Lifestyle
What’s it like working for a black company in Japan?
Japan is known for its strong work ethic, where staff are expected to dedicate themselves to a company and the company will take care of them in turn. However, this dedication to the company can be exploited by so-called “black” companies (ブラック企業, burakku kigyo) that take advantage of the same corporate… Read
How the color of St Patrick’s Day went from blue to green
St Patrick’s Day usually conjures images of partying, Catholicism, Irish nationalism and, perhaps most famously, the color green: green clothes, green shamrocks, green beer and green rivers. So my students are often surprised when I tell them that St Patrick’s Day was once a solemn feast day when you’d be… Read
Tokyo’s Chidorigafuchi announces sakura festival light-up dates, new boat reservation system
When it was first dug, the Chidorigafuchi moat was meant to keep people away from the shogun’s stronghold of Edo Castle, which is what used to occupy the spot in the center of downtown Tokyo which now is part of the Imperial Palace. However, here in the modern era Chidorigafuchi is actually… Read
The New Yorker, a U.S. institution, celebrates 100 years of goings on
The New Yorker magazine, a staple of American literary and cultural life defined by its distinctive covers, long-form journalism, witty cartoons and particular grammar, is celebrating 100 years on newsstands. To mark the publication's centenary milestone, four commemorative issues are being released, while its namesake city will host seven exhibitions… Read
Phone bans sweep U.S. schools despite skepticism
At a red-brick school in Virginia, Hayden Jones is one of 1,000 students banned from using their phones as part of a trial hoping to boost learning. But the 12-year-old's verdict on the restrictions -- a shrug of his shoulders -- reflects the skepticism shared by some students and parents.… Read
Overseas visitors bringing new life to nuclear disaster-hit Fukushima
A town that hosts the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is being swept up in Japan's tourism boom, with visitors from China and other countries eager to see areas impacted by the 2011 disaster that forced residents to abandon their homes and former lives. While more than 80 percent… Read
Japanese parenting app has demon call your phone and scold your misbehaving kids
It’s an international truth that parenting is hard, and language reflects that. So while moms and dads in English-speaking countries might struggle with a child who’s going through the “terrible twos,” their counterparts in Japan are dealing with ma no nisai, “devil two-year-olds,” reflecting that even in Japan kids can be sometimes so… Read
What should you do if you get into a car accident in Japan?
Driving in Japan as a foreigner comes with challenges — unfamiliar traffic tickets, driving on the left and language barriers. Recently, more tourists have been involved in car crashes, often due to misreading road signs or misjudging road conditions. Japan also has the highest elderly driving population in the world, leading to a… Read
Feminine enough? How foreign women navigate identity in Japan
While everyone has their own reasons for coming to Japan, a fair number of foreigners come here to teach English. In recent years there has been a shift from roughly equal numbers of men and women to more female instructors — though this statistic varies by prefecture and urban versus… Read
Tokyo’s indoor Tenbou-Park Sakura Festival is perfect for those with pollen allergies
Spring is in the air again at Ikebukuro’s popular Sunshine City shopping complex in downtown Tokyo. The annual event, called the Tenbou-Park Sakura Festival, is officially underway now through May 11. Held at the Sunshine 60 Observatory Tenbou-Park on the 60th floor of the Sunshine 60 building, visitors can enjoy sweeping views of Tokyo with the added… Read
