寄生獣 – Parasyte
Parasyte is the title of a SF manga written by Hitoshi Iwaaki (岩明 均) (b. 1960) between 1988 and 1995. In this …
食欲の秋 – Autumn Appetite
Japanese people say they have “autumn appetite.” It means that you feel hungrier in the fall than in any other season. This …
秋のスタバ – Starbucks
There are many Starbucks stores in Japan, and some of the items they sell are the same as the Starbucks in the …
モンブラン – Mont Blanc
In Japan, Mont Blanc is a very popular cake made with chestnut paste. It came from Europe originally in 1933, but has …
栗 – Chestnuts
From September through October is the season to harvest chestnuts in Japan. While chestnuts are not particularly popular in the U.S., they …
米 – Rice
The Rice harvest in Japan comes in the fall. Rice from the new crop (新米 or shinmai) is a bit different from …
金木犀 – Kinmokusei
“Kinmokusei (金木犀)” is a tree whose blossoms have the most amazing fragrance; at least I think so. 😉 Kinmokusei blossoms are orange …
シン・ゴジラ – Shin Godzilla
In December 2014, Toho announced that they are making a new Godzilla movie. Their last movie was made in 2004, and the …
Gugure! Kokkuri-san
“Kokkuri-san (コックリさん)” is a special type of Japanese fortune telling similar to what people in the West call “table-rapping.” It involves necromancy or summoning the spirits of the dead …
線香花火 – Senkō Sparkler
One type of firework that has been used in Japan since the Edo period is called “senkō sparkler”; probably the smallest sparkler in …