Impressions of daily life in Japan
One of my favourite restaurants in Toyota City is a tavern (or in Japanese, an izakaya) called Tsubasaya. They have a blog where they post pictures of their guests. In the first two months of our stay in Japan, I had managed to end up on their blog twice. The first time was at the... Continue Reading →
Yesterday it snowed in Toyota City. That's a big deal because in this area of Japan it rarely snows. In addition to that, the amount of snow we had yesterday (about 15 cm) occurs only once every twenty years, according to my Japanese teacher. I was surprised to see that everyone in Japan uses an... Continue Reading →
There is a Thai restaurant in Toyota City called 'Golden Shower', I kid you not. We were a little apprehensive when we first saw the place, as no doubt there are many places in Japan where one might go for an actual golden shower. But after a closer inspection it seems like this is just... Continue Reading →
Anyone who has lived in the Toyota City center or has visited Toyota City will know the characteristic sound of 'The Mochi Mobile'. It's a little van that drives around the city while blasting it's characteristic song from a megaphone. This is what it sounds like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyjU2aurzHQ&feature=youtu.be I've heard the wildest theories about the significance... Continue Reading →
When returning to Japan after our two-week holiday in Belgium, we got our first taste of winter in Japan. It has gotten cold (maximum 5° C at midday) and it even snows occasionally. But I was very surprised to see flowers blooming even in this weather. While I normally associate autumn and winter with barren... Continue Reading →
Christmas is not a traditional Japanese holiday. Only about 1% of the Japanese population is Christian. New Year is a lot more important in Japan and is celebrated with many traditional Japanese rituals. But Japanese people never turn down an oportunity to have a festivity or festival, so just like Halloween and Valentine's day, Christmas... Continue Reading →
The Japans 