You live in a room filled with futons and people snoring and farting; basically no privacy. You get called names and all kinds of derogatory epithets. Also, it’s very hard to reach the top. Only 10 p…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 9 months ago | 0 comments

For avid anime watchers, it is common to see anime characters living in an apartment and learning that space is a premium in metropolitan areas in Japan. Though sometimes anime does show actual house…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 9 months ago | 0 comments

Everyone knows that relationships are important in Japan, but not many people understand why they are so important, and how you can use that understanding to build a successful business here.

Today S…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 9 months ago | 0 comments

Making his debut this month, Mr. Kure, or Kure-shi as he’s known in Japan, is the new mascot of Hiroshima Prefecture’s Kure City. And despite looking like an inspired, mom-made Halloween costume, Mr.…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 9 months ago | 0 comments

In the Tokyo metropolitan area, where nearly everything is crammed for space, about 40,000 square feet of land is designated for Nishi Rokugo Park, one of the strangest and most innovative playground…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 9 months ago | 0 comments

Crafting a game world that players care about is difficult. We’re used to rushing our way through digital spaces, leaping from ancient ruins to racetracks to the far flung future at a whim. Grounding…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 9 months ago | 0 comments

According to the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA, a US think tank dedicated to research, analysis, and better public understanding of the US-Japan relationship, Japan is experiencing a "twin phenomena.…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 9 months ago | 0 comments

Indeed, there is nothing unusual in Japan about elementary schoolers traveling to and from school along busy roads, on crowded buses, or aboard rush-hour trains. Compared to other industrialized nati…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 9 months ago | 0 comments

Applications for designing the official mascots for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be open to the public, including children, the Games organizers panel announced Monday.

“We will assess them on the ba…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 9 months ago | 1 comment