Thousands of Years of History Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, and the Indus Valley rank among the oldest human civilizations. Japan isn’t quite that old, but is absolutely unique in the world’s historic cultures. While Japan benefits from China’s proximity (borrowing their architecture, written language, and even food preparation techniques), it has a distinct culture of its …
One Country, Two Power Grids Modern industrial Japan is oddly unique. Two, incompatible power grids deliver energy to the nation, effectively dividing the country into east and west. When the country opened its borders to the industrial world in the 1860s, two competing infrastructures descended on the country, with Europe focusing on Tokyo in the …
In Japan, “bathing” is not washing A key cultural difference between Japan and the West is in the relationship with hot water and bodies. More than 27,000 onsen (hot springs) dot Japan, with nearly all harvested for bath water. Yes, bathing is a serious business in Japan. Along with this vast national resource, generations of …
English—Just because it’s written doesn’t mean it’s spoken The second most common language in Japan is English, and yet, most Japanese can’t fluently speak the language of the international traveler. For English-speaking visitors, this seems odd, given that signage, directions, and even common instructions appear written in English. For the last few decades, English class …
Oshōgatsu In Japan, the New Year festival is the biggest holiday of the year. Steeped in tradition and national values, the holiday includes gift giving, eating traditional foods, drinking nihonshu (sake), and prayer. In 1873, the holiday was moved to the Gregorian calendar used by the West, setting Oshōgatsu to January 1st. Prior to that, …
Travel tours are like dog breeds. Some are big, others are small. Do you want to travel with a throng of 30, or with an intimate group of six. If small group sounds good to you, keep reading…
You will find short articles to help foreigners traverse the uniqueness of Japan. Written by a gaijin that has spent years traveling around Japan.