Impressions of daily life in Japan
Japanese people are very concerned with safety. One of the first Japanese words I learned after arriving in Japan was anzen (安全 ), the Japanese word for safety. A well-known example of this concern with safety is the method of 'pointing and calling', shisa kanko (指差喚呼), used by public transport operators in Japan. Japanese train... Continue Reading →
I never get tired of watching people in Japan. The way people dress and express themselves seems so much more varied than in Belgium. Although on the one hand, Japan is a society governed by rules, on the other hand I have the impression that Japanese people in some cases enjoy more personal freedom than... Continue Reading →
"Japanese women love to wear fur." Why have I chosen this simple statement as the topic for an entire blog post? Because the difference in attitude towards fur between Japan and Belgium (and I think Europe in general) is a striking cultural difference. I have had a lot of trouble explaining to Japanese women why... Continue Reading →
Winter is in full swing in Japan and it is cold! While the average daily maximum temperature for the Nagoya region in January is 9°C (according to the Japan Meteorological Agency), this year has been particularly cold with many days where the temperature doesn't go above 3 or 4° C. Japanese homes, unlike Belgian ones,... Continue Reading →
One of the strangest things I've seen in Japan so far, is people lying down on the street to take a nap. That's right, not in a nice meadow, a park or even under a tree somewhere. Just on the concrete. When I saw this, I wondered if these people were homeless. But they seemed... Continue Reading →
