One good thing about Japan is that the staff at convenience stores and fast food restaurants tend to follow a script when speaking to a customer. If you memorize the …
Rice is an essential part of the Japanese diet, so naturally it’s also a part of the language. In fact, the word for “meal,” ご飯 (gohan), also means “cooked rice.” …
The summer may be over with young people now returning to school, but if you are in the throes of 就職活動 (shūshoku katsudō, job hunting), then you probably didn’t get …
This summer, 大地の芸術祭 (daichi no geijutsu-sai, Echigo-Tsumari Art Field), also known as Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, runs July 13 to Nov. 10 in Niigata Prefecture, adding one more destination to Japan’s …
Osamu Dazai (1909-48) is one of Japan’s literary legends: a tormented and embittered man who drowned himself in the Tamagawa Canal, and yet who lived on in his books to …
Have you scrolled to the end of the emoji keyboard, looking for those peskily faraway hearts, and accidentally sent a mysterious “NG”? Asked a friend in Japan if they want …
This year has already seen unseasonably warm weather, and it seems the 桜 (sakura, cherry blossoms) are eager to show themselves. That means you’re going to have to start preparing …
With バレンタインデー (barentain dē, Valentine’s Day) taking place on Feb. 14 and ホワイトデー (howaito dē, White Day) coming on March 14, it would seem that women get a lot of …
Banana Yoshimoto burst onto the Japanese literary scene in 1987 with her mega-hit novel, “キッチン” (Kitchin, Kitchen). It was so explosively popular that literary critics actually started to think that …
During this year’s ホリデーシーズン (horidē shīzun, holiday season), パーティ (pātī, parties) and 飲み会 (nomikai, drinking parties) are officially coming back. In the past four years, quiet おうちクリスマス (ouchi kurisumasu, at-home …