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April 28, 2024
 

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BILINGUAL

LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 18, 2002
Let's hear it for the big wa in a small country
Although we seem to have built an entire culture based on loathing of all things Japanese and admiration of all things foreign, scratch the surface of our inferiority complex and you'll find a streak of patriotism somewhere.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 27, 2002
Plenty of reasons to enjoy the predictable pleasures of fall
The Japanese have long described themselves as people who value the solidity of sameness. Anyone who has ever seen "Mito Komon" on TV will know what this means: the same dialogue, the same roles and the same big sword fight exactly 45 minutes into the program, all going on for many decades to general approval. Times change and things happen, but the Japanese will always find solace in unchanging phenomena. And aki (autumn) is one of them.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 6, 2002
Small-life, low-name -- let's not talk about me
There are some aspects of Japanese politeness that baffle even the Japanese. Like the habit of saying: "Kyoshuku desu (I'm terrified and shrinking)" in response to someone doing you a favor. And "Osoreirimasu (Fear has entered me)" instead of a plain "Arigato (Thank you)." Are other people really so terrifying -- or are we just suffering from a collective, colossal, politeness hangup?
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 16, 2002
You've got mail: the romance of the shoe box
Remember the days before cell phones and e-mail, when people actually wrote letters to each other, by hand -- often pages and pages of kokoro-no toro (emotional outpouring)? Maybe it's just me getting sentimental in my old age, but, really, there's something to be said for the days when the sight of tegaki moji (handwritten words) from loved ones and friends brightened daily life.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 26, 2002
Summertime wisdom out of the mouths of shogakusei
My French professor used to say that France is a nation where children try to become adults as soon as they possibly can, while in Japan, adults try to extend their childhood for as long as they possibly can.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 5, 2002
Our yankii are different from your yankees
You know you're old when the slang expressions so fashionable in your youth go right over the heads of 22-year-olds who stare blankly as though you've just spoken to them in ancient Egyptian. One remembers a time when mecchanko (extremely superduper) was the adjective of the day, used to describe everything from ramen to the cute guy in 10th grade. This was then replaced by the shortened meccha and later obliterated in favor of cho (which for some reason had to be enunciated in a high-pitched voice) and then later, cho (said in an ordinary voice). Ours is not to reason why; ours is to simply switch voice tones. And remind ourselves that, after all, the characters for ryuko (fashion) stand for "flow" and "go."
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 14, 2002
'Allez Nippon!' -- how Japan learned to love M. Troussier
Watched any World Cup matches in the past few weeks? Yelled your heart out? Ready to slit your wrists -- or, more to the point, to strangle a shinpan (referee) or two? Predictably, a few of my friends have sworn never to touch coffee made from Costa Rican beans ever again (what was that referee thinking anyway?).
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 24, 2002
Japanese women staying in touch with their inner virgin
What with the rise of the strong and professional Japanese woman, it may have escaped your notice. But the nation is currently undergoing a quiet boom in otome (innocent young girl) culture, to which a large number of aforementioned strong professionals are addicted.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 3, 2002
Just your average, run-of-the-mill salaryman sings the blues
So let me introduce myself. I'm your futsu (run-of-the-mill), heikin (average) salaryman, nothing special. What's wrong with that? I can remember a time when this particular jiko-shokai (self-introduction) at company functions and karaoke parties was perfectly acceptable -- even welcomed.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 5, 2002
Oh, to die under a cherry-blossom tree in spring
It's over for Tokyo, that brief period in spring known as hanami no kisetsu (the season to sit under a cherry-blossom tree and eat and drink oneself into oblivion).
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 8, 2002
Gutsy manga classic that pulls no punches
Konjo-nashi (gutless) is a word often used to describe today's Japanese youth. But the people using it are frankly wakkachyainai (clueless). The truth is, young people love konjo (guts). They want it, they admire it. They'd ooze konjo from every pore -- if they could. And to prove it, an increasing number of them are reading "Ashita no Jo (Jo of Tomorrow)."
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 15, 2002
Pilgrims taking the long and winding road to ramen heaven
One mind-boggling feature of Japan's media is its sheer, singleminded dedication to and passionate obsession with food. This especially applies to the genre known as menrui (noodles). From somen and soba to Vietnamese pho and supa (spaghetti), the Japanese have always had an inordinate love for nagai mono (long stuff), not least because it connotes longevity and prosperity. Long live the long stuff.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 5, 2001
Open your ears to nature's rainbow of sound
In Japan, autumn fills nature, not only with visual colors, but also with "colorful" sounds: blowing wind, birdsong, the chirping of insects and the crunching of leaves.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 24, 2001
Even a single drop of beauty can ripple the soul
It was about the middle of September, and I was far from home.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 3, 2001
Poetry, music and art make for a peaceful soul
Several summers ago, while at St. John's University in Minnesota, I came across a book that had matched a poem by Ntozake Shange with paintings by American artist Romare Bearden (1912-88).
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 16, 2001
Somewhere over the rainbow lies a pot of bliss
In any creative activity, our powers of invention stimulate the mind, in much the same way fertilizer in a vineyard helps the grapes grow to make wine. By engaging these powers, particularly insight and synthesization, our mental and creative capacity is nurtured and nourished.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 19, 2001
Understanding the power of evil
Hamlet's views on man are well known: "What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an angel! In apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world!" (II-ii, 315-20)
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 15, 2000
Hopes of peace rise with dawn of the 21st century
On the last day of the 20th century, the world seemed to resonate with the mournful aftermath of tragedies perpetrated across the globe during the previous 100 years. It appeared necessary to pin one's hopes on the dawn of the new century in order to dissipate the tones of violence and death still lingering in the darkness; to welcome the light of peace upon humankind and all the earth.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 17, 2000
A song that stirred the music of the heart
The season was far advanced when Etoile Nord came to Kyoto to study at a certain university.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 20, 2000
On living in the best of all possible worlds
In "Modern Man in Search of a Soul" (1933) Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) remarks: "The artist is not a person endowed with free will who seeks his own ends, but one who allows art to realize its purposes through him . . . To perform this difficult office it is sometimes necessary for him to sacrifice happiness and everything that makes life worth living for the ordinary human being." (tr. W.S. Del and C.F. Baynes)
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.
In Japan, regional revitalization fails to halt population decline
Sakiyama elementary school in Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture, in March .Over the past decade, the government has directed efforts toward policies designed to give young people incentives to base themselves in rural areas.
Number of homeless in Japan hits record low
Homeless people sleep on the street in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward in August 2021.
Ukraine is far from doomed
When comparing Ukraine’s military situation in 2024 to Europe’s in 1941, Russia’s defeat seems entirely possible.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Tokyo's Koto Ward by-election a race unlike any other
Natsumi Sakai, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan’s candidate and one of four female candidates running in the by-election, touts her experience as a cancer survivor and midwife as having prepared her to tackle issues that women currently face.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability
Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability

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