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 Handmade Charm for Good Weather
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…
Bouncing Forward: Helping Japan’s Fishing Industry after the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami
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 Stories and Spirits of Japanese Folkcraft 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 pursue rewarding experience, often becoming fans of their clients’ products or services in the process. In 2012, they opened Atelier Gangu, a small…
Anarchic Sustainable Development: A Solution for Japan?
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…
Mugicha, the Lesser-Known Japanese Tea
Cold mugicha (barley tea) is a drink that is popular in Japan, especially in summer, or after taking a bath or exercising. How is it different from green tea and what are its effects? What Are the Differences Between Mugicha and Other Teas? Mugicha is golden brown, whereas green tea is… well, green.There are other…