Author Archives: Vicky

The Unique Challenges of Renting in Japan – Part 1

I lived in a share house which had tatami mats and paper shōji windows. It wasn’t as nice as this image from PxHere though. Part 1: The pros and cons of renting a room in a share house for foreigners In my home country of the UK, renting is a pretty simple affair. It’s notContinueContinue reading “The Unique Challenges of Renting in Japan – Part 1”

愛は勝つ (ai wa katsu) “love wins”

I created this as a commission for a friend who wanted to give it as part of a gift. Before writing, I double checked the Japanese with my Japanese teacher to make sure it sounded natural (I *always* do this – it saves embarrassing mistakes!). She said that as well as sounding natural, it isContinueContinue reading “愛は勝つ (ai wa katsu) “love wins””

Do you Know the Meaning of these 10 Emojis?

What emojis can reveal about Japanese history, language and culture Quick question: what does this emoji mean? ♨️ As everyone who has been to Japan will know, it’s a hot spring. Even before emojis were created, this symbol was commonly used in Japan on maps and tourist guides to represent the relaxing hot water facilitiesContinueContinue reading “Do you Know the Meaning of these 10 Emojis?”

菖蒲華 (Ayame hana saku) “Irises bloom”

In ancient times Japanese people divided the year into 72 “micro-seasons”. These seasons were based on natural events such as the weather and appearance of various flora and fauna. Last weekend was 菖蒲華, marking period when irises begin to bloom. You can find out more about Japanese micro-seasons here.