After living in a different country for many years, you adapt to the local lifestyle and tend to forget the things that surprised you in the first place. The last time I went to my home country, France, I experienced several reverse culture shocks, one of them just by going to my local supermarket. When…
Japanese Cram Schools Are Not What You Think
Takahiro Goto is the director and a teacher at the cram school “GS Shingaku Kyoshitsu” in Hachioji City in the Greater Tokyo Area. Cram schools (“juku” in Japanese) are schools where young students study hard to prepare for their desired school or university entrance exams. Before talking to Mr. Goto, I did not quite understand why…
Teru Teru Bozu, the Japanese Rain Charm
Have you ever seen this doll hanging by someone’s window in Japan? You have great chances to see them during the rainy season. Japanese children (and sometimes adults, too) hang these dolls called teru teru bozu, as a charm to bring good weather. The Custom of Making a Teru Teru Bozu Imitating this very ancient…
How Science Helps in Revitalizing Japan’s Fishing Industry
Takashi Suzuki is an assistant professor at Kagoshima University and a former project researcher at the University of Tokyo. Now a specialist in marine life and fisheries, he was a student on the Iwate Prefecture campus of Kitasato University student when the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake happened. Since then, he has been devoting his studies and activities to…
How My Home Is Making Me “More Japanese Than the Japanese”
The community of French residents in Japan often uses a funny word to describe and make fun of the French people who “want to be more Japanese than the Japanese.” They use the word “tatamisé,” which could be translated as “tatamized” – from the Japanese word tatami. As far as home furniture is concerned, I must…
How We Dealt With the “Stay Home” Situation in Japan
While Japan did not go on a strict lockdown, people were invited to change their habits because of COVID-19. In our new unfiltered talk, we share our challenges and the lifestyle changes we made during the “stay home” period in Japan. Participants for this edition are: – Amelie (France) – Anthony (U.S) – Aree (Philippines)…
“Kay” – a Japanese Short Film Exploring Parent-Child Relationships
I recently had the pleasure to be invited to the screening of a Japanese short film titled “Kay”, directed by Hironori Kujiraoka. The screening should have taken place in April 2020 but was postponed to September because of the coronavirus. Meanwhile, it was shown and awarded at several international short film festivals. It received Best…
The Hidden Powers of Manekineko and Japanese Toys
Mrs. Iijima and Mr. Usuda are co-heads of Atelier Taik, a design company that does all kinds of design work with the exception of architecture. They are passionate about their jobs and often become fans of their clients’ products or services in the process. In 2012, they opened Atelier Gangu, a small shop selling and…
Can Anarchy Save Japanese Communities?
Ko Hayakawa is an associate professor of cultural anthropology and a researcher at Osaka International University. He currently mainly studies community development, an important topic for Japan, which must face new challenges as its population slowly disappears. This year, Professor Hayakawa published a book introducing his idea of “anarchic community development.” As I was very…
The Value of Face-to-Face Meetings in Japanese Business
Japanese companies love meetings. Comments I frequently read on social media from foreign workers living in Japan are: “There are too many meetings,” “Why do the Japanese love meetings so much?” or “The meetings are too long, and in the end, nothing is decided,” (something I have briefly evoked here). My personal experience is similar to…