In Japan section’s Top 10 most popular articles in 2011

December 20th, 2011By Category: Uncategorized

This year has been a tough one for Japan. But apart from all the serious news, there were some offbeat stories, too.

Here we bring you the 10 most popular articles from the In Japan section this year.

 1. Luxury living in Tokyo for 50,000 yen

Social Apartments is proof that you do not need to save on comforts while living on a budget in Tokyo. All this comes at monthly rent of around ¥50,000.

 

2. Unique vending machines in Japan

Previously, we introduced a banana vending machine in Tokyo station as one of the more unusual vending machines in Japan…

 

3. Burger King to offer all-you-can-eat Whopper campaign for two weeks

Burger King Japan is once again holding its “B”iking campaign from Nov 1-15. It’s an all-you-can-eat Whopper campaign. If you order a Whopper set meal, you can order as many extra Whoppers as you can eat within a 30-minute period…

 

4. Now, this is the true Japan!

A quirky 12-minute video titled “Japan The Strange Country” is getting a lot of media attention. It was made by graphic designer Kenichi Tanaka and introduces precise details about Japan such as Japanese people’s characteristics, Tokyo, food culture, suicide, love and so on…

 

5. Teaching English: Dispatch or Direct Hire

It is common wisdom in English teaching circles that direct hire positions are better than dispatch positions. This can be the case…or not. While direct hire positions can have great benefits, they also carry responsibilities many teachers don’t consider and aren’t always as well paid as people think…

 

6. How to Not Make a Fool of Yourself at a Japanese wedding

Not long after I’d moved to Japan, I received an invitation in the fall from a co-worker to attend her wedding, to be held that winter. It was exciting enough that she chose to invite me to something as significant as a wedding without really knowing me that well, so I told her I’d be there. Though couples do still opt for a traditional Japanese wedding in addition to a western one, it seems that weddings lately are trending more towards Western-type. My co-worker was having a Western one, although she and her fiance had professional pictures taken wearing traditional Japanese attire…

 

7. How to find (good) toothpaste in Japan

Another one of those “living in Japan” myths claims that Japanese toothpaste generally doesn’t work. Or that it doesn’t contain fluoride. And some folks go so far as to insist this is one of the main reasons why Japanese people have bad teeth. (I hope you realize this is a generalization, and not one that I came up with nor believe.) Of course I bought into this myth, although a few people mentioned something about Aquafresh toothpaste, and brought four tubes with me from the States. Nothing wrong with bringing toothpaste with you, but you certainly don’t need to waste luggage space on it. So, let’s delve into the specifics…

 

8. Jobs in Japan post-earthquake

The battering that the Tokyo stock market received in the last 2 weeks has caused many to wonder what the next few months are going to be like for Japan’s economy. With the globalized nature of the big corporations combined with a renewed need to connect to customers around the world, hiring in Japan is maintaining a steady pace…

 

9. Tokyo’s flying girl

Every felt constrained by the tight, high-pressured life of inner-city Japan?…

 

10. Types of Teaching certification

The majority of teachers in Japan aren’t aiming for a permanent career in education- at least not at first. Many people, however, come to enjoy teaching and decide they want to continue. The problem then becomes that while they have the desire to take on positions with more responsibility (and better pay), a lack qualifications holds them back. So what can someone in this position do?…

 

Author of this article

GaijinPot

GaijinPot is an online community for foreigners living in Japan, providing information on everything you need to know about enjoying life here, from finding a job and accommodation to having fun.

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