japan– tag –

【A hardship destined for Japanese workers】 You won't read to the end of this article because the average human attention span is down to only eight seconds. It's one second shorter than that of goldfish. I remember I read many articles...

【Funny Japanglish by the Prime Minister】 In 2000, the then Japanese Prime Minister wanted to make greetings in English at the first summit meeting with President Clinton. He tried to cram the following exchange of basic phrases: "How a...

【The wane of the king TOYOTA】 Elon Musk started TESLA in 2003. Only 17 years from then, he finally snatched the world top position from TOYOTA in the total market value. The news made me feel the big change of the times and also someho...

【Country towns struggle to survive】 Do your cities (towns or villages) have taglines? This is not a question as an attention getter (as I often do), but I'm really curious. In Japan, with decrease in population, the number of municipal...

The hidden rule of wrapping is driven by anxiety: I feel terrible if I force someone to perform instantaneous joy. We joke that Japanese gift packaging is more expensive than the contents. The wrapping is an extension of the giver's dedication; destroying it is impolite.

【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...

【Necessity is the mother of geographical characteristics】 As you can see it in the image below, Japan is a country of backward parking. Even speeding drivers follow the rule. Do you know why that is? Some people outside Japan may think...

【Furniture making is an endangered business in Japan】 Last month, the Ministry of the Environment announced that a butterfly species (shown in the above image) endemic to Japan might have been extinct. The butterflies inhabited only in...

Kyoto's language is a social minefield. We decode the hidden meanings behind their polite phrases—like why "Your children are so cheerful" is actually code for "Shut them up!" I explore how this high-context culture evolved as a life-saving political skill, and argue that this unique Japanese ability to read unspoken intentions is now essential for transmitting traditional craftsmanship.

【Using a chainsaw to cut butter】 The above words are a wise saying by Barry Commoner, an American biologist, to express the inefficiency of nuclear power generation. By the way, the topic of this article is not about energy policies; N...