Living in Japan
Celebrating Valentine’s Day in Japan
The Japanese have their own way of celebrating Valentine's Day. The most common tradition is for Japanese women to give chocolate to men on February 14th. They may also give other gifts, but chocolate is the most common. Women do not only buy chocolate for their boyfriends and husbands, but also for most of their male friends, co-workers, bosses [...]
Navigating the Volcanoes of Japan
Ten percent of all volcanoes in the world are located throughout the islands of Japan. Out of all of Japan's volcanoes, about 80 of them are considered active today (though this is according to who you ask). The entire country is spotted with volcanoes, from north to south. Japan also has longest recorded history of volcanic eruptions, dating [...]
Learning the Business Customs of Japan
The Japanese are aware of the challenges that foreigners face when in their country. Though they have some specific standards within their own culture, they do not expect foreigners to completely conform to these. They will not expect foreigners to understand or speak Japanese very well, and they may also be shy themselves if they are not fluent [...]
Shogatsu: Celebrating the Japanese New Year
In Japan, New Years is called “shogatsu” or “oshogatsu.” It lasts from January 1st-3rd, and businesses close down so families can celebrate together. Schools often close for a week or two. The Japanese celebrate this holiday as separating the two consecutive years completely, which includes completing every prior obligation for a fresh [...]
Bodhi Day: Buddhist Holiday
Today is Bodhi Day, the 8th of December. This holiday commemorates the day that the Buddha, Siddhartha Guatauma, experienced enlightenment, or “Bodhi.” According to legend, Siddhartha had sat under a Pipul tree and meditated to relieve suffering. He eventually was able to overcome suffering by finding the root of it, and then liberating [...]
Japanese Tea Ceremony, ‘The Way of Tea’
History Tea was brought tea in the brick form from China to the Japanese court in the early ninth century. The drinking of tea in Japan was confined to the court aristocracy and Buddhist ceremonies until the twelfth century when appreciation of tea spread among the warrior class. Tea gatherings of this era were often boisterous affairs that [...]
The Shinkansen: Japanese Bullet Trains
The Shinkansen, or “Bullet Train” is a high speed train that can take you in between cities in Japan. It is more similar to flying than it is to taking the train. Though it costs about as much as flying from city to city in Japan, it will drop you off at the city center, so you don't have to worry about getting all the way to the airports. [...]
Gardens of Japan
Garden design has been an important Japanese art for many centuries. Traditional Japanese landscape gardens can be broadly categorized into three types, Tsukiyama Gardens (hill gardens), Karesansui Gardens (dry or rock gardens) and Chaniwa Gardens (tea gardens). For an expat living in Japan a visit to a Japanese garden would offer an insight to [...]
Discovering the Wildlife in Japan
If you are relocating to Japan, you probably are thinking of the human-influenced parts of the tightly packed, highly populated, technologically advanced society. However, you're probably not thinking of some of the wildlife you might be encountering when you head outside of the cities. There are two bear in Japan; the brown bear is found in [...]
Eating and Drinking Customs in Japan
In Japan, people will often go out to restaurants to entertain guests. The reason for this is that Japanese homes are small and compact. If you go out to work with a bunch of colleagues, it is custom to split the bill evenly, no matter how much you eat or drink individually. Japanese people typically use chopsticks to eat. If you eat out, you can [...]
