
What does Myogadani mean?
This place name is a hot mess. All aboard the Tangent Express!!! Continue reading What does Myogadani mean?
This place name is a hot mess. All aboard the Tangent Express!!! Continue reading What does Myogadani mean?
Nobody ever thinks about the etymology airport names. Be one of the few chosen ones! Continue reading What does Haneda mean?
Most of the train lines in TÅkyÅ have names based on whatever major area they originated/terminated â or at least stopped at. For example, the Marunouchi Lineâs most important stations were in the former Marunouchi (DaimyÅ Alley) and the Yamanote Line connected centers of the ânew Yamanote.[ii]â Some of the more ambitious, longer train lines have names that describe their start/stop points in general terms. This type of name usually reflects the tendency of the Japanese language to make new matches out of existing kanji.
Most of these names are self-evident to the Japanese, especially people who live and/or work in and around TÅkyÅ. But many of these names may be slightly mysterious to foreigners. Continue reading Tokyo Train Line Names
I’m not even joking when I say I think this name was chosen just because it sounded cool. Continue reading What does Toranomon mean?
At the very end of the Marunouchi Line in Suginami Ward lies an area called Ogikubo. The name, “grassy basin” seems straight forward enough, but might there be a Buddhist connection as well? Continue reading What does Ogikubo mean?
Today, I’d like to answer a few readers questions in one post. In short, how can I get an overview of Japanese History? I’m also going to recommend a few online sources that will help you broaden your understanding of Japanese history and culture. Continue reading 10 Ways to Learn Japanese History
Part 2 of the JapanThis list of Top 10 Songs of Summer in Japan. This list is less traditional. But screw it, I’m busy as hell and have no time to write or go to festivals or anything. Indulge me this month for slacking off, please. Continue reading Top 10 Japanese Songs of Summer 2
Japanese Top 10 Songs of Summer (part 1) This list is divided into 2 parts. The first part is a little more traditional, or at least songs that youâll associate with summer because they only are heard in the summer or because they are about the summer. The second half is made of songs I think sounds awesome when chilling at the beach or a barbecue. PART 1 #1 é¿æ³¢ãããã® Awa Yoshikono This is the song the accompanies the most famous of the çèžã Bon Odori dances. The dance and this incarnation of the song originated in 埳島ç Tokushima-ken Tokushima … Continue reading Top 10 Japanese Songs of Summer 1
So……… yeah. Those of you who follow me on Facebook or Twitter may have seen my giddy posts about doing a podcast with some of the guys from Samurai Archives. I finally got to do it and although I was super nervous to talk with them, it actually was the most normal and natural thing ever. Three dudes geeking out on Japanese History. It was awesome. In the music business, I’ve had the pleasure of working with some of the most inspiring people ever. Now, JapanThis has taken me into a totally other world, in which I am honored to … Continue reading Samurai Archives Podcast (part 1)
So you’re planning a trip to Japan. You have a smartphone or PC and you’re worried about only having wifi in your hotel room. Flets will give you access to their hotspots around Tokyo (and some other cities). It might not be perfect, but it’s better than nothing. And it’s FREE! Continue reading Free Wifi for Travelers in Japan
Today I continue with Part 2 of “Two Famous Murders in my Neighborhood.” Last time we talked about the assassination of interpreter, Henry Heusken. Today, we’ll talk about the douchiest å¿å£« shishi (men of high purpose) of the Bakumatsu, Kiyokawa Hachiro who was killed in Azabu-Juban. Continue reading Two Famous Murders in My Neighborhood (part 2)
I’ve talked about Edo Castle quite a bit on Japan This! If you wanna see some great pictures and descriptions of Edo Castle and other Japanese Castles, please check out Jcastle.info. It’s a bad ass site and I know you’ll love the shit out of it! #japanesecastles #japanesehistory #japan #castle #twinglish Continue reading Check Out These Japanese Castles!
Major fires (conflagrations) have changed the organization and look of Tokyo, Japan. Today let’s look at some of the major disasters that made Tokyo what it is today! Continue reading Conflag Hag – How Fires Shaped the Face of Edo and Tokyo
Why is Yoshiwara called Yoshiwara?
