Imagine this: You leave work at 3 am yet again, glumly thinking I’m going to become another karoshi statistic. The nearest capsule hotel is just a half-hour walk away, but you’re knackered and you know … [Read more...]
Kawaii (かわいい), most commonly translated as “cute,” is practically everywhere in Japan – and I do mean everywhere. To paraphrase author Mary Roach, the Japanese save money with cute, pray with cute, and even … [Read more...]
Japanese sparkling water beer is the medicine that helps the salaryman endure their boss' off pitch karaoke during the frequent work parties. It is the refreshing, crisp drink that gets the common Japanese red-faced in … [Read more...]
There is plenty of drama that exists between Japan and the international community. Japan and its whaling? Japan's and Korea's fight for territorial islands? The bad blood between Japan and China post Asian Pacific Wars? … [Read more...]
Japan has had many different names in its time. We in America are lucky. We just have "America," "The United States," and "The United States Of America." I don't think we've really been called much else, at least not as an … [Read more...]
Coffee, coffee, coffee! The kick-starter fuel that many of us consume every waking moment. For some, like us Pacific Northwest dwellers, coffee is pretty much a religion. We aren't alone, of course. Many parts of the world … [Read more...]