I know that Center shiken is an exam for university entrance and it is held in January. I also know that it is very likely to have heavy snow on that day :-p. Snow or no snow, this is mentioned in th…

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

Since I live in the Pacific Ocean side of East Japan which was only affected mildly, we got only 20 minutes of snow. But then, the water taps outside are still frozen. All flower pots looked like the…

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

Okinawa Prefecture is scrambling to plot its next move in the wake of a recent Supreme Court ruling siding with the central government's effort to relocate the operations of a U.S. military base with…

posted by  Tanuki | 8 years, 10 months ago | 1 comment

It may surprise you to know there are close to 100 different gestures regularly used by Japanese people to communicate with friends, colleagues and the general public. While most of those used by Wes…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 10 months ago | 2 comments

Japan's most unfortunately named porn company Soft On Demand is offering virtual sexy time at its newly opened location in Tokyo's Akihabara.

The establishment's billboard states that Soft On Demand…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 10 months ago | 2 comments

Want a free case of craft beer? If you send 30,000 yen ($260) or more of your taxes to the town of Yamanouchi in Nagano prefecture, they’ll send you 24 bottles of a locally brewed beer to say thanks.…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 10 months ago | 2 comments

MIEKO TERADA moved to Tama in 1976, at about the same time as everyone else there. Back then, the fast-growing city in Tokyo’s suburban fringe was busy with young married couples and children. These …

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 10 months ago | 2 comments

I read this article on Japan Times today, about whether female scholars are taken seriously in Japan.

That brings in a broader question; are female workers taken seriously in Japanese companies?

posted by  Yubi | 8 years, 10 months ago | 1 comment

If you are coming from EU or Canada, Japan's winter is not that cold; but then, the houses have poor insulation, and you will feel colder without good heating.

posted by  Yubi | 8 years, 10 months ago | 0 comments

Seijin-no-hi (Coming of Age Day) is a Japanese public holiday that occurs on every second Monday of January. This holiday honors people who have reached or will, the age of twenty within the current …

posted by  Yubi | 8 years, 10 months ago | 0 comments