Impressions of daily life in Japan
One of the things that surprised me while living in Japan, was the fact that there are so many seasonal foods in Japan. Coming from a country where it is considered completely normal to eat tomatoes all through winter and where young people think pineapple is a local produce (it's not!), I was charmed by... Continue Reading →
One of the things that fascinate me about Japan, is the fact that they mostly have the same stuff we do, but in a different version. It makes you realize how many different ways there are of doing the same thing. A very good example is the way Japanese people use emoticons. For the more... Continue Reading →
I once heard somewhere that 80% of all content on the internet is porn. But surely that can't be true. If you ask me, 80% of all content on the internet consists of funny cat pictures. The most famous website with funny cat pictures is 'I can has cheezburger'. It features pictures of cats with... Continue Reading →
The other day I was watching the Japanese movie 'Okuribito' (usually titled 'Departures' abroad). I absolutely love that movie and would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone. The movie is about a man who moves back from Tokyo to his hometown in the mountains. He gets involved in the funeral business, a profession that was despised... Continue Reading →
The Japanese love to celebrate the seasons. As autumn approaches, the Japanese longingly look forward not only to a relief of the summer heat, but also to the beauty of the autumn leaves. The most popular kind of autumn leaves are (Japanese) maple leaves, that turn bright red in autumn. They are called 'momiji', although... Continue Reading →
Japanese people have the remarkable ability to take a nap anytime anywhere. A favourite place for those power naps is the train. While most adults try to maintain a fairly upright position even while sleeping, these kids seem to have no such reservations and have comfortably settled themselves for a nap on the way home.... Continue Reading →
The Japans 