Japanese People and their Dreams of the Future

The average Japanese salaryman does work and almost nothing else. And the average Japanese government worker does almost nothing. This is a very common notion that most Japanese people have. The average working man in Japan begins working straight after graduation, and serves the same company for about 40 years, slowly working his way [...]

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Plum Blossom Viewing

Finally! Spring is here! Time to roll out the Hanami mats and sit under the beautiful blossoms…

In the Nara Period (710 - 794), Japanese people viewed Ume (梅, Japanese Plum) Blossoms, as they were the first blossoms that signaled the coming of Spring. Around the Heian Period, however, Sakura viewing parties became more popular among [...]

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一人暮らし一人旅 - Living Alone, Traveling Alone

I’ve lived alone in Japan for almost five years now. I shop by myself, I go to events by myself and I travel by myself. I have a lot of friends but a lot are like me, people who live alone and/or enjoy their own company. Oftentimes, I get together with a few of them, [...]

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Japanese Friends

I know a lot of foreigners who complain they lack Japanese friends. Japanese people seeking friendship with foreigners without the ulterior motive of free English classes are rare gems. It is rarer still to find Japanese friends who will accept you. I’m not sure that it really has something to do with us, though.

A few [...]

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White Weddings

This recent article on Japan Probe about Fake Wedding Ministers caught my eye. This is not a new thing in Japan but I have yet to witness one. I have read articles about it in the past. If I remember correctly, a piece was done on these White Weddings a few years back on Metropolis. [...]

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Insulting Politeness

This morning while I was running to catch the train, my cellphone fell out of my pocket and while trying to hold on to my bag to swipe down and pick up my phone, my new ballet flats went slippery on me and I fell on a knee while my other foot slid in the [...]

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Bike Laws and Courtesy

Friends in Japan tell me that it’s really rude to use my bicycle bell. I always ask them what else I’m supposed to do make people - especially groups of people - move to the side when I’m cycling… I mean, I could very slowly cycle around them but then I’d still be risking hitting [...]

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Japanese Television and Takeshi’s Castle

As a kid, I used to watch Takeshi’s Castle with my siblings… Almost everyone in school watched the show because it was really funny: most of the stunts involved men and/or women jumping on giant mushrooms that traveled over muddy pools, then trying to run up a slope-y hill while giant styrofoam balls roll down [...]

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St. Valentine’s Day

Another import from the West that evolved into a wacky holiday, at least for us foreigners. The Japanese Valentine’s Day is so different from the original holiday that it should probably be given another name. I mean, every year I have to go get my male bosses giri choco (義理チョコ, obligatory chocolate given as [...]

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Are you an Anime Otaku?

People at work seem to think I am an anime otaku. The thing is though I only really like two anime: Bleach and Rurouni Kenshin. And while I love the animation and the soundtracks of both series, the reason I watch them is because of their stories. Something in the stories really intrigues me and [...]

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