Navigating the murky waters of social media in a pandemic
The frequent occurrence of disasters in Japan has ensured that netizens are constantly on the lookout for online hoaxes. Following any large earthquake or typhoon, social media is typically flooded with all kinds of misleading posts and doctored images. Some are posted in a ...
Social media helps Japan's embattled parents connect over schools' closure
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s recommendation that all elementary, junior high and high schools in Japan close through the end of their April spring break in order to prevent the spread of a new coronavirus caught nearly everyone in the country off guard when the ...
YouTube content that attempts to find real Japanese opinions
A lot has changed over the past decade insofar as Japanese content on YouTube is concerned, with creators moving away from uploads that simply record personal experiences to posts that give viewers real insight into the lives and opinions of Japanese people. No longer are ...
Discovering who's behind Japan's English rail announcements
Tokyo’s train system is considered to be one of the most expansive and most reliable in the world, but it can be pretty intimidating for anglophones trying to navigate the city. Thankfully, announcements in English can be heard on many railway lines, with narrators providing ...
The rebirth of cool: It's not easy being a lovable middle-aged man in Japan
For the first time since … never, the ojisan (middle-aged man) is on a roll. Until recently, many have treated middle-aged men in Japan with a sense of dismissiveness, if not outright contempt. Mainstream media have always portrayed middle-aged men as being overbearing and clueless at ...
COVID-19 reveals fractured moral impulse of social media
The outbreak of a new coronavirus in China, now officially named COVID-19, has sparked plenty of concern online — some valid, others more hyperbolic in nature. Like many global events in the social media age, the outbreak has also resulted in no shortage of ...
Japan's rail employees take to social media to air frustrations over work
On the surface, Japan’s train station employees might appear deferential, profusely apologizing for the slightest delay and helpfully guiding passengers through the intricacies of the various transport hubs dotting Tokyo. On the inside, however, a darker side of their personality seems to exist. To get an ...
Social media in Japan fumes over Studio Ghibli's Netflix omission
Anime fans will now be able to enjoy a night in with Studio Ghibli after Netflix began streaming 21 films from the animation firm’s catalogue on Feb. 1. However, there’s a catch. While Studio Ghibli enthusiasts in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and ...
Kakeibo: Turning a dull aspect of Japanese life into social media gold
At some point in the past decade, the international notion of “weird Japan” — a view in which the country produces more quirky and wacky trends than many other nations, regardless if said example is actually widespread — took a back seat to “boring but ...
Social media turns its back on Japan's beloved strong alcoholic beverages
Everyone has a friend who likes to darken the mood when others are simply trying to have a good time. Dr. Toshihiko Matsumoto took on this mantle over the new year, killing the buzz for a number of people on social media just hours ...
Infestations in Tokyo begin to align with zodiac animals of the year
It’s hard to associate Tokyo with anything else besides people, buildings and cars, but a closer inspection of the city and its outskirts reveal otherwise. From 2014 to 2016, there were sightings of masked palm civets in many of the city’s 23 wards. Public health ...
Predicting Japan's digital trends of the next decade
Last year was all about looking back. Between the end of the Heisei Era (1989-2019) and the decade coming to a close, people appeared to go to extra lengths to reflect on the recent and not-so-recent past (this column included). Now that we’ve entered ...
