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- President Obama
- January 28th, 2013Category: Culture, Events
- President Obama was recently re-elected for his second term as president of the United States. In his sweeping acceptance speech, he makes a remark about how citizens of America can make their own futures happen if they work hard, no matter if they are black or white, ... » Continue Reading
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- Jinmyaku (Networking) and Saabisu
- January 25th, 2013Category: Culture, Networking Events, Work Tips
- To get ahead in Japan, it isn’t who you know – it’s how long you’ve known them! Traditional Japanese values dictate that the length of a relationship almost always correlates with the depth and importance of the relationship, and so the Japanese system of develop ... » Continue Reading
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- Traditional Japanese Game: Konkonchiki
- January 24th, 2013Category: Arts & Entertainment, Culture
- Today, teenagers spend their time online, attending cosplays, playing video games, hanging out and going to parties, but historically young adults, especially Japanese women, spent their time either studying traditional customs or staying home and playing indoor games. ... » Continue Reading
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- Why Do Classes Suck?
- January 23rd, 2013Category: Culture
- If you are: a) learning a language, and b) not being raised by wolves in a cave somewhere, then you’ve heard it time and again: classes suck. Everyone knows it. You can learn a language faster and more enjoyably on your own. Yeah well, everyone knows a l ... » Continue Reading
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- Dog Craziness in Japan
- January 22nd, 2013Category: Arts & Entertainment, Culture, Shopping
- I am about to admit to something that you will most likely find unbelievable, shocking, disturbing, (insert relevant adjective here). This is very difficult for me to write, I can't quite believe it is true myself. But at one point in my life, actually if i'm honest, for ... » Continue Reading
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- Ekiden: The Ultimate Relay Race
- January 21st, 2013Category: Arts & Entertainment, Culture, Events
- Have you heard of Ekiden before? If not, it’s a race that’s very much a part of Japanese popular culture. Ekiden is what I like to think of as a relay race with a twist. The twist is that each runner runs a half marathon. At the collegiate level (I think that’s t ... » Continue Reading
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- Who’s Really Japanese?
- January 18th, 2013Category: Culture
- When I first came to Japan, things were so much simpler. Men were men, Japanese were Japanese, and foreigners were gaijin. Now everything’s gone to pieces, nuanced to the point that when somebody talks about “the Japanese,” I don’t even know who they mean. That ... » Continue Reading
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- Snowy Monday Captured
- January 18th, 2013Category: Arts & Entertainment, Culture, Events, Outdoor/Sports, Photography, Travel
- The first snow of the year fell last Monday, January 14. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, 7cm of snow fell in Tokyo and Chiba and the temperature in Tokyo last Monday noon was 0.8 degrees. This unusual event mixed in with excitement among children, but then ... » Continue Reading
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- Traditional Japanese Game: Hanetsuki
- January 17th, 2013Category: Arts & Entertainment, Culture, Outdoor/Sports, Play
- Hanetsuki is one of the many traditional Japanese games that resembles badminton. According to history, hanetsuki served as a rite during exorcisms, becoming a game for girls during the Muromachi period (1333-1568). It is played without a net, using a rectangular wood ... » Continue Reading
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- The Japanese Rite of Passage
- January 14th, 2013Category: Arts & Entertainment, Culture, Events
- In various societies, entry into an age grade is marked by an initiation rite. Catholics have Confirmation, Jewish communities have their Bar and Bat Mitzvah while in Japan, they have the Seijin no hi or the Coming of Age Day. It is a Japanese holiday held on the ... » Continue Reading
- Why Japanese People Are Comfortable With Nakedness
- November 9, 2012
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- 19,619 2
- Traditional Japanese Game: Hanetsuki
- January 17, 2013BY
- 14,974 1
- An Illustrated Guide to the 12 Creatures That Haunt the Crowded Trains of Tokyo
- April 27, 2012BY
- 12,015 5
- Food Trip Around Lake Kawaguchi
- November 20, 2012BY
- 11,637 1
- Nagoya, Japan – Where to Go and What to Eat
- November 29, 2012BY
- 10,614 4