July 2010 Japan Blog Matsuri: Chotto Chigau

Culture shock comes in many forms. Sometimes it isn’t the tentacles or navigating politeness levels — it’s the little things that get to you, because they’re almost just like back home but just a little different…
And that’s what this month’s Japan Blog Matsuri is all about! The theme is
ちょっと違う (Chotto Chigau)
or…“Not Quite the [...]

The Japan Paradox

There’s lots of good reasons to live in Japan for a while — learn about a vastly different culture, pick up a new language, learn to love eating octopus, memorize every Arashi song ever created…
…but I’ve discovered there’s one great and often overlooked benefit of spending time in Japan: never be at a loss for [...]

Japan Blog Matsuri – July 2010 Theme

Edit: The Matsuri is done!! Check it out here!

MMmmm, it’s time for a mid-summer matsuri!! Last month, Locohama taught you how to beat the heat or embrace the mushi-atsui with the June Japan Blog Matsuri about “Hot Fun in the Summertime”! Tough shoes to fill, but I’m proud to say that the [...]

How I Nearly Got Kicked Out of Japan

It’s been three years, I think this story deserves to be told by now.
It was April 2007. I had been studying abroad in Japan for 8 months now. I had lived with several host families, but unfortunately, this fourth and final family was a little bit full of crazy. Host mom had [...]

setsubun party!

In my continual efforts to incorporate the best parts of Japanese culture into my life (and a love for consuming wasabi) I decided to bring the Japanese holiday called 節分 (setsubun) to the Midwest.
Setsubun celebrates the coming of Spring, and occurs at the beginning of February (the 3rd this year, though apparently the date varies [...]