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April 29, 2024
 

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SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT

Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Jul 19, 2011
Japan's incompatible power grids
Dear Alice,As Japan sweats through this summer of inadequate power, many more people now know that there are different electrical supply systems in eastern and western Japan, and that the two systems are incompatible. This is such a crazy situation that I'd really be interested to know the history behind it. Can you find out how the heck it came about? Scott H., Tokyo
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Jun 21, 2011
Kinpū
Dear Alice,I am fascinated by the elaborately decorated envelopes offered for sale in Japan. I know they are used for giving money, because the first time I came to Japan to study martial arts a friend taught me to put my lesson fees into an envelope, rather than just hand bills to my teacher. I'd like to use fancy envelopes on my next visit but I've heard some are only for weddings or funerals and I'm afraid I'll make a mistake. Can you explain the differences? Actually, can you explain why the heck money has to go into envelopes in the first place? Daniel A., Lisbon, Portugal
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
May 17, 2011
Bridges with names
Dear Alice, I've noticed something that no one has ever been able to explain to me: It seems that absolutely every bridge in Japan has a name! Size, length and location don't seem to have anything to do with it: I once saw two tiny bridges out in the middle of nowhere, one after the other, and each had its own name on a sign nearby. Even bridges that span highways almost always have a name. If living in Japan has taught me anything, it's that there's probably a reason for this. The problem is that no one knows what the heck it is! Would you be able to help?Rosalind C., Hokkaido
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Apr 21, 2011
Setsuden
Dear Alice, Everywhere I go now I see signs for setsuden (conserving electricity). There's a notice at my local convenience store explaining that the lights are down for setsuden. My post office has shortened its hours for setsuden. And the subway is running with fewer trains — you guessed it — for setsuden. So, what the heck is setsuden, really? Is this different from run-of-the-mill energy conservation? What should I be doing to help? Deborah N., Tokyo
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Mar 17, 2011
Yokobue
Dear Alice, Last November, I went to Kyushu to see the Karatsu Kunchi festival. It was a wonderful spectacle, with huge, flamboyant floats pulled through crowded streets to the rhythmic accompaniment of drums, music and shouts of "Enya! Enya!" I loved it all, but if I had to designate one aspect as my favorite, it would be the handsome young men on every float who were playing some kind of flute with a high pitch. So, what the heck is that instrument? Philippa J., Hyogo Prefecture
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Feb 17, 2011
Bloomers
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Jan 20, 2011
Wagashi
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Dec 16, 2010
Kiribi
Dear Alice
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Nov 18, 2010
Shrine tags
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Oct 21, 2010
Nature's air freshener
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Sep 16, 2010
Laundry logic
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Jul 15, 2010
Ladies' plans
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Jun 17, 2010
Vader ladies
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
May 20, 2010
A traditional Christian pattern?
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Apr 15, 2010
Ear rakes
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Mar 18, 2010
Dump-truck identification numbers
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Feb 18, 2010
Logo for recyclables
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Jan 21, 2010
Landlocked 'lighthouse'
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Dec 17, 2009
Scary crow
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Nov 19, 2009
Keikaisen (guard ships)
Dear Alice,
Number of homeless in Japan hits record low
Homeless people sleep on the street in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward in August 2021.
Raising kids in Japan as a single parent? It takes a village.
Making things work as a foreign, single mother in Japan isn't easy, but these tips and tricks can help you through the hardest parts.
JAL cancels international flight after captain gets drunk at Dallas hotel
A Japan Airlines' flight from Dallas to Tokyo was canceled last week after its captain got drunk at a local hotel.
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.
Putin’s war will soon reach Russians’ tax bills
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting in St. Petersburg on Friday.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
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.
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.
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.

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