Japanese Culture and Traditions– category –
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The Lesson We Learned from the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011
【The Great Tohoku Eearthquake was like the end of the world】 At the moment, I was in the building of the Ministry of Finance in the middle of Tokyo and thought I was going to die, staring out a window. Street lamp posts widely swang li... -
What Makes Japanese Chopsticks Special?
【Japanese chopsticks are unique】 One of the difficulties I have to face when going abroad is table manners. Among other things, it's difficult for me to eat without chopsticks. How can you eat a lettuce salad only with a fork? I'm alwa... -
What Leads to Overtime Problems in Japan?
【Karoshi, death from overwork】 It's very difficult to summarize this problem briefly because it is so deep-rooted. Are you ready to gaze into abyss? The Japan government has started frequently using the word "Work style reform" since 2... -
Which Is More Rational: To Tidy Up or Leave Things Lying About?
【The scent of the Sun】 I was so surprised when learning that it is prohibited to hang the laundry outside in some places overseas. We, Japanese people really like to hang the laundry under the sun light. Japanese climate of high humidi... -
Are You Tired of Self-Discovery? Here’s What to Try
【It's about time to stop expecting a lot for the journey of self-discovery】 In Japan for these 10 years or more, "the journey of self-discovery" has been very popular especially among young people. A typical pattern is: suddenly quitti... -
Myths about Japanese Gifting and Packaging You Should Know
It is sometimes thought to be impolite in Japan to open up a gift in front of the gift giver, to say nothing of tearing off wrapping paper. Mind you, it’s not a religious taboo, and won’t be impolite if you ask for permission beforehand. I guess there are two reasons for the rule unique to Japan. -
Understanding Japan’s Unique Mix of Cultures
Christmas, Halloween, Valentine's day, etc. These events are very popular in Japan, though the percentage of the Christian population in Japan is only 1%. You can see many different cultures are mixed up and changed into Japanese culture. -
What Makes Japanese Food Culture So Special?
【Respect for nature, the core spirit of Japanese food】 UNESCO listed washoku (Japanese traditional cuisine) as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013. I think many Japanese people seem to misunderstand the key point of the event. They... -
How to Think Outside the Box
【Taiyaki in NYC】 Have you ever seen the above ice cream (in the thumbnail image)? It's Tayiyaki ice cream from TAIYAKI NYC. I've heard it's extremely popular in NY now. When seeing the image, some Japanese people would have mixed feeli... -
The Secrets of Japanese Food to Enrich Your Daily Meal
【Make life happy without money】 Do you believe money can't buy you love? I may be too old to believe in such a naive world as the Beatles song went. According to Daniel Kahneman, a genius winning a Nobel Prize in 2002, money can buy yo...