Lifestyle
Japanese politeness is a myth: One person’s tale strikes a chord with people around the country
Around the world, Japanese people are seen as kind, quiet, and above all, polite. While that’s true in many cases, especially when it comes to being served by those working in the customer service industry, it’s not always the case in everyday situations, and shining a light on the issue… Read
6 things I wish someone had told me about job hunting in Japan
Looking for a job in Japan, especially if you don’t have native English teaching skills, can be a frustrating endeavor. Besides the obvious issues of the language gap and physical distance (if applying from abroad), our own assumptions and the tendency to look at things through rose-colored glasses may make… Read
The surprising truth about cheating on one's partner in Japan
Have you seen the Netflix series called “My Husband Won’t Fit”? A happy Japanese couple’s marriage slowly decays because of their troubled sex life. Spoilers Ahead After numerous failed attempts at having intercourse, Kenichi begins frequenting a soapland. He purposefully leaves his point card (might as well get a discount) where… Read
Designer hopes green lingerie takes off
In a tiny workshop in central Paris, Paloma Casile puts finishing touches on eco-friendly lingerie that she hopes will catch on at an international show a few days hence. Below her chic little shop on the Rue du Jour, the designer pieces together bits of lace, sometimes combined with lurex,… Read
These things are likely to boom in the Japanese market in 2020
In preparation for 2020 and the Olympics, new things like stations, facilities, and new areas are opening one after another. Additionally, many products are already appearing on the Japanese market, some of which Japanese people anticipate will be the next boom for this year. For one thing, according to Fuji… Read
Survey ranks Japanese prefectures by how much people want to continue living there
Japan has 47 prefectures that boast individual characteristics and lifestyles. Though the default is usually Tokyo, you may or may not be surprised to find that not everyone wants to live there. Yahoo! Japan recently wrote about the results of a survey conducted in 2019 that asked citizens which of… Read
Less than one in four surveyed Japanese men has a girlfriend; over one in three women has a beau
Japan is definitely a country that thinks about romance a lot, with pretty much the whole nation discussing the best Christmas Eve date spots and Valentine’s Day presents. But all that time spent thinking about courtship doesn’t always translate into time spent dating, a recent survey shows. Japanese online dating… Read
Ikigai: The Japanese concept of finding purpose in life
Though the “new year, new me” mantra is inspiring, the truth is if all that’s really inspiring us to do better is a different number on the calendar, maybe there’s a better way to fully embrace everything life has in store for us. Enter ikigai, the age-old Japanese ideology that’s long… Read
Japanese salaryman creates model of Shinjuku from paper
Papercraft in Japan is a beautiful thing. Whether it’s bringing life to characters through old cookie boxes and cans of Pringles, or making penguins spring to action from a flat, folded stack of cardboard, Japanese artists know how to manipulate paper to create works of art. The latest paper maestro making jaws drop is… Read
Kagawa politicians want to set daily limit on how much time kids can spend playing video games
Members of a special committee of the Kagawa Prefectural Assembly held a meeting on Jan 10. The legislators gathered to formally announce their draft of the newest piece of codified law they believe their citizens need: a government-set limit on the amount of time kids are legally allowed to spend playing video games.… Read
