Let’s call him, Yuji. That’s not his real name, but you know the deal. He was 11 years old when he studied English at the Yokohama conversation school I worked at, and a student of mine. Every time I greeted him in the school lobby with a “Hi, Yuji! How are you, today?” he responded […]

Every day, women from all over the globe make a conscious decision to put their best face forward, using cosmetics and clothing to show society how beautiful they are. In Japan, the effort to improve appearance remains the same but the desired result is somewhat different. It’s all about being ‘kawaii’ or in English, cute. […]

Hiroshi Motomura, lay your burden down. You’ve carried it for 9 years and now you’ve done everything you can do to see justice done. The grieving won’t ever stop, but your fears that the justice system here in Japan will fail you and the rest of society in this matter, have been allayed. Otsukaresama deshita.
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Happiness is a fishbowl of beer. It almost sounds Zen. While I strongly doubt this one appears in the sacred texts and scriptures, I could imagine Salarymen chanting it religiously after work in the ritualistic event known as, ‘drink with your boss and colleagues in an izakaya until you pass out or the last train […]