One of my favorite things to come out of Japan is the Japanese konbini (convenience stores). During my time in Tokyo, I made habitual trips to the local konbini. I could always count on finding everything I needed from … [Read more...]
Japan can call itself an innovator in the reality TV and game show world. Shows like Takeshi’s Castle and Za Gaman garnered more viewers abroad than they did domestically, because of their complete novelty to foreign … [Read more...]
A long time ago we learned a few things about "How To Celebrate A Japanese Birthday" from my previous article. What’s next? Well, since I've been writing about "love" lately, I thought it would be fun to talk about a … [Read more...]
When you date a Japanese girl there are a lot of cultural road bumps to overcome. Yet despite them–maybe even because of them–you might decide to make things permanent. Popping the question can already be stressful, but … [Read more...]
Japanese TV seems to be obsessed with interviewing foreigners and asking them what they think of Japan. There's even a whole NHK show called “Cool Japan,” where a bunch of foreigners sit around the studio opining about … [Read more...]
Different cultures not only eat different foods, they have different beliefs about eating, and both can seem equally bizarre to an outsider. To an American, some Japanese folklore about food is just as implausible as the … [Read more...]