Learn Japanese from Car Names. The hidden needle and thread in the Toyota logo is a reference to their origins as a maker of cloth looming machines.
Read more →Japan loves baseball. The longer you live there the more you realize how crazy they are for the sport.
Read more →1964 2020 Tokyo Olympics logo Japan Tokyo getting awarded the 2020 Summer Olympic Games is great news for Japan. A country that has taken a beating in the last few…
Read more →The Yakuza, simply put, is the Japanese mafia. It is Japan’s infamous organized crime syndicate. Like their Italian counterparts, they have been elevated to legendary pop-culture status through countless movies,…
Read more →Atari logo and atari kanji positioned side by side for your visual inspection Atari is the infinitive form of the the verb ataru. Based on the “tou” Kanji (当,) which…
Read more →Japanese cheerleaders asking you to take your garbage with you. Yurtec Stadium Sendai, Home of the Vegalta Sendai J-League professional soccer team. I will begin this post about Japanese…
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I have a continuing series where I meet famous Japanese people and attempt to talk with them in Japanese. This weeks disastrous episode is Kazunori Yamauchi (山内 一典), creator of the legendary Gran Turismo series on the Playstation, and CEO of Polyphony Digital. I wanted to say, “Shashin wa daijoubu…
The American Baseball Player. Japan loves baseball. The longer you live there the more you realize how crazy they are for the sport. Team logos are seen everywhere and the players endorse all sorts of products. Their advertisements can be seen everywhere from the insides of the trains I take, to the…
The Nanatsuboshi (which means “seven stars” in Japanese) is a new high end extravagant luxury train built by the Kyushu Railway Co. Aside from it’s visual similarities to the Mammoth Car in Speed Racer, the Seven Stars in much less intimidating on the inside. The train cabins are lined with…
Tokyo getting awarded the 2020 Summer Olympic Games is great news for Japan. A country that has taken a beating in the last few years in front of the entire instant-information world. The earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear troubles that the world watched live in 2011 were just another blow to…
The Japanese love curry and they use it to flavor everything. Similar to American’s and their nacho cheese. Here they are flavoring the classic Japanese cultural icon: Cup Noodles with the strong kick of curry. Which, apparently, is not enough. In this case they are not only flavoring something that…
おめでとうございます。 Congratulations to Takuma Sato. The first Japanese driver to win an IndyCar race. Here are some more photos of the Race. Comments commentsPowered by Facebook Comments
The Yakuza, simply put, is the Japanese mafia. It is Japan’s infamous organized crime syndicate. Like their Italian counterparts, they have been elevated to legendary pop-culture status through countless movies, TV shows, and anime. I don’t really know much about them other than the tattoos and pachinko parlors. I am…
Okinawa Japan was recently named one of the Top 10 places to visit in 2013 by Coastal Living Magazine. Claiming that Okinawa “Has what it takes to be the next big thing!” I think they are right, and I think the people and government of Okinawa are doing everything they…
Natto, along with uni, and konnyaku, make up the top three Japanese foods that scare the bejesus out of people. None of these foods actually tastes bad. I think they are scary due to their strange textures. I have read countless websites and books that say these foods are an…
This is an ongoing series where I explain concepts of the Japanese language through words that you already know; Japanese car names. (Car Names Main Page) Lets use Honda to explain Hiragana. Written Japanese is made up of four alphabets that are mixed and matched in Japanese sentences! Here are the…
I will begin this post about Japanese garbage, trash, and litter with a soccer story. It was the 1998 World Cup in France. The Japanese national soccer team had qualified…
This is a sign outside of the small town of Gobo in Wakayama Japan. It makes for a great Kanji quiz, as all destinations are 5 characters long. But it…
They say that once you are able to talk to a barber and a cab driver in a foreign country, using a foreign language, you are now considered fluent. Of…
The first barber I ever went to was around the corner from my old apartment near Nagoya Station. It is a tightly packed neighborhood behind the Toyota Museum. There…
This is an ongoing series where I explain concepts of the Japanese language through words that you already know; Japanese car names. Read Part-1 Read Part-2 The mid 1980′s started…
This is an ongoing series where I explain concepts of the Japanese language through words that you already know; Japanese car names. Read Part-1 here. For the first time ever on…
Toyota and Katakana (part 1) This is an ongoing series where I explain concepts of the Japanese language through words that you already know; Japanese car names. . Let’s use…
Kumamoto Castle (熊本城) Kumamoto Castle (熊本城) in Kyushu is one of the most beautiful and fascinating cultural landmarks in all of Japan. The Castle plays a key role in two of the most important plot points…
Combining electric rental cars, dedicated tablet PC’s and a spring-training-baseball tour may not seem like much. But this is a game changer, excuse the pun. This is the next step…
Featured Photo: Dark storm clouds start rolling in over rice fields and power lines near Kariya. Aichi Japan. . Comments commentsPowered by Facebook Comments
The Yakuza, simply put, is the Japanese mafia. It is Japan’s infamous organized crime syndicate. Like their Italian counterparts, they have been elevated to legendary pop-culture status through countless movies, TV shows, and anime. I don’t really know much about them other than the tattoos and pachinko parlors. I am not really fascinated by them…
They say that once you are able to talk to a barber and a cab driver in a foreign country, using a foreign language, you are now considered fluent. Of course until you reach that skill level you are considered a jackass (rough translation). Generally, the service industry is the front line of any country…
The first barber I ever went to was around the corner from my old apartment near Nagoya Station. It is a tightly packed neighborhood behind the Toyota Museum. There is a constant clickety-clack sound of trains running in the distance. I had not been in Japan that long as I walked down the small…
My first Japanese bicycle was a hand-me-down from my district manager in Nagoya. She was a big blonde Australian girl named Amanda. She had been in Japan for about 4 years. Hand-me-downs are common among foreigners in Japan. Teachers are shipped in and out in a constant rotation. Books, bikes, and dvd players were passed…
