Part 2: Understanding Japanese apartment adverts In my home country of the UK, renting is a pretty simple affair. It’s not uncommon to be able to sign the contract on the same day as the viewing. Not so in Japan! Renting an apartment in Japan can potentially be a long, complicated and drawn-out process; especiallyContinueContinue reading “The Unique Challenges of Renting in Japan — Part 2”
Category Archives: My articles
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”
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?”
How to *REALLY* make friends in Japan
Breaking out of the “gaijin bubble” TL;DR: I’m an introvert and I don’t speak Japanese well, but I made some good friendships via language exchanges. The long version: The “gaijin bubble” If you’ve lived in Japan you’ve probably heard of the “gaijin bubble”. “Gaijin” (外人) is short for “gaikokujin” (外国人), the Japanese word for “foreigner”.ContinueContinue reading “How to *REALLY* make friends in Japan”
The eight virtues of Bushidō – were they ever really a thing?
Bushidō. Often referred to as “the samurai code of chivalry”, it stirs up images of noble and fearless warriors, fiercely loyal to their comrades, living and dying by the sword, choosing death over dishonour.
There is no doubt that the way of the samurai continues to have a hold on the public imagination. But what exactly was bushidō?
Calligraphy by Vicky 