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May 14, 2024
 

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JAPAN LITE

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Aug 11, 2001
In South Asian taxis, chaos is the rule
It's summer vacation, when many of you will find yourselves clinging to the inside of taxis in South Asian countries as the drivers try to get you to someplace like your hotel as fast as possible, as if it will get up and move to another location any moment. The result is you get the life scared out of you without the hassle of a funeral.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Aug 4, 2001
Enduring summer's mosquitoes is murderous
It's summer on Shiraishi Island and the mosquitoes are out on their search and annoy missions. There are so many mosquitoes at night, it sounds like Leo Sayer is singing in my bedroom: "You make me feel like dancin' " they sing, "Gonna dance the night awa--" Pssssshhht. In a cloud of insecticide, they fall to their knees. (Yes, mosquitoes have knees. That's how they do push-ups.) Cannibals!
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 28, 2001
A dictionary by any other name is not so sweet
The Japanese have a curious habit of naming dictionaries. Not names like Taro, Yumi, Pochi, or something that might come if you called it, but names that are meant to conjure up an image. Here is a list of English-Japanese, Japanese-English Dictionaries and possible images they are meant to convey:
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 21, 2001
Ruin yourself in extravagance with food
Today I will give you a tour of Osaka, Japan's third largest city that doubles as the nation's largest pachinko parlor. If you've ever wondered what it's like to walk around inside one of those pachinko game machines, I suggest taking a walk through Umeda or Nanaba at night. With all the neon and blinking lights, you'd think you were in Las Vegas. The only thing that distinguishes Osaka from Las Vegas is the fact that the Osaka Castle is not a hotel yet.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 14, 2001
All set ot sail -- and then the wind blew
On July 1, the sea opened in an annual event called "umibiraki" (opening of the sea). My island celebrates umibiraki with the annual Shiraishi Yacht Race. This year, I and a couple of friends decided to enter the race. Since we all had limited sailing skills, we thought this would be a lot of fun. Our crew was an attorney, an English teacher and a columnist. Even though we had never entered a race before, we knew we had the main ingredient to win a Japanese yacht race: the ability to "gambaru."
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 7, 2001
There's no terminating hungry termites
I'm so hungry, I could eat a house! That is the termite's mantra. My neighbor Kazuko is having her house rebuilt, as it has been consumed by termites, which the Japanese call "shiroari" ("white ants").
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jun 30, 2001
Cracking foreign code
The problem with foreign languages is that they change all the normal rules. Normal language meaning YOUR native language, and not anyone else's. Those people who invented foreign languages changed the rules just so you wouldn't be able to imitate their language easily. Like protecting their secret code.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jun 23, 2001
Blame diets for plummeting population
Today we address the problem of Japan's declining student population. If you teach at a university like I do, you are well aware that classes have gotten smaller and smaller over the years. At the women's university where I teach, the classes are half the size they were five years ago.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jun 16, 2001
No one can replace this man in my life
I admit it -- I forgot about Father's Day. But before all you fathers start wagging your fingers at me and threatening to send me to bed without dinner, I'd like to redeem myself by writing a Father's Day column.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jun 9, 2001
Variety adds spice to bland English lessons
Tired of teaching the same old English lessons? Tired of drilling students on the same old topics: their hobbies, the weather and food? And getting the same old answers such as, "My hobbies are reading and listening to music"? Do you keep holding out for a truly unique self-introduction?
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jun 2, 2001
The missing link in your linguistic skills
Sometimes you just can't find the right word to describe something uniquely Japanese. Thus, I have created the following words for the first Japan Lite Dictionary for foreigners in Japan.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
May 26, 2001
Job-hunting tips for the nation's students
Japan's unemployment rate is the highest ever in the postwar era. This is especially bad news for students, who are finding it difficult to find jobs upon graduating. But don't despair, students, deep down the bubble economy is still bubbling! Japan is still paying people to do jobs that don't even exist in most other countries.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
