Category Archive for "Japan nowadays"
Meri Kurisumasu – Christmas in Tokyo
Only once in my life was I away from my family at Christmas, and that one time I was far away indeed, in Tokyo. I noticed that Christmas was coming from the unbelievable quantity of poinsettias, Christmas trees in the... Continue reading
Aokigahara – A sea of trees
Japan is generally well-known for its colorful and interesting culture, advanced technology, and beautiful natural endowments. However, this world also has an enchanted and very dark side. The vast forest of Aokigahara, covering over 7,500 acres, lies at the foot... Continue reading
Tobi workers
Anyone visiting Japan has had to encounter construction projects, since new buildings and city projects are going up all around us. We have to have noticed that some workers on these construction projects dress in the kind of clothes we’d... Continue reading
Class outing to Okinawa
Class outing. Is there a child who doesn’t love a group outing? Back in kindergarten days, it simply meant going out to the local park, definitely during “working hours.” In those days, “sleepover” was an unknown concept, something older children... Continue reading
Kintetsu reincarnated!
In February 2012 the Kintetsu Department Store, which had stood in front of the railroad station in the city of Hirakata, Osaka prefecture, closed down after 36 years of operation. In the less than ideal economy, department stores offering high... Continue reading
Romeos for sale – the mysterious world of Japan’s male escorts
While living in Japan, I regularly stopped at Tachikawa station, close to my home, to do some shopping at the huge malls and entertainment complexes. Crowds of people walking on the streets under the shiny bright ads and shop owners... Continue reading
The Josai story…
Accidental events, which create heroes and victims alike, are a favorite theme of romantic novels and dramatic films. Everyone’s life is influenced by accidents that are sometimes devastating, and we tend to wonder about these accidents. What would have happened... Continue reading
Juku – Private school in Japan
In a blog I wrote on June 3, 2015 called “Studying Day and Night”, I tried to outline the Japanese education system and, within that, the secondary schools and their main features. I relied principally on my own experience when... Continue reading
The joys of a bonus
The Japanese business newspaper (Nikkei) recently published the results of a research project on summer bonuses paid to Japanese workers. The bonuses paid this year were generally 5.9 percent higher than those paid for the same time last year. A... Continue reading
The “other” great coral reef
Not too many people know that Japan has a lovely coral reef of its own. It is located on one of the southern isles of the Japanese archipelago, near Ishigaki Island in Okinawa prefecture, right by the village of Shiraho.... Continue reading