Mochi and Its History in Japan
Mochi（餅 もち）and Its History in Japan The Roots of Mochi Are in Rice Balls When you hear the word mochi, you probably have the image of sticky rice cake made by pounding steamed rice with a pestle in a mortar, where the pounded rice is pulled into small pieces and rolled into balls. However, this […]
The Anatomy of a Monster Parent in Japan
By an Australian living in Tokyo The term “monster parents” has exploded in popularity since it was coined in 2007. Yoichi Mukoyama, a former teacher and now an education commentator on NHK, wrote about the increase of parents who made unreasonable demands on teachers and schools. Catchy and easy to understand, it described a type […]
The Decline of Neighborly Relations in Japan
Greeting Your Neighbors When Moving in By an Australian living in Tokyo When I got married to my Japanese husband, one of the rituals I had to perform as a new bride was to greet all the neighbors of my in-laws. My husband, my mother-in-law and I went to about six houses bringing them each […]
When Working with Japanese Coworkers
How to Work with Japanese Coworkers By Patricia Pringle They hired me for my expertise, but… Joe was a process engineer at a Japanese company, working on a product that would be designed in the United States, manufactured in Japan, and then sold in the United States. He was an expert on the design lifecycle […]