Culture

Imagine yourself taking a scenic drive through rural Aomori prefecture. Up ahead you see some road signs for a rest stop, some gas stations, the grave of Christ…wait! Stop the car! Wipe your glasses and give yourself a quick drug test. Nope, your eyes are not playing tricks on you. You have just discovered the number one tourist attraction in the little town of Shingo, Aomori – … [Read more...] about Jesus: The Japanese Rice Farmer

Depending on where you are from, there are various expressions for rainfall on a sunny day. The proper term is “sunshower,” however in the Southern United States you might hear the phenomenon referred to as “the devil beating his wife.” In Japan the phrase kitsune no yomeiri or “The Fox takes a wife”, (or in other regions kitsune no yometori 狐の嫁取りor kitsune no shugen 狐の祝言) is a … [Read more...] about The Fox’s Wedding

After work one sweltering summer day, you and your coworkers slip into an izakaya to tip back a few pints before heading home. The server comes to take your order and the first words out of your coworker’s mouth is “toriaezu nama” or “draught beer to start.” Except the word he uses, nama, does not mean draught, or anything resembling draught. Nama means “raw.” But what is raw … [Read more...] about What’s so “nama” about Nama Beer?

Much has been written about how English is taught in Japan. Usually the topic is a critique of the curriculum that teaches to the test instead of for practical communicative use. You can also find multiple articles and videos asking variations of the question, “Why can’t Japanese people speak English?” This of course is a valid question given that Japanese students have at … [Read more...] about The Sometimes 9 Writing Systems Japanese Students Learn