Posted in culture, life, intercultural on Nov 22nd, 2006 No Comments »
The Swiss-based World Economic Forum has just released a global report measuring women’s achievements in four key areas: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, political empowerment, and health and survival. The report was authored by Saadia Zahidi, Economist and Head, Women Leaders Programme. The survey covers 115 countries and 90% of the world’s population.
Where do […]
Posted in culture, life, intercultural on Nov 21st, 2006 1 Comment »
Most people probably associate “decorated trucks” with Pakistan or Central-Asian countries, but the most extravagant monsters of what locally are called dekotora can be found in Japan!
[Screenshot of Airbrush Art truck site]
Of course, when you drive a car you can spot examples on trunkroads and highways with their loads of shiny metal and flashing lights, […]
Posted in Japan, life on Nov 5th, 2006 No Comments »
On November 3, Culture Day, the Order of Culture is awarded to five persons. One thing that always strikes me about the winners is their advanced age. The unfortunate ones who happen to die before they have passed eighty, will never get such a coveted prize. As reported by the Asahi Shimbun, this year’s winners […]
Posted in internet, life, kyoto on Oct 20th, 2006 3 Comments »
Ichimame has been called “the first and probably only maiko to write a blog” and she is creating quite a stir, attracting about 1,000 visitors a day, according to this article in the Daily Yomiuri. Since last December, the eighteen year old Ichimame blogs twice a week, mainly short pieces about her daily life: her […]
Posted in life, intercultural on Aug 18th, 2006 No Comments »
Japan is “the country of cute.” “Cute” is the ideal image of women, “cute” are cars, clothes, cups, plates, bags, and even police boxes have been marked with cute characters. Kawaii, “cute” is a style and a taste, everything that is small and innocent. There are cute expressions, cute gestures and cute ways to move. […]
Posted in life, business on Jul 29th, 2006 1 Comment »
“100 yen shops” were a typical phenomenon of the long economic crisis in Japan. In the nineties, they mushroomed all over the country, and even reared their heads in upperscale shopping districts.
You now find them everywhere in Japan. Their stock consists of a variety of items from clothing to stationery, housewares to food, with each […]
Posted in culture, life, calendar, intercultural, kyoto on Jul 19th, 2006 1 Comment »
The hot and humid summer in Japan tends to wear people out. It is therefore custom to inquire after the health of friends and acquaintances during the greatest heat, which lasts somewhere from July 20 to the first week of August. Since the Taisho period, this is done by sending a special postcard which […]
Posted in culture, life, kyoto on Jul 12th, 2006 No Comments »
Together with sakura (cherry blossoms) and Mt. Fuji, there is nothing more typically Japanese than the geisha. Despite this, the institute is surprisingly young: the first geisha (in fact called geiko, ‘art person’) operated in Tokyo (then Edo) in 1761. In contrast to what is sometimes thought in the West, a geisha is not a […]
Posted in food, culture, life, intercultural on Jul 7th, 2006 No Comments »
How are your sushi manners?
Is it allowed to mix a big chunk of wasabi through the soy sauce and make a green soup of it?
Can you pick up the sushi with your fingers or are chopsticks a must?
Can you dip your maguro sushi in the soy and if so, with the side the fish is […]
Posted in food, life, kyoto on Jul 2nd, 2006 2 Comments »
As udon is one of my favorite Japanese dishes and I just happenened to notice that today, July 2, is “Udon Day,” I feel enticed to write a few words about this great dish.
For starters: udon is a wheat-flour noodle, transmitted from China sometime in the 8th c. The dough is cut into strips, which […]