Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:21:32 +0000

Recently there was a show on TV here that showed a tribal family who live in the jungle of a small tropical island.  The tribal family were brought to Japan to stay in the home of a regular Japanese family and to experience life in Tokyo. Needless to say, the tribal family were overwhelmed with [...](image)

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 07:04:46 +0000

Yesterday, February 11th, was the anniversary of a few things…not all of them good. For one, February 11th is a holiday in Japan. 「建国記念日」 (“National Founding Day”). (Click here for my short FAQ about it.) It was kind of a waste that February 11 was on a Saturday this year because most people already had [...](image)

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:59:32 +0000

Starting yesterday (2012 February 2), Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants across Japan have begun selling their new 「チキンフィレダブル」 (“Chicken Fillet Double“). This unusual “sandwich” has no bread. In it’s place, there are two chicken fillets and between them is two pieces of bacon, two slices of cheese, and two dallops of mayonnaise. You can get the [...](image)

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:28:40 +0000

As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, including last year, Japan’s 年賀状 (New Year Postcards) that are mailed in Japan to friends and family every New Years season have a six-digit number in the lower right-hand corner on the back. And every January, the Japan Post Office draws random numbers for the New Years Postcard Lottery. [...](image)

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 12:13:12 +0000

In the news recently there have been stories about parents killing their own children, an American woman who let her ten-year old son get a tattoo, a nurse in Japan who enjoyed torturing her patients, a ship’s captain in Italy who abandoned the ship he crashed while his passengers were stranded on board to die, [...](image)

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 16:24:36 +0000

Do you like to watch magicians? I do. I like magic shows. There is a famous magician in Japan named 高山セロ (Cyril Takayama). He’s of French-Japanese descent but he was born and raised in America. セロ (Cyril), as he’s known in Japan, does amazing magic tricks at seemingly random locations around the streets of Tokyo. [...](image)

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:43:26 +0000

I grew up in the 1980s. By “grew up”, I mean from 1980 until 1989, I was between the ages of ten to 19. Do you remember the ’80s? What do you remember that decade for the most? Ronald Reagan was the U.S. President for just about the entire decade, it was also the decade [...](image)

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:55:04 +0000

Look at this video of A Vision of (American) Students Today: ______ And compare it to A Vision of Japanese University Students:(image)

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 06:16:52 +0000

Have you ever been in Japan in early January, just after New Years? Did you notice many stores selling bags (usually red and white) that are sealed shut so no one can see inside them? Do you know what those bags are? They’re called 「福袋」 (“Fukubukuro“). The Japanese word 「福袋」 is normally written on the [...](image)

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 15:46:45 +0000

It’s now 2012 January 1. 明けましておめでとうございます！ (“Happy New Year!”) 2012 is 「辰年」 (the “Year of the Dragon”) according to the Chinese zodiac which is popular in many Asian countries, including Japan. The chart above translates the year “animals” into English…but they can be translated slightly differently too. For example, ネズミ年 (Year of the Rat) can [...](image)