The Japanese fear of making mistakes, the end of the Japanese blood type myth, and panty shots in anime you didn’t expect to see
Although the Japanese generally study six years of English (or up to ten if they take it in college), they're ...
Tag: sports
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 ...
A magic Japanese phrase for you, home ownership Japan-style, and Japan as “producer heaven”
Last time I mentioned the magic words that may be responsible for much of the wa or harmony that Japan ...
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 ...
Japan as the land of safety, small conveniences of living in Japan, and the reason for that wacky “Engrish”
I've written before about how Japan is a very safe place -- so safe it might just kill you with ...
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 ...
Peter’s Unified Theory of Japan meets Great Britain, going to the beach in January, and understanding Japan through its bicycles
Part of Peter's Unified Theory of Japan is that the Land of the Rising Sun has a lot in common ...
The start of Japan’s important Holiday Season, a local battle over a Ferris Wheel, and understanding Japanese humility through baseball players
Now that Christmas is past, Japan is getting ready for its own big season, Oshogatsu or New Year's Day, by ...
Good things and bad about living in Japan, more ways Japanese look to the West, and social benefits of love hotels
There are a lot of good things about living in Japan. Good food, from sushi to sashimi to Indian curry. ...
American-style shopping in Japan, the shadow of MC Hammer in TV commercials, and what does baseball have to do with ham?
Last weekend my son and I decided to stop by Aeon, a sprawling American-style shopping mall that recently opened near ...
Language learning and the “Han Solo Factor,” example of silly English in product names, and more
As a student of a foreign language, I know that there's no "magic" way to learn, and even if you ...
Peter tastes local politics, the Joba horse-riding machine, and more info on blood types
Today I took a couple of hours off work to participate in local politics, heading down to sit in on ...
Thuoghts on “car culture” in Japan, the basics of how kanji work, and autumn = school sports day
Although Japan is a lot smaller than the U.S. -- it's about the same land area as Nebraska, but spread ...
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 subject of English lyrics in Japanese songs, the drama of “juken hell,” and useless trivia for you
First, the J-List site went down for a couple hours on Tuesday night, U.S. time, due to a server hiccup, ...
My wife’s new respect for Johnny Depp, 15 minutes of fame for Baby Gorilla and Pyupa, and High School Baseball in Japan
Something odd happened while I was in the States: my wife decided that Johnny Depp was the neatest thing since ...
Things Japanese don’t expect gaijin to be able to do, learning proverbs in Japanese, and reflections on my childhood
There are several methods of learning a foreign language, including grammar-translation (learning grammar and example sentences), Total Physical Response ("Simon ...
What you can learn about public baths from Street Fighter II, Japan and Yellow Cabs, and the end of 0%
There are many things to like about Japan: beautiful temples, delicious food, cherry blossoms, and Hello Kitty bento boxes. But ...
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 ...
A-Kon 17 wrap up, Peter’s musings on anime cons in general, and who to watch in the World Cup
Well, A-Kon 17 is over and done, and all the fans have gone home. Tomorrow the J-List San Diego staff, ...
The subject of patriotism in Japan, bilingualism and the mystery of translation, and J-Culture in H-Games
One debate going on in Japan right now is what role patriotism should play in society. Currently, Japanese are perhaps ...
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. ...
Japan’s train culture, all about rice and the Japanese, and the Japanese word “ne”
Japan is a very rail-centric place, and trains are a big part of life here. In big cities like Tokyo, ...
Being more health-conscious in aging Japan, Japan’s prefectural system, and what does “3LDK” mean
Japan as a nation is getting older, and is having to come to terms with this fact sooner than other ...
