York, and I'm now enjoying the 19 degree (with wind chill) ...
Finding the geographic center of American English, adventures in New Zealand with plenty of sheep, and getting complimented on chopstick use
One question I've been asked by my ESL students in Japan is, just where is "standard" American English located geographically? ...
On the evolution of language into new forms, thoughts on internationally famous Japanese, and my connection with New Zealand
Every language is constantly evolving, and while the English major in me isn't always happy about the LOLification of my ...
More about “standing out in a crowd,” what Steven Spielberg has to do with learning Japanese, and ways that Japanese people save space
I talked last time about how the dynamic of "standing out in a crowd" can work a little differently when ...
Learning about Japan through traditional calligraphy, interesting trends on Japanese television, and all about the word “Domo”
One way to learn about Japan is through its traditional calligraphy, which uses a writing brush called a fude (FOO-day) ...
Interesting foods Japanese eat in the summer, a Japanese gadget that washes your butt for you, and why Japan might need more lawyers
Japan is a country that's definitely in touch with its seasons, and they celebrate each time of year with many ...
150,000 fans later, learning about Japan through the kanji for “child,” and comparing movies between Japan and the U.S.
Well, one weekend and a staggering 150,000 people later, the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con is past. It was a wild ...
Understanding Japan’s people through “Karaoke manners,” comparing cultures and “chicken scratches,” and an update at our Comicon booth
Karaoke (pronounced kah-rah-OH-kay) is the famous Japanese tradition of getting up and singing in front of others. The word literally ...
On reverse culture shock, phases kids go through in Japan, and all about Japanese TV
It's always fun being back in the U.S., because I get to experience that rarest of sensations, reverse culture shock, ...
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 ...
Funny things you may see in Japan, strategies for taking tests, and an important difference between Japanese and American schools
Hello again from Japan where getting your hair colored is known as a "hair manicure."For some reason, one of the ...
The needless tragedy of ‘ijime,’ what’s easy and hard about learning Japanese, and the Japanese as the most expressive people on the planet
The other day I went to my son's school to watch the various end-of-year performances the students had prepared for ...
All about trains and fuzzy blue rabbits from London, linguistic quirks of the Japanese language, and finding someone’s “secret talent”
One thing I like about living in Japan is the rail culture here, so very different from the freeway- and ...
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 ...
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 ...
Extremely warm Christmas greetings from Guam, comparisons of Christmas, and using a “contrite attitude” to get government documents
The warmest Christmas Greetings from J-List! We hope that everyone is having an great holiday wherever you are, surrounded by ...
Thoughts on raising bilingual kids, comparing of names between Japan and the West, and what Carl Sagan has taught me
It's hard raising bilingual children in a country where English isn't used on a daily basis, except on signs that ...
Thoughts on my father and Buddhism, the Mac-PC connection with being bilingual, and our cute American, Japanese daughter
Sunday was my father's meinichi, the anniversary of the day he died nine years ago (although Japanese are always puzzled ...
Thoughts on ordering “peanuts butter,” a tasty Japanese treat in the winter, and a friend who can’t receive New Year’s Cards
You know you've been in Japan too long when your mother sends you a bottle of nutmeg spice for Christmas, ...
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 ...
Things that can always freak a gaijin out, the Japanese penchant for talking over songs on the radio and what is a “real house”?
No matter how long a person lives in Japan, there are always things that can bring on what expats here ...
