Tag Archives: culture

Densetsu No Yuusha no Densetsu: A Rant

There Be Opinions Here So, let’s leave the one-time, original purpose of this blog behind. Let’s not focus on language or education. Instead, let’s look at, not culture in abstract, but some very specific things about culture. Namely, the anime … Continue reading

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The Culture of Food: O-Nigiri

Rice You Can Hold For once, eating with your hands (in Japan)  is OK. To nigiru is “To Grasp.” O-Nigiri (Japanese: おにぎり、お握り) is sushi that you grasp while eating it. Put simply, onigiri are rice balls with fillings of some … Continue reading

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The Japanese Restaurant, Pt. 1

You Know, The Rice Is The “Sushi.” That’s right. It’s the rice, not the fish, that is, quote unquote, “sushi.” Sliced fish, usually skewered, is actually called sashimi. If you didn’t know this, and even if you did, stay tuned … Continue reading

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Nurarihyon no Mago, ep. 10

If time truly permitted I’d relate from the beginning but, this is a transition to a new arc so it’s as good a place as any. Spoilers: show So Rikuo finally ascended to take over the Nura-gumi as “The Third” … Continue reading

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Nurarihyon no Mago

Theme: Friends & Family In actual Japanese mythology, Nurarihyon is a “youkai” (妖怪) believed to be an old man with a gourd-shaped head residing in Wakayama Prefecture. We might think of youkai as spirits, though “demons” is not really much … Continue reading

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Heroman: For Once, An All-American Anime Hero

A Product Of “Bones” – And Stan Lee Set in a fictional city on the West Coast (i.e. California), with large cameos by Washington D.C. and the White House, “Heroman” is a show about, essentially, a very unlikely, introverted, 97-pound … Continue reading

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Learning Through Lyrics: Part 9

Line Nine trust me この想いほどけないから                my dear 抱えた荷物 Translation Trust me / these feelings will never come apart       my dear / that baggage you carried Vocabulary & Grammar Notes Kono … Continue reading

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Japanese Business Culture: Five Steps For Building Trust

Trust Matters. You cannot do business in Japan to any serious degree without getting people to trust you. Here are five simple steps – I won’t call them easy – that you can follow to make your task less difficult. … Continue reading

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Japanese Business Culture: What The Japanese Side Wants To Hear

Broadly speaking, we all want to make a sales pitch. It’s a difficult habit to resist. We want to put the best spin on our company’s talents and resources and present everything in as positive a light as possible. We … Continue reading

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Profiles in Anime: Shiki

A Vampire Drama “Shiki” began as a novel written by Fuyumi Oni, whose chief claim to fame is writing the “Twelve Kingdoms” novels. (I have yet to read these, but I am told they are very interesting. I am aware … Continue reading

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