This article first appeared in a truncated version at on the Komaba Times Website, the blog for the Journalistic Writing class at the University of Tokyo -- Anyone living in Japan can tell you that the words … [Read more...]
A little while back someone sent me a link to an interesting website. On it, they said you could rent a gaikokujin (foreign person) who will do various things for you, depending on the person. They could speak English with … [Read more...]
Note: I’ll use “gaijin” for the majority of the article. Not in a derogatory sense (I’m a gaijin too) because it’s much cleaner than “foreign student”. And of course, to highlight that foreigners for the most part are … [Read more...]
Being an ethnic Chinese person living in Japan, I don’t exactly stand out from the typical Japanese person. Sometimes, I get comments from some of my other gaijin friends that it should be easier for me – after all, in a … [Read more...]
I'm constantly being reminded that the comments section of Tofugu (or any site, for that matter) can really take on a life of its own. My post a few weeks ago about weird ramen took an unexpected turn in the comments as … [Read more...]
In our last edition of how to be a baka gaijin we explored the fine art of being a baka gaijin on trains. So you've made it through the grueling ordeal that is your train ride and you've finally arrived at your … [Read more...]