Did you know Japan had not one, but two Robin Hoods? Yes, these two stole from the rich and gave to the poor, risking their lives to help the common people. They were called Ishikawa Goemon and Nezumi Kozo. They might not … [Read more...]
There's no arguing that a lot of what we consider stereotypically Japanese actually came from elsewhere. Japan has China to thank for the Japanese language, which is also where ramen is from. Tempura, konpeito, and … [Read more...]
In Japan's long history, there are lots of instances of foreign culture unexpectedly seeping into Japanese culture. It's why a stapler is called a “Hotchkiss” in Japanese, and why a lot of Japanese choirs have a Croatian … [Read more...]
People have always had boundless creativity when it comes to doing harm to their fellow man – and a certain morbid appetite for watching them suffer. Nowadays, we get our (considerably tamer) kicks from hazing … [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...]
Japan owes a lot to China, there’s no doubt about that. Almost all Japanese kanji were adopted from Chinese characters. Even hiragana and katakana are just random modified bits of Chinese characters. … [Read more...]