May 19, 2001
Satellite radio: a commuter's best friend
Ever wonder how Japanese people can sleep on trains? Ever wonder how they know exactly when to wake up at their stop? I've finally figured it out: They're not really sleeping. They're listening to satellite radio. Satellite-radio stations offer a variety of programs, many of them designed with Japan's most popular hobby in mind -- sleeping.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
May 12, 2001
Newcomer's guide to interpreting Japlish
English can be seen and heard all over Japan. However, the meaning of the English isn't always obvious. Here is a list of Japanese-English words and phrases explained.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
May 5, 2001
Just how long will you stay in Japan?
When foreigners come to Japan, we often don't know how long we'll end up staying. Wouldn't it be great if there was some way of knowing? Now there is! Take this quiz, designed to let you know how long you'll stay in Japan.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 28, 2001
Not your average garden-variety squabble
My garden is a mixture of potted house plants, herbs and flowers. I can't help but think that when I'm not home, they squabble. I don't think they're your average garden-variety squabbles, either.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 21, 2001
A time of rapid change and slow speech
Are you, or have you ever been, a member of the Japanese workforce? Like cards, you have been shuffled and dealt out to a different department or location within your company, as if you worked for Trump.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 14, 2001
No more excuses for not knowing your fish
Confused by all the different kinds of fish in Japan? I have learned to recognize fish by studying their facial expressions as they lay on my plate. It also helps to know which fish are served in which seasons.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 7, 2001
One with nature beneath the blossoms
It's the cherry-blossom season, and you know what that means -- we no longer have to look at those silly purple cabbage plants that have grown into conehead spectacles begging to be trodden down by a loose hippo. Yes, Japan's winter pallor will soon be infused with the colors of spring: pink "sakura" (cherry blossoms) fire engine-red "chew lips" (tulips) and house lizards with metallic blue tails.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Mar 31, 2001
The gift from kitty that never stops giving
If you travel enough, there is going to be a day when your cat pees in your suitcase. It's something that only happens if you have gone out of town and left your cat behind so many times that the cat becomes determined to accompany you in the most odorous way. Basically, your cat's message is: I love you so much, I'm going to let you carry my urine sample with you.
Three men rearrested over brokering of overseas prostitution
A woman speaks of her experience of being sent to Macau by an overseas prostitution broker during an interview in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on April 8.
Money stolen via online transfers up fivefold in Tokyo
Special fraud cases in Tokyo in which stolen money was sent via online banking services grew some fivefold from the previous year in 2023.
How the discovery of a giant sword in Nara offers clues into ancient Japan
Archaeologists say a 1,600-year-old wooden coffin at the Tomio Maruyama tumulus in the city of Nara was kept in good condition probably because it was protected by a layer of clay and copper ions that had seeped out of the mirrors that were buried together.
In first month of operations, ride-hailing services used more than taxis in Tokyo
As of last Sunday, ride-hailing services, which use personal vehicles to offer paid rides, had been used a total of 12,628 times in five areas.
Tech giants start to treat Southeast Asia like the next big thing
Attendees arrive for Microsoft's event on AI technologies in Jakarta on April 30.
Is black the new green for Japan’s flagging tea farmers?
George Guttridge-Smith brews tea at Kyoto Obubu Tea Farm in Wazuka, Kyoto Prefecture, where he serves as head of international development.
Japan's logistics firms seek partnerships to cope with driver shortage
Japan Post CEO Tetsuya Senda (right) and his Seino Transportation counterpart Satoshi Takahashi announce their companies' agreement on joint long-haul truck operations, in Tokyo on Thursday.
How the discovery of a giant sword in Nara offers clues into ancient Japan
Archaeologists say a 1,600-year-old wooden coffin at the Tomio Maruyama tumulus in the city of Nara was kept in good condition probably because it was protected by a layer of clay and copper ions that had seeped out of the mirrors that were buried together.
Unlike 10 years ago, Japan's new security bill sparks little debate
The Lower House starts discussing a security clearance bill on April 19 in Tokyo.
Japan’s tween skateboarders get head start on preparations for 2028 Olympics
Ibuki Matsumoto competes at an event in Osaka on April 21.

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