• Japanese Fireworks: Better in every way but one
    August 30th, 2013By Category: Culture
    A couple of weekends ago I went to a Japanese fireworks festival and suffice to say that watching fireworks in Japan is just like watching fireworks in the U.S., except better in, uh, every single way. To start out with, you don’t have to drive. You just put on ... » Continue Reading
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    Striking The Hammer With Japanese Sound Words
    August 26th, 2013By Category: Culture
    It sounds exotic but aizuchi is the Japanese name for something very common, namely the polite noises in conversations which demonstrate attention and understanding: the 'yeah's and 'uh huh's we use to show another person that we're on the same wavelength as them. ... » Continue Reading
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    Issues raised by the Olympic Torch Relay.
    August 15th, 2013By Category: Culture
    Plans for the Olympic Torch Relay will begin in earnest if Tokyo is awarded the right to host the 2020 Olympic Games next month. The logistical concerns of the 1940 and 1964 Olympic Organising Committees would have to be revisited for 2020. With such a symbolic inte ... » Continue Reading
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    On being a real jujitsu
    August 7th, 2013By Category: Culture
    'Riaju! Riaju!' The girls shouted, when I admitted that I had a boyfriend. I had wondered whether my love-life was an appropriate topic for discussion between teacher and teenage pupils, but was won over by their enthusiasm for the topic. In the following hour these ... » Continue Reading
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    Japanese Fashion Stereotypes
    July 30th, 2013By Category: Culture
    Before you go to Japan, you may have all sorts of thoughts about what the popular fashion trends are. Kimono? Yukata? Fundoshi? Okay, hopefully you don’t think fundoshi (sumo undies) are the latest trend in Tokyo, but just like almost every place, Japan has its o ... » Continue Reading
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    Ancient Traditions and Modern Customs
    July 29th, 2013By Category: Culture
    Just as you will find anywhere in the world, Japan is a country full of original traditions. Many of these activities started because people were bored and the iPhone hadn’t been invented yet. And some of them were so much fun that the tradition lives on even today. ... » Continue Reading
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    GP Women: Meet Triny the Builder
    July 26th, 2013By Category: Culture
    The first time I moved to Japan was for academic purposes, a study related with earthquakes, so Japan was the perfect place. At that time I was surprised how welcoming educational organization was. When I arrived, I was picked up from airport, given pocket money, and ev ... » Continue Reading
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    Living in Japan: A Clash of Cultures?
    July 24th, 2013By Category: Culture
    Japan has many interesting things to offer for the avid traveler. Nature, history, cuisine, you could not name everything. On top of that, many fellow Japan-enthusiasts will surely agree, the stories you hear from other foreigners can range from interesting, over st ... » Continue Reading
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    That Day: Documentary
    July 23rd, 2013By Category: Culture
    With accessible and affordable equipment, easy to organize fundraising and eager young artists, it has never been easier to have your voice heard. Unfortunately, these voices can oftentimes be shallow, self-serving or plain boring. But one project that has captured th ... » Continue Reading
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    How To Handle A Japanese Nomikai
    July 22nd, 2013By Category: Culture
    Going for drinking parties (known as nomikai) with your colleagues in Japan is a common practice in many Japanese companies. Inviting staff to events like these is a great way for managers to encourage bonding between colleagues. In a global business environment, it ... » Continue Reading