Visual Kei Music: When Gothic Meets Flair
A style of music native to Japan with a sizeable following is Visual Kei (“visual” of course is an English word and “kei” means “style”…
~ To Omou: Expressing Thought in Japanese
After you’ve studied basic conjugation of verbs in Japanese, you can express your thoughts in simple Japanese sentences. “My older sister is funny” is “Ane…
~N Desu: Implications
Oftentimes translation from Japanese into English isn’t direct. “~N desu,” or the casual form, “~n da,” is one such example. The phrase is added at…
Eating at a Restaurant in Japan
If you’ve read our entry on Japanese table manners, you’ve learned a few tips for dining while in Japan. However, there are a few cultural…
The Japanese Love Hotel
Valentine’s Day is approaching and chances are, the love hotels in Japan will experience an increase in business. The Japanese love hotel (actually called “rabu…
Japanese New Year Food
We’re rounding out our more in-depth coverage of the Japanese New Year celebration with a closer look at a couple of the traditional foods associated…
Japanese New Year Games
Our coverage of the the Japanese New Year celebration continues. This week we’re going to talk about traditional New Year’s games that children (and sometimes…
Yokohama: Japan’s Second Most Populous City
Because it’s so close to Tokyo—and Tokyo “spills” over into its suburbs so that Tokyo seems far bigger than it is—it’s often forgotten by tourists…
Japanese Prime Minister’s Fashion Faux Pas Makes International Headlines
If you didn’t know who Japan’s prime minister was before, you may by now. Last week, international headlines proclaimed that Hatoyama Yukio had worn a…
Partial Control of Okinawa Returned to Japan Next Week
In a historic moment next week on March 31st, the U.S. will return control of air space over Okinawa to Japan after more than six…
Japan Has a New Prime Minister—After Only 8 Months
Last week was a busy week in Japanese politics news. Former Japanese Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio—the very same whose fashion choices and somewhat strange behavior…
Japanese Young Adults
Due to a floundering job market and a struggling economy, more and more young adults in America are living with parents even after school, struggling…