If you are reading this article, maybe you are having a business dinner with your Japanese counterparts soon. Maybe you have been invited to a Japanese family dinner. Maybe you are afraid to make a cultural mistake during your upcoming trip to Japan. Worry no more! Here are the keys that will allow you to use chopsticks properly and have…
JR East Japan Station Work: Your Office on the Go
Although Japan’s population continues to decline, the same cannot be said about Tokyo. Despite the government’s best efforts, the nation’s economy is increasingly centralized in its sprawling capital city. This situation is palpable in Tokyo’s packed trains and cafes where an increasingly mobile workforce scrambles to find quiet spaces for Wi-Fi- and caffeine-fueled bouts of…
The Problem With Joshiryoku
I am looking at women’s magazines at the convenience store. On the cover of one of them, I can read, “Improve your joshiryoku!” I am in a long meeting. One of my colleagues has prepared snacks and drinks for everybody. Someone says, “Your joshiryoku is so high!” I am on the train. An advertisement advises visiting…
Our Online Talk About Japan Money Matters
This time the Kokoro Media team shares their experiences with money in Japan! We talk about the cost of living, how to save money, and the differences between our spending habits in Japan and in other countries. Participants for this edition are: – Ayane (Japan) – Anthony (USA) – Amelie (France)
Small Talk across Cultures: Adjusting to Office Life in Tokyo
When I was in college, I worked at a video game store in one of the largest shopping malls in southern California. There I learned the ins and outs of the retail business: customer service, inventory routines, cash handling, sales, and much more. However, working in a mall was also a social experience, one that…
My Japanese Supermarket Culture Shocks
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 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)…