Summer in Japan—Tokyo in particular—is infamous for being unbearably humid. However, if you find yourself in one of the country’s hot spots during this season, all hope is not lost. In this Kokoro Media Unfiltered discussion, we share several tips on how to make the most of this time of the year (after a little…
International Entrepreneur John Wolff and the Power of Japanese Pop Culture
It’s no secret that Japanese pop culture, especially video games, influenced me from a young age. In fact, my initial college major was computer science, chosen with the goal of creating my own games. Unfortunately, by the time I entered college, the initial era of the self-made game creator was a thing of the past….
3 Inspiring Business and Career Lessons from a Year of Kokoro Media Interviews
July 2021 marked the 1st anniversary of Kokoro Media. Ordinarily, this might not be a big deal, however, considering the circumstances that gave birth to the brand, this is a moment worth reflecting on. Over the past year, our readership has expanded, and we are truly grateful for that. However, many of our new readers…
Breaking Down (Over) Kanji Part 2: Two Popular Ways to Achieve Japanese Literacy
In the first part of this series, I outlined what it takes to become literate in Japanese, and like a mid-trilogy Hollywood movie, I ended up on a down note laced with a glimpse of hope. Although there are endless permutations of 2,136 joyo kanji characters to memorize before you can achieve Japanese literacy, there…
Breaking Down (Over) Kanji Part 1: The Challenges of Reading Japanese
For upper-intermediate Japanese learners, successfully reading blog posts, newspapers, and magazine articles can feel like winning what I call the “kanji lottery.” Daily communications such as text messages and e-mails are second nature, as they contain commonly used kanji characters that have been drilled into our brains through years of practice and use. However, trying…
Three Ways Living in Tokyo Changed My Relationship with Sports
Moving to Tokyo from Riverside, California, in 2009 was a seismic shift in lifestyle. That being said, prior experience with Japanese language and culture minimized the culture shock of the experience. Looking back, perhaps the greatest adjustment I had to make was moving from a sprawling, medium-density city to a hyper-dense urban megacity. Besides obvious…
Build a Business in Japan: Advice from 3 International Entrepreneurs
Most startup founders and industry experts agree that cultural and technological shifts in Japan have made entrepreneurship more attractive and accessible than ever before. Regardless, launching an enterprise is rife with challenges, especially if you’re doing so in a country and culture other than your own. In this article, I share the stories of three…
Survival Japanese: 3 Words You Should Master for Travel in Japan
The first time I traveled to another country without a basic understanding of the local language was when I went to Thailand in 2012. Growing up in California, I had some basic Spanish knowledge to use during trips to Mexico. Before my first trip to Japan, I had a year of language study under my…
Clothing Culture: How to Dress for Success in Japan
The concept of culture is multifaceted and includes the language we speak, the food we eat, the values we share, and even the clothing we wear. If you are planning to interact with a new culture, even temporarily, it’s easy to overlook the role that attire plays in everyday life. How you present yourself in…
Rochelle Kopp: Narrowing the Gap between Japan and the Rest of the World
Anyone with even the slightest interest in cross-cultural communication in Japan has likely read an article, liked a tweet, or watched a video featuring Rochelle Kopp, founder and managing principal of Japan Intercultural Consulting. Before founding her company, Rochelle accumulated a wealth of experience by working for U.S.-based international consulting firms and the Tokyo headquarters…