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Not one for the camera: Satsuki may look a little grumpy in photographs but in reality he is quite the charmer.

Satsuki the cat brings all the joy of May flowers

This rather intense-looking fellow is Satsuki, a name more often given to girls since "satsuki" is a type of azalea. However, it is also what we used to call the month of May according to the old Japanese calendar, and that was when our Satsuki was born. Now 6 years old, Satsuki arrived at ARK...

The full monty: Osakan Rie Gomita could have trouble landing an ALT job in Japan with this irezumi ensemble.

Think before you ink if you work with kids

by Louise George Kittaka

Reader PP is arriving in Japan soon to begin a stint as an assistant language teacher (ALT). He writes: "I am very interested in getting an irezumi (traditional tattoo) in Japan. Are there any artists that will tattoo a foreigner? If so, who and where? My interviewer for the teaching position tri...

Body image and the foreign female in Japan: survey shows frustration with one-size-fits-all thinking

by Louise George Kittaka

Killing time at the hairdresser's the other day, I started to flick through a Japanese women's magazine. "Their world changed after they lost weight!" declared one article, depicting "before" and "after" pictures of six readers, along with each woman's height and weight. I whipped out my cellphon...

Summer potluck: One of the activities of the Sophia Refugee Support Group are Refugee Cafes that allow people who are new to Japan the opportunity to socialize and get to know people who may find themselves in similar situations as themselves.

A Sophia University student group is building the bridges that refugees need

by Rei Ando

"Abdul" is having a bad day. Sitting on the other side of a thick glass wall at the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, the Cameroon national is waiting to hear on the status of his application to claim political asylum in Japan. He has already been rejected four times. A detaine...

That's what she said: If a Japanese colleague makes a comment that doesn't sit well with you, there are a few ways you can handle it. Above all, if you want to maintain good relations with your co-workers, it's best to handle the situation in a nonconfrontational manner.

Plan your response before taking on passive prejudice at the office

by Rochelle Kopp

You're in the middle of a conversation with your Japanese co-workers when one suddenly quips, "Most foreigners are job hoppers who don't have any loyalty to their company." "Wow," you think to yourself. "Where did that come from?" The conversation continues but you're stuck on the comment. It'...