japan– tag –

【Asahikawa is a paradise of rivers】 The bike path along the river is one of the most comfortable road to run in Asahikawa. Most of pedestrian and bike paths laid out on the top of embankments. You can pedal along the river to your hear...

【What would you like to do on your free time in Hokkaido? 】 If you were to move to Hokkaido and start a new life, what hobbies would you like to do on your free time? Hokkaido is one of the most comfortable places in Japan for cycling....

Why are Japanese men paralyzed by the idea of buying a simple bouquet? I analyze the Richard Gere Effect: the shame of gifting flowers in a "classless" society. The paralysis is compounded by the Labyrinth of Japanese flower etiquette—from avoiding red to banning potted plants. I conclude by confessing that all this intellectual agony leads to a single point: the humble Begonia we planted in front of our factory.

In 2021, due to the epidemic, foreign tourists can't come to Japan. Otherwise, this period of the year (I'm writing this in July) is usually the peak period of tourism in Hokkaido in early summer, though flowers bloom brilliantly as usua...

What defines art? I apply The Nello Test from A Dog of Flanders: Would you crave art over food and warmth? (I fail spectacularly.) I search for this artistic soul at a Vermeer exhibition but find it instead in a restoration video. I argue that the concentration and supernatural precision of the master repairers—scrapping paint with a tiny knife—is the purest form of art. In this sense, our master furniture craftspeople are artists, embodying art defined by the perfect, focused human movement.

Travel by train in Japan is safe, punctual in time, etc. There are many advantages, but in Hokkaido, the infrastructure may be gone in the not-so-distant future. Please come here to travel around by rail before that happens.

The small town is called as "a town of miracle." It has no rail line, major route, and water infrastructure in it. Japan is facing a declining population, which is most obvious in rural areas. Nevertheless, the population of the town has been on the increase for these 20 years, surprisingly.

【It's safe but boring just to praise classic things】 Do you like antiques or vintage stuff? There are many classic cars that I like, but I don't like motor journalists or car critics who excessively praise classic cars. That's because ...

Why is Soba, a grain historically associated with poverty, considered Japan's most elegant noodle—the ultimate first date material? I explore the Paradox of Elegance and the Pavlovian ritual of Shin-Soba (New Soba) season. I conclude with local pride, recommending OKADA, an exquisite Soba restaurant in our buckwheat heartland of Asahikawa—a Tangible Cultural Property where the historic garden view will enhance your appreciation of the elegant grain.

Why does Japan practice synchronized recruitment and the Annual Corporate Baptism (Nyūsha-shiki)? I draw on my own embarrassing experience of attending three entrance ceremonies in three years to explain their function as a critical "attitude adjustment" event. I analyze the ritualistic genius of Toyota's CEO and his engine-revving speech. The analysis leads to my personal crisis: my existential dread over giving a compulsory lecture at the CondeHouse entrance ceremony next week.