It’s considered one of the most beautiful times and places in Japanese history. But so-called “Western sensibilities” shut it down. But the legend still persists as the a place to go for fun. Western cultures slut shaming Asia again…
Continue reading What does Yoshiwara mean?
In yesterday’s blog, Why is Hanzomon called Hanzomon?, I posted this picture: In the picture comments, I said something about “donkey people” as a joke. Someone pointed out that these are actually oxen. I know. It actually cracked me up that I got e-mails about this. Not so much that I wanted people to think I didn’t know the difference between a donkey and an ox as much as I was happy that people ere actually reading Japan This! Rest assured, it was just a joke. I know the difference between donkeys and oxen. lol Oh, and thanks for reading! Continue reading The Difference Between Donkeys and Oxen
æ°å®¿ Shinjuku (New Shuku â New Post Town) The word 宿 shuku (å®¿å Ž shuku-ba ârest townâ) was used in the Edo Period to refer to post towns on the highway system connecting various feudal domains. When a certain daimyÅ built his lower residence in the area, a new post town was created on the KÅshÅ« KaidÅ post road and named ânew post town.â The daimyÅ family who lived here was called å è€Â (NaitÅ), so the name of the town became NaitÅ–Shinjuku (New Shuku Naito). The name Naito-Shinjuku persisted until the 1920’s. As a post town, there would have been many places to drink and get laid. … Continue reading Why is Shinjuku called Shinjuku?
In my commute back from work today, I thought of some more Japanese manners that I hadnât mentioned before. If you havenât seen parts 1 and 2 yet, please take a look: PART ONE â 4 manners that you absolutely must know when visiting Japan. PART TWO â 4 more manners that will help you enjoy the culture experience of Japan more. Todayâs manners are little things that you may or may not know, some might seem trivial to non-Japanese. Using Chopsticks Iâm going to assume you know how to use these already, if not, get 2 pencils and check … Continue reading Japanese Manners (part 3)
This is PART 2 of a three part series on Japanese Manners. You should read these all before you come. When in Rome do as the Romans do and you’ll have more fun. Guaranteed! Continue reading Japanese Manners (part 2)
Going to Japan for the first time? There are a lot of manners and commonsensical behaviors that people do here and just take for granted that everyone knows. But the fact is that if youâre visiting Japan for the first time, you probably donât know most (or maybe any) of the local customs. If I had a 1 yen coin for every time I saw a foreigner doing something âwrong,â Iâd have a fuckload of 1 yen coins. They get in the way, mess up everyoneâs routine, or just do things that will annoy everyone around them. None of these things is the end of the … Continue reading Japanese Manners (part 1)
The history of Japanese toilets starts with crude holes in the ground but now Japanese toilets lead the way in excitement and innovation! Continue reading Japanese Toilets!!!
UPDATE: Due to constant updates in iOS, the information in this blog post is no longer relevant. (3/25/2013) A few months ago, I described how to enable the Japanese keyboard on an iPhone to access the Emoji characters. It’s not difficult to do, but if you don’t need a Japanese keyboard, it seemed kind of silly to install it just to get those Emoji. But with iOS 4.3.5, you can enable Emoji in any country, on any iPhone without installing the Japanese keyboard. It’s super easy to do, so get out your iPhone and let’s do this. Just as stated … Continue reading Using Japanese Emoji on Facebook Update
Ever heard of Yodobashi Camera? Sure, you have. Ever heard of Yodobashi Ward, Tokyo? Probably not. Every heard of the Yodo Bridge in Tokyo? Most likely not. Have you ever been to Shinjuku or Nakano? Probably, yes…. Continue reading Yodobashi – A Haunted Bridge in Nakano?
