Shakespeare’s play “All’s Well That Ends Well” is well-known in Japanese as “終わり良ければ全て良し” (“Owari Yokereba Subete Yoshi”). Since the ending matters most, 年末 (nenmatsu, the end of the year) a... Read more
With border restrictions lifted over a year ago and society returning to a state of semi-normalcy, some foreign residents are considering packing up and leaving Japan for good in the coming... Read more
Last month, I attended an event in Tokyo called Black Gold. The project was set up by Cameron Peagler as a way to celebrate artists and creatives working in Japan. His group organizes events... Read more
You’ve likely already heard of Japan’s 花見 (hanami, cherry blossom viewing) season, but perhaps you haven’t heard of its more reserved, autumnal cousin, 月見 (tsukimi, moon viewing). Read more
One of the benefits of living in a Japanese city is the transportation network. A wide range of people use trains, subways and buses to get where they’re going, and you’ll often find 優先席 (yū... Read more
The beginning of the 学年 (gakunen, school year) is in April, but after a lengthy 夏休み (natsu yasumi, summer vacation) students return to 学校 (gakkō, school) in September for the 新学期 (shin-gakki... Read more
After I got over my initial confusion that a 美容院 (biyōin, beauty salon) and a 病院 (byōin, hospital) were different places when I first arrived in Japan, I admit I didn’t give the latter much... Read more