Impressions of daily life in Japan
A trip to a Japanese supermarket is quite the adventure. The aisles are filled with unknown products. I feel especially overwhelmed when standing in front of the sauce stand. Any Japanese supermarket will have up to three aisles that are filled with nothing but sauce. There are so many different kinds: a wide variety of... Continue Reading →
Our time in Japan has come to an end. [insert dramatic silence] Yes, that's right. After only one short year, it's back to Belgium for us. Our pleads to Toyota to extend our stay have been to no avail. The project is finished and new projects await in Toyota Motor Europe. Resistance is futile. That... Continue Reading →
Today, July 8th, is the start of the Sumo Grand Tournament in Nagoya. There are six tournaments throughout the year, three of which take place in Tokyo. But come July, everyone in the sumo world travels to Nagoya for the July basho. The wrestlers arrive in Nagoya about two weeks prior to the start of... Continue Reading →
Fruit is extremely expensive in Japan. While in Belgium fruit is priced by the kilo or the bag, in Japan the price usually applies to one single piece of fruit. These apples for instance, cost 198 yen a piece (about 2 euro)! One thing I do have to admit is that fruit in Japan is... Continue Reading →
Belgium is not a famous country. Whenever I travel abroad and people ask me where I am from, I am usually given a puzzled stare when I answer 'Belgium'. I usually try to clarify, saying 'Europe'. That usually rings a bell: 'Ah Europe! That's where France is, right?'. Right. But not so in Japan. In... Continue Reading →
Around the middle of April it was cherry blossom time in Japan. Needless to say I had been looking forward to this for a while. When foreigners think of Japan and typical Japanese things, the beauty of the cherry blossoms is one of the first things that comes to mind. My anticipation was only increased... Continue Reading →
The Japans 