Just a quick follow up to my TOP 5 RAMEN SHOPS IN TOKYO. Before I try a new ramen shop, or if I get a craving for ramen but I’ll be in a part of town where I don’t know any next level ramen, I usually check the Ramen Database. This site is an awesome user maintained database of ramen shops in Japan. You can search by location, name, styles — almost anything! There are rankings and user submitted reviews. The site is only in Japanese. http://ramendb.supleks.jp/ There are a few English websites that are easily found via Google. One … Continue reading Ramen References for the People
Laziness is one of my strong suits, and keeping true to form, I haven’t updated this blog in ages. Sometimes I feel guilty about it, but work and the social life have been keeping me busy — and even though it takes a few minutes to read a blog entry, it actually takes much longer to write one. At least it does for me. Anyways, I decided today to offer my 2 cents on the issue of rÄmen. This is a crazy topic to cover because there are so many people with rÄmen mania here. Luckily I have 3-4 rÄmen … Continue reading Marky Star’s Top 5 Ramen Shops in Tokyoâª
UPDATE: Due to constant updates in iOS, the information in this blog post is no longer relevant. (3/25/2013) I previously wrote about an iPhone app called èŸæžç»é²Lite (Jisho TÅroku) which allowed you to add words to the iPhone’s Japanese dictionary and determine what yomigana input would trigger the kanji conversion. The app I was writing about was free and worked for all the entries I tested it with. However, the next day when I tried to use the kaomoji and words I had entered, I found that nothing came up. Obviously, this free version was just a demo to promote … Continue reading Customize iPhone’s Japanese Dictionary
OK. This is gonna be loooooooooooooooooooooong. I promise to try my best to be concise, but I’m also trying to include as much as possible for people interested in life in Japan. Japanese New Year is the most important holiday of the year. It’s a big family holiday, much like Christmas, but a bit more solemn. All the companies and schools shut down and people return to their hometowns for a week and kick it old school with the fam. (I included a list New Year’s related vocab at the bottom if you want to see the kanji for any … Continue reading Japanese New Year
Gagaku is the name of a type of Japanese music that was developed in the Imperial Court during the Heian Period (794-1185). This music features classical wind, wood and string instruments originally imported from China and Korea. Even if you don’t know much about East Asian music traditions, I think you’ll agree this one is recognizably Japanese. Since we’re getting close to o-shÅgatsu (Japanese New Year), I’m getting in the mood for traditional music. So today I’m going to post 3 YouTube links to some very famous gagaku compositions. But first, lets look at the kanji! é æ¥œ ããã gagaku The … Continue reading Lady GAGAku
Christmas is no exception.
The Basics
How do you say âMerry Christmasâ in Japanese?
Young people shorten it to ã¡ãªã¯ãª (meri kuri).
Santa-san is Coming to Town
Of course, Santa is big here. While everybody knows his name is Santa Claus, he is affectionately referred to with the honorific suffix â-sanâ (this suffix is fairly well known outside of Japan and somewhat similar to âMr./Mrsâ in English). So Santa Claus becomes Santa-san.
Japanese houses don’t have chimneys, so I’ve always wondered how he delivers toys to the little boys and girls here. I don’t know if this is a widespread story or not, but my girlfriend’s father told her that Santa-san is like a ghost and can walk through walls. Pretty spooky.
Christmas Cake and KFC
âChristmas Cakeâ just refers to any kind of cake decorated in some wintery, semi-Christmassy style. I don’t think there is a particular flavor. The ones I have had are quite delicious and beautifully decorated (the Japanese are masters of cakes and sweets, particularly in the European traditions). Often the convenience stores put makeshift stands on the streets and peddle cakes to pedestrians heading home after work. While I don’t recall ever seeing a âChristmas Cakeâ in any of the Christmas celebrations of my home town, it doesn’t seem like a particularly strange practice.
The thing that sort of caught me by surprise during my first celebration in Tokyo, was how everyone was looking forward to chicken from KFC. This year was the first year I actually indulged in the Colonel’s fine victuals. There was a loooooooong line outside of the shop (seemed longer on Christmas Eve than Christmas Day).
If you order in advance, you can procure a whole roasted chicken and some very large family sized buckets of roasted chicken legs and breasts and thighs. At the shop I visited in Nakano, the fried menu had been limited to original recipe. Crispy strips (my fave) and chicken sandwiches, wraps and the like were unavailable until the 26th.
One more thing about Christmas Cake.
Short & Sweet
Christmas is not a national holiday so if you’re not a foreigner working for a foreign company, chances are you’ll be working on Christmas. You won’t be meeting up with all of your family from all over the country and sitting around a traditional feast with wine and a roaring fