Growing Delicious Vegetables in Japan
How to grow delicious Japanese vegetables? Strengthening Produce with Unfavorable Conditions An old man sits alone by the open French windows on the south side of his room. Before him is a view of a garden bathed in bountiful sunlight. Hearing this, you may well think that this is a man who is whiling away […]
Japan's Aquaculture Technology
Kinki University Fisheries Laboratory’s Attempt to Solve a Food Issue of the 21st Century The Kinki University Fisheries Laboratory is both a pioneer and leader in the field of aquaculture. The research into aquaculture methods undertaken by the laboratory over the past 43 years has prompted a great turnaround in the fishing industry from a […]
Tobita-kun Goes Abroad from Shiga, Japan
What is Tobita-kun? “My name is Tobita Tobidashi. Please drive carefully.” The figure of a small boy was created in Shiga Prefecture 40 years ago as a safety measure to alert drivers to watch out for children who might run out unexpectedly (called tobidashi or “pop out”) on the street. Up to the present, some […]
A Costumed Marathon in Japan
On the second Sunday of each year, the Ansei Tooashi Samurai Marathon is held in Annaka City, Gunma Prefecture. This year the race was held for the 39th time, with 1,703 runners, dressed in unique costumes, taking part. Cheered on by the spectators, the runners race in two parts, a 28.97 kilometer section that transits […]
What Do You Do If Your Boss Asks to Be Friends on Facebook?
Source: Sanno University (Conducted among 421 newly hired men and women in April, 2018) When newly hired company employees who utilize social media were asked how they would feel if their boss requested to become a friend, 42.5% replied they would be unhappy. With females in particular that response reached nearly 60%. In a separate […]
Asking Japanese Teens What They Think about Their Fathers
Source: Nationwide survey of 963 teens by Lifemedia (June, 2013) Easy to get angryHe is inflexible (or stubborn)Won’t listen to meDoesn’t do household choresNothing in particularCares about our familyIs gentleCan depend on himWorks hardKnows lots of things When teenagers around Japan were asked what they liked most about their fathers, the most common replies were […]
John Manjiro (John Mung): Connecting Japan to the US
Manjiro was born in 1827 in the village of Nakanohama, near the cape of Ashizurimisaki, Kochi Prefecture. He was the second son of five siblings. His father, a fisherman, passed away when Manjiro was just nine years old. As his older brother was in poor health, Manjiro worked for the local village headman in order […]
Why Do Japanese Firms Favor Japanese Suppliers?
The capital of Japan is Tokyo, but before that it was in Kyoto for over 1000 years. The people of Kyoto value history very highly. It is the same in business, and they take good care of their customers and business partners that they have known for a long time. There are still many stores […]
Preserving the Past in Japan: Registered Tangible Cultural Property (buildings and their plots)
More than 9,000 Important Cultural Properties Listed In a country that sits precariously on a part of the globe rife with earthquakes and volcanic activity, there has always been a concept in Japanese culture that good things are not long for this world. One only has to study the poetry or language of the country […]
Future Dreams of Japanese Children
Japanese Children's Dreams By D. McCaughan Japan is a place where a lot of time is spent reflecting on the past. I have lived here for nearly 10 years, and nearly every piece of research I have seen, all the reports on the state of economy, all the books and articles on Japanese society seem […]