While I understand that over a thousand people have claimed to be ill due to food poisoning from gyoza (Chinese dumplings), I still think that a lot of them are attributing whatever ailments they have to the food scare because the news has frightened them into believing that it must be the cause.
The fact is, [...]
I’m a regular visitor to the virtual world of Second Life, and one of my favorite ways to spend time there is by visiting some Japanese sightseeing spots. I have shown you Tokyo Tower, and the castles in Osaka, Kumamoto and Himeji before, but here they are again along with some of my other favorites.
Note: [...]
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Among many things, Deas Richardson is an English teacher on the JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) programme. That alone makes his blog essential reading for any prospective Japan-bound JET participant, and there’s plenty more to satisfy anyone with a keen interest in Japan.
The man behind the blog
Describing Deas is best left to his students [...]
Before I talk about Japan It Up, a new blog that has already made its mark in the Japan bloggers’ community, I have to get something off my chest…
How anonymous should an anonymous blog be?
Recently, I’ve come across a number of bloggers who choose to use codenames to hide their identity. Two that come [...]
For a while there, I distanced myself from discussing September 11th, 2001. If there was ever a controversial topic, it would be that of 9/11, a subject which touches a raw nerve with many Americans, provoking angry reactions that put me off pursuing the topic.
Japan presented with “9/11 Mysteries” footage
I previously told you that the [...]
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Shane was one of the first people to register at JapanSoc, and has been active in the community ever since. Some of the many articles she’s submitted come from her own blog, A Typical Life. This is a site she started in November of last year, but Shane has been working hard to fill it [...]
A co-worker of mine has that book, You Know You’ve Been in Japan Too Long…, and from it I learned the true meaning of the name, Pikachu.
What does Pikachu mean?
Apparently it comes from the Japanese, pikapika, which means to glitter or sparkle, and chuchu, which is the sound a mouse supposedly makes in Japan. Put [...]
One of the first blogs I ever subscribed to was LifeHacker, a blog jammed with tips and tricks to increase productivity. When it comes to living in Japan, the equivalent blog would be NihonHacks, a collection of time and money-saving tips for foreign students, visitors or “lifers”.
Top Tips and Tricks from NihonHacks
NihonHacks is the work [...]
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Foreign perception of Japan is often tarnished by sweeping generalizations made by people who lack the language skills and tools necessary to understand the real thoughts and actions of Japan’s general public.
What Japan Thinks
Introducing Ken Y-N, a legend among Japan bloggers and the face behind What Japan Thinks, a blog full of English translations [...]
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On January 1st 2008, Yahoo! Japan officially unveiled their redesigned web portal. Despite Yahoo’s popularity among the Japanese (over 60% share of the search engine market), we’ve had to wait this long for them to come up with a flashy web 2.0 style homepage.
Pushing slow adopters to increase their screen resolution
With so many people [...]
Continue reading about Yahoo Comparison Exposes Quirky Japanese Culture
There was a ridiculously long documentary on Japanese TV tonight about Al Gore’s new cause, global warming. I sat through the first three hours; watched ants eating houses, deer ravaging Hokkaido, watermelons growing in November, hybrid iguanas and evil konbini bentos (those CO2 polluting lunch boxes sold at convenience stores).
While I much preferred Al’s DVD, [...]
Happy New Year everybody! And what a great start… I won the Nenmatsu Jumbo lottery! Actually, that’s a bald-faced lie, but I did win $25 from Jason in his post, Time to Give Away Some Cash. Whoo-hoo!
10 Predictions for 2008 in Japan
Back in December, after watching how easily Brazilian 窶弃sychic窶 Jucelino Nobrega da [...]
Japanese New Year is the season of Omikuji - random fortunes written on strips of paper thatﾂtell youﾂwhether the new year will be a good one or not. Many Japanese people are superstitious and believe in fortune tellers such as Kazuko Hosoki,ﾂand lucky charms called Omamori.
Protect yourself with elephant poo
For many years, my favorite Japanese [...]
We hopped in Mami’s little pink car and took a drive out to Gujo city with our friend, Mr. H, for some traditional new year mochi making. Mochiﾂcan be described asﾂ”steamed rice pounded into a glutinous cake and used as a staple ingredient in a variety of dishes, including desserts”. This seasonal activity is a [...]
After reading Thomas’ post about finding Christmas Trees in Japan on NihonHacks.com, I decided to get one for myself. Unlike Thomas, who treated himself to a real “Golden Crest” tree from a home center, I wanted a fake Christmas tree that I could use every year.
Get your Christmas tree now for half-price!
Christmas [...]
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Japan is facing a crisis. The population is aging andﾂby 2050, one in three people will be past retirement age. Meanwhile, the birth rate is currently at 1.25 babies per woman, much lower than the 2.1 needed to keep the population stable.
The result is a workforce too small to support the huge number of retirees. [...]
Continue reading about Japan’s Aging Population Problem - Alternative Solution
I love cheese, so it came as quite a shock to hear that from March next year the price of cheese in Japan will rise by up to 25%. As if cheese here wasn’t expensive enough, it’sﾂlikely to become a delicacy afforded only by the wealthy.
What happened to the cows?
Good question. You might wonder what [...]
It wasn’t so long ago I looked at the possibilities for teaching English online, but never considered using my webcam and mic to learn Japanese online. Actually, I’ve always thought study materials for learning Japanese wereﾂfar behind those for learning English. I remember being frustrated at how most English textbooks came with CDs, whereas books [...]
Like everyone else in Japan, I was completely oblivious to the war mongering coming from Australia. Yes, it seems thatﾂ the new Labor Government have beenﾂurged to send warships,ﾂbut thankfullyﾂ”Australia won’t go to war with Japan” [link removed, Google it].
War? There’s been no talk of war!
Australia’s Ambassador to Japan, Murray McLean,ﾂsaid starting a war with [...]
Anger among Japan’s foreign communityﾂat the new immigraion laws continues to grow.ﾂNearly all foreigners, including permanent residents,ﾂare now beingﾂfingerprinted every time theyﾂenterﾂJapan, and can be denied entry forﾂany reason the Ministry of Justice pleases.
Isn’t theﾂpoint of fingerprinting to stop terrorists entering Japan?
That’s what I first thought. Iﾂeven wrote a comparison betweenﾂfingerprinting in Japan and the [...]
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