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August 15, 2024
 

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JAPAN LITE

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 24, 2004
Man who watched tide come in goes out
I held the "fude" calligraphy pen and watched the paper absorb the first dab of ink as the tip of the pen touched the envelope. In my best possible "gaijin kanji," I wrote "gokoryou" along with my name in "katakana" at the bottom. Into this envelope I put a 5,000 yen bill.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 17, 2004
Old folks at the steering wheel of fortune
On a recent trip home to the U.S., I realized that Japan lacks something central to highway driving: old folks behind the wheel. Although Japan's population is aging fast, it seems like most of the old people here do not drive. I rarely see the sticker on cars that old folks must display to drive in...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 10, 2004
How to be polite when you're really not
Japanese people are renowned for being polite. But I think "polite" is a misplaced word because in Western culture, whether someone is polite or not is completely optional. Some people are polite and others are not. The meaning of "polite" in Japanese culture is deeper, and perhaps a more proper English...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 3, 2004
Amazing instant anywhere electric mug!
It used to be that we only had to deal with funny Japanese English. But with the flood of goods imported from China, we now have a different kind of English written on the boxes of products we buy.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Mar 27, 2004
Meet the 'Brunei millionaire' -- and run!
So you thought you'd take a trip to Southeast Asia to get away from the pressures of modern life, including the spam that clogs your e-mail daily, especially those Nigerian scams that ask you to give your bank account information. As if you'd be so daft. So you plan a short trip to an exotic locale,...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Mar 20, 2004
Real fast food is downed while you run
Japan is definitely losing its traditions. Take for example, the dying tradition of standing next to the vending machine while drinking a canned drink. It used to be that you wouldn't dream of drinking while walking down the street. You could see whole families standing next to the vending machine gulping...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Mar 13, 2004
Einstein's theory of ski map relativity
Inquiring 'gaijin' want to know the best ski and snowboard spots in Japan. If you're a snowboarder, you're lucky because starting in March, Shigakogen in Nagano Prefecture, Japan's largest 'sooki snow-bo' area, opens all its runs to snowboarders as well as skiers.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Mar 6, 2004
It's all written in the 'Wa Handbook'
I took a road trip skiing with some Japanese friends to Nagano Prefecture for the weekend, a 10-hour drive by behemoth four-wheel drive. No problem though, there would be six of us. That averages out to 1.7 hours of driving per person. Wrong! In Japanese math, that adds up to 3.3 hours per person, because...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Feb 28, 2004
'O-bento' -- the food chain in a box
You know you've turned Japanese when you can eat everything in your "o-bento." Especially if it's a funeral o-bento, built to last for three days, like the one I received recently at a "hojii" ceremony, which are like followup funerals. Today, I invite you to a grazing session through my o-bento.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Feb 21, 2004
'Gaijin' skier wipes out on group 'wa'
...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Feb 14, 2004
My lazy old one-eyed 'daruma' doll
You're going to rot on that island!" said Mr. High Mountain (Takayama) over the phone.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Feb 7, 2004
'Setsubun': devils out, mystery sushi in!
When I woke up, there was a large sushi roll sitting on the "genkan" step in my house. "Hmm," I eyed it suspiciously, then decided to leave it there and instead took the newspaper from the mail slot and headed to the living room.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 31, 2004
Tiny hot carpets and long frozen delays
For those of you rolling your eyes at the prospect of reading my annual column whining about the lack of central heating in Japan, wait. This one, I promise, will be different. Because things are changing in Japan.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 24, 2004
Hogwarts School on Shiraishi Island
I don't know about you, but for me, last year was rife with bad luck and evil. Then, eureka! I realized why. I had simply not taken the proper precautions. There are plenty of Japanese remedies for keeping away bad luck and evil that I had failed to implement. After last year, I have suddenly become...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 17, 2004
Restaurant's food still alive and kicking
Recently, I went to Manabe Island, in Okayama Prefecture, two islands away from mine. The island has a population of 400 and only one restaurant. But the restaurant, called Ryouka, is so famous, you need reservations to get in for lunch on weekends. Meals are 5,000 yen per person, and the favored transportation...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 10, 2004
The local garbage police dig in the dirt
On my island, we have garbage police: community members who stand guard over the garbage heap to make sure everyone puts out their garbage properly. These normally laid-back people can get very testy when they are put in a position of such authority. They have a very high garbage IQ.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 3, 2004
A long walk home with an 'o-baa-chan'
"O-baa-chans" in Japan never fail to surprise me. They are treasure houses of information. The other day, I saw 83-year-old Harada-san on the ferry as we were both coming home to the island. Harada-san and I are distant neighbors the way people are distant cousins. We don't see each other often, but...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Dec 27, 2003
2004 is the year for monkeying around
The year 2004 is the year of the monkey. If you're someone who doesn't believe that all the people born in the same year have the same personalities, destiny and propensity for success, then phooey on you! You'll have no fun in Asia, where much of life is believed to be ruled by factors that are, quite...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Dec 20, 2003
All I want for Christmas is Mori Living
How's your life space these days? Do you have the correct balance of relax space, social space and, say, foot space? In Japan, space is a topic of constant discussion. Hair salons are called "hair space" and companies tout products for "your enjoy living space."
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Dec 13, 2003
Gifts for the 'gaijin' who has everything
The holidays are here and it's time to find that perfect gift for the "gaijin" who has everything. Here are a few suggestions:
Japan to revise consumption tax exemption for overseas tourists
Tourists walk through Nakamise shopping street near Sensoji Temple in Tokyo in April
Japan's tourism industry hit by cancellations after megaquake alert
A beach closed due to a megaquake alert in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, from Friday to Thursday.
Focus shifts to incoming typhoon as Tropical Storm Maria dissipates
Newly formed Tropical Storm Ampil, which is forecast to approach eastern Japan this weekend, is seen on the left side of this satellite image.
Kishida to step down in September in bid to show ‘LDP has changed’
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a news conference Wednesday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
Publisher finds surprise audience after translating history textbooks
Yamakawa Shuppansha president Takeshi Nozawa holds the publisher's textbook on Japanese history — used in high schools across Japan — alongside the new English version in Tokyo on May 23.
Economic security is about strengthening and sustaining growth, former minister says
Former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi says changes in the international balance of power, along with deepening economic interdependence, have led some countries to attempt to use their economic power to impose their will on others.
Ice bandanas, convenience store breaks: Running under Japan’s summer sun
Blistering heat is becoming a fixture of summer in Japan, but a few tweaks to your routine can make your outdoor runs bearable — if not enjoyable — until cooler temperatures return.
Japan issued its first-ever megaquake alert. What does that mean?
Naoshi Hirata (center), chairman of a committee tasked with evaluating the risk of a Nankai Trough earthquake, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
France brings down the curtain on its Olympic party with Tom Cruise and Leon Marchand
Fireworks are set off during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics at Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Sunday.
Japan fuels U.S. LNG boom even as climate targets and impacts loom
Flaring at the Cameron LNG export terminal in Hackberry, Louisiana. Flaring, a common sight at LNG plants, is a controlled burning of gas for reasons ranging from depressurizing equipment to disposing of gas that can’t be used. The practice is a "waste of money" and negatively impacts climate change and human health, says the International Energy Agency.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’
By Thu-Huong Ha

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JNTO promotes sustainable tourism initiatives

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