Impressions of daily life in Japan
When walking down the street in Japan, you never know what you're going to see next. Like this oddly shaped car for example. I have never seen this shape in Europe. Although the design is striking, it hardly seems efficient (in terms of luggage space). Does anyone know what kind of car it is and... Continue Reading →
Summer in Japan is in full swing and that means at least two months of extreme heat and humidity. Before moving to Japan I had been warned about the hot and humid Japanese summers. But somehow I wasn't able to fully grasp the meaning of those words until after actually having lived through the experience... Continue Reading →
Last year around Christmas time, the pictures of an Osaka department store advertising a 'fuckin' sale' went across the globe. I recently came across another funny sales advertisement in Tokyo, although this one had a more positive message: the hopeful sale (or rather, bargain). The Japanese have a habit of combining English adjectives and nouns... Continue Reading →
When driving along the highway in Japan, one often comes across signs warning drivers about animals that could possibly cross the road. While in Belgium such signs almost always depict a deer, in Japan the sign can show all sorts of animals. The Japanese love to be specific! The sign that surprised me most was... Continue Reading →
One thing that's typically Japanese are the ridiculously clean cars. I have no idea how they manage to keep their cars that clean. It's not like all the Japanese are collectively washing their cars on Sunday. In fact I hardly catch anyone cleaning their car ever. But somehow all the cars in Japan are sparkly... Continue Reading →
While attending Kyoto's Aoi Matsuri (Hollyhock Festival) last week, I came across an endearing scene. A huge black butterfly had decided to have a rest in the sun, right on top of someone's head. The person in question was keeping very calm, quietly posing for photographs. After a few minutes the butterfly took off and... Continue Reading →
The Japans 