妖怪 – Yōkai
In Japanese folklore Yōkai are supernatural beings of many kinds including monsters, spirits, ghosts, and demons. Some of them are friendly and …
Bonin Flying Fox
The Bonin flying fox (オガサワラオオコウモリ) is endemic to Japan and has been found in a few islands of Ogasawara (known as the …
Tipping in Japan
The custom of tipping is not common in Japan as it is in the U.S. While you can tip a personal driver, …
招き猫 – Maneki Neko
Maneki-neko is a Japanese lucky charm of a cat and is also called “beckoning cat” in English. Today it is well known …
Japanese Table Manners
Many people love Japanese food in the U.S., but most of us don’t know the dos and don’ts of Japanese table manners. …
マリモ – Marimo
Marimo literally means an “algae ball” in Japanese. A marimo is a colony of thread-like algae that naturally takes on a ball-like …
サンマ – Mackerel Pike
Mackerel pike is one of the most popular fish in Japan and is called “sanma (サンマ)” in Japanese. Sanma tastes best in …
忍者学 – Ninja Study
Mie University Graduate School in Japan announced recently that they will have ninja study as a subject for the entrance examination starting …
ありがとう – Arigatō
“Arigatō” means “thank you” in Japanese. The word arigatō came from arigatai. Today some people say arigatai as well as arigatō, but …
透明クレヨン – Clear Crayon
Did you know there are clear crayons??? Apparently they came out a few years ago in Japan, but I didn’t know anything …