Japan can be a strange and interesting place for first time visitors. Japan has different customs, traditions, and some things that may seem normal in your home country may be the total opposite in the land of the rising … [Read more...]
As an American, it's sometimes kind of strange to me that other countries have Ministries of Culture. The US, being the melting pot that it is, doesn't really have the same sort of shared cultural heritage that other … [Read more...]
Certain clichés permeate different films. Parodies like Scary Movie (and the other, awful franchises that followed) couldn't exist if movies didn't draw upon these stereotypes. Japanese samurai films are unquestionably … [Read more...]
Festivals, or matsuri are an integral part of Japanese culture. Even matsuri can seem a bit old-fashioned and sometimes religious for ultra-modern, secular Japan, these festivals are a staple of Japanese society that most … [Read more...]
The Final Fantasy series is probably my favorite series of games ever. Well, used to be anyway. 2012 marks the 25th anniversary of the Final Fantasy franchise (complete with box set goodies) and they've sure come a long … [Read more...]
Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are. -Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin To some people, Iron Chef was just a TV show. It ran for about a decade in Japan and had a few, less successful spinoffs around the … [Read more...]