The Reason Japanese Are the Way They Are: Junior High School
The question of "What makes the Japanese the way they are?" is an interesting one, and I'm certainly not the ...
Tag: toilets in Japan
On the Japanese Custom of Taking Responsibility
One concept you encounter quite a lot in Japan is sekinin (seh-kee-neen), meaning responsibility or duty. While the James Clavell ...
Back in Japan and getting ready for New Year’s, my respect for hard work, and a great way to get money in 2008!
Hello again from J-List. Once again we've made the hop from San Diego to Japan, traveling the 5443 miles (8759 ...
Thoughts on Japan and group culture in anime, hard and difficult areas of Japanese, English etc., and various mysteries of life in Japan
Japan is famous for its cooperative group culture, and you can see this in many places, from clubs in schools ...
Learning about Japan through late-night TV, update on international marriage in Japan, and learning Chinese “for free”
I watch more than a little late-night Japanese TV, and I enjoy its light- hearted goofiness. The other night I ...
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 ...
A trip to a Japanese doctor’s office, insights into Japanese home remodeling, and differences between Gaijin and Japanese
I was feeling a little under the weather the other day so I went for a visit to our local ...
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 ...
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 ...
The most-quoted phrase by pop Japanologists, the reason for Japanese innovation, and stupid Japanese money tricks
No consideration of Japan is complete without the often-quoted-by-gaijin- who-are-experts-on-Japan phrase deru kui wa utareru (DE-ru KOO-ee wa oo-TAH-reh-ru), which ...
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 ...
Learning your own language by teaching ESL, funny English used in Japan, and all about chopsticks
One of the cool things about teaching ESL in Japan was learning my own language and its grammar. Language is ...
Lessons we could learn from Japan about “safety driving,” pointing with the middle finger, and trivia on Japanese toilets
I've often thought that there are some really good ideas in Japan that the rest of the world could learn ...
Notes from Anime Expo, culture shock and toilets, all about MOS Burger, and fun in Graceland
Hello again from an extremely enjoyable Anime Expo, which is still going on here in "Animeheim, CA." We're having lots ...
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 ...
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 ...
A new electronics law in Japan, fun with hi-tech toilets, and some words to live by
Japan is declaring war on used electronics with the upcoming "PSE law" that will take effect next month. Basically, it's ...
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 ...
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 challenge of the Japanese toilet, how place names work in Japan, and words for “I”
There are many challenges for foreigners who come to Japan: learning the unwritten social rules (which probably don't apply to ...
Beautiful girls wearing Swatches, uses of the word “wa” and the concept of style in Japan
Sometimes you don't know what Japan will throw at you next. Once I was shopping in Tokyo, checking out the ...
$70 for a Captain Santa T-shirt, and parent’s day at my son’s new English school
You've been in Japan too long when you pay over $70 for a Captain Santa T-shirt and realize a few ...
Everything you wanted to know about shoes and the Japanese
Hello all. Apologies on posting this late -- I plum forgot to post the blog on Friday when I finished ...
