For $2,500, you could score a deal on a round-trip business class ticket to Europe...or eat 12 ounces of beef.

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 1 month ago | 1 comment

Sleep deprivation is doing more harm in Japan than just making people grumpy and unhealthy. It is also holding back the world’s third-largest economy.

The problem has been getting worse in recent yea…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 1 month ago | 1 comment

Having bad neighbors can be a nightmare. Having bad neighbors in Japan, with its bureaucratic mountain to climb, a language barrier to overcome and not wanting to upset the wa (harmony) between every…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 1 month ago | 1 comment

With spring round the corner, people are gearing up for the pollen allergy season. Man-made pine forests emanate huge amounts of pollen, making those with allergies suffer a lot.

Any ideas or hints f…

posted by  Yubi | 8 years, 1 month ago | 2 comments

About 1,200 people have taken part in a snowball fight in Uonuma, Niigata Prefecture, on the Japan Sea coast.

Sunday's event was the 29th contest held in the city.

This year 240 teams that included e…

posted by  Yubi | 8 years, 1 month ago | 2 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, 1 month ago | 0 comments

When working in Japan, it is mandatory for an employee to make payments to Japan Pension Fund.

If you are leaving Japan for good, you can take back what you paid, but there is an upper limit. Let's m…

posted by  Yubi | 8 years, 1 month ago | 1 comment

Death from overwork and ceaseless overtime are closely related to the rise of what in Japan are known as burakku kigyo, loosely translated as “dark companies” or “evil corporations.”

posted by  banzaitokyo | 8 years, 1 month ago | 1 comment

This is a common question among foreign residents in Tokyo. We have been told that both parents must be working for the child to be eligible for childcare at almost all daycare centers. What is the r…

posted by  Yubi | 8 years, 2 months ago | 3 comments

The number of Japanese moving into Tokyo and nearby prefectures was higher than those who left for the 21st straight year in 2016, with the availability of child care support proving a big draw in ce…

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