The story of Atlantis is one of the oldest mysteries in the world. The tale of an entire Kingdom disappearing without any trace, is one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in history. While Atlantis is a widely known tale, most people have never heard of Yamatai (邪馬) before. Turns out Japan has its own version of an Atlantis story, also deeply shrouded in mystery and … [Read more...] about The Lost Kingdom of Yamatai
History
The Town That Banned Cucumbers
I remember being a kid and having an adversity to cucumbers. Had I known about Adose-Cho (網戸瀬町) in Fukui, I would’ve immediately moved there. You see, this entire town has outlawed growing, and subsequently eating the innocent little Cucumber. Whence does this dislike of Cucumbers come from? Read on and find out what the townspeople have against the usually quite healthy and … [Read more...] about The Town That Banned Cucumbers
Was WWII a Holy War?
That the emperor was considered a god in antebellum and wartime Japan is mostly an undisputed fact. How that notion of godhood compares to the Abrahamic understanding of God in Western and Middle Eastern traditions is more difficult to decipher. While it would be a stretch to claim that religious fervor for the God-emperor was the only cause that sent Japan into world war in … [Read more...] about Was WWII a Holy War?
Rice Riots
By almost any metric you choose to measure it, modern Japan is a peaceful society. Its rigid adherence to law and order is one of the first things visitors notice. The low crime rates are the envy of many nations. While civil unrest swept the United States over the last year, the constant refrain I heard from Japanese people was, “That could never happen in Japan.” In this haze … [Read more...] about Rice Riots
How to refer to your spouse in Japanese
What you call your spouse in private is your own business, but how you refer to them in public can be a more complicated issue, especially when speaking in Japanese. In English one might casually refer to their wife as the missus, the old lady, the ball n’ chain, my better half, or wifey, but all of these are euphemisms. In plain discourse, English keeps it simple with only two … [Read more...] about How to refer to your spouse in Japanese