Erin | Tofugu.com

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erin - who has written 37 posts on Tofugu.com.

Erin is Tofugu's culture, food, and fashion writer. She's a quiet Hawaii girl who loves shopping, eating sweets, and traveling whenever she has the time and money to spend. She also has a little photo blog going, which can be found here.

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Obake Series: Tanuki

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

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Before we get started with this long overdue article, let’s take a small quiz. No cheating! Tanuki are: A) Badgers, B) Raccoons, C) Wolverines, D) Raccoon dogs Here’s a tanuki macro to help you out: The word tanuki is often mistranslated as “raccoon” or “badger”. By looking at them, though, you can tell that’s clearly not what they [...]

Japanese Online Translators: They Laugh at You

Friday, January 18, 2008

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Ladies and gentlemen, step right up! Today I am going share with you the secret to producing perfect Japanese emails, comments, and even blog entries all without a drop of effort on your part! Sounds to good to be true, you say? Well of course, that’s because it is. Believe me when I say that I [...]

Our “First” Post

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

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Happy New Year, Tofugu! It’s now 5:19am (Hawaii time) on the first day of 2008. Why, you ask, for the love of cozy blankets and fluffy pillows, why am I awake? Well, I have to admit, when my alarm went off almost 20 minutes ago, I didn’t know, myself. But now I remember. I’m awake because [...]

We Wish You a Merii Kurisumasu

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

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Unsurprisingly, we’ve recently gotten quite a few emails asking about Christmas (クリスマス or kurisumasu) in Japan. Though this might be a bit late, I thought I’d endeavor to answer those questions today, unwrapping my presents with one hand and typing this up with the other. A Brief History of Kurisumasu Christmas in Japan is an interesting creature. [...]

Top Japanese Impulse Buys of 2007: Part 2

Monday, December 24, 2007

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In the first installment of this series, I covered the top trendy items in Japan from 1-5. This time, I’ll be talking about items 6-10. Let’s get started, shall we? 6) Leggings/Tights: It wasn’t too long ago that I gave in to the trend and bought my first pair of tights. While showing a little leg [...]

Bag Lady Chic

Monday, November 26, 2007

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Lately, flipping through Japanese fashion magazines, I’ve noticed trend. It’s a kind of Allison Reynolds (from The Breakfast Club) look; the combination of a simple, feminine dress and a more practical, sporty thigh-length anorak. Often, there are tights and boots involved, too. Pick up any Japanese magazine that deals with clothes, and I guarantee you’ll [...]

Top Japanese Impulse Buys of 2007: Part 1

Friday, November 23, 2007

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We’re halfway through Black Friday (the American tribute to consumerism) by now, so I thought I’d share with you the top trendy, must-have items that debuted in Japan this year. 1) The Mega Mac: A recurring menu item, the Mega Mac showed up again on Japanese McDonald’s in January this year. It’s advertised (see left) [...]

Customizable Cup Noodles

Sunday, November 4, 2007

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Come lunchtime sophomore year of high school, all the cool kids were eating Cup Noodles. I wasn’t cool, unfortunately, but I loved them as well—with an instant ramen in my hands, I looked very much like that kid in the picture up there: excited, elated, and full of MSG-goodness. Towards the end of the school year, [...]

Nothing Scarier Than a Gaijin

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

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I know this is coming kind of late, but I sort of forgot to post this earlier D: Apparently, somewhere in Nagoya, 外人さん (Mr. Foreigner) “costumes” consisting only of a nose and a pair of eyes are being sold. Not the most politically incorrect costume I’ve ever seen, but I thought it might be good for [...]

My Pokemanz, Let Me Show You Them

Sunday, October 21, 2007

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The title’s not so clever, I know, but there’s really no need to be witty, here—the picture says it all. Now, I know everyone and their mother has seen this, but I just have to say, this may be the absolute worse placement of an opening/entrance in inflatable bouncer history: How could anyone have thought that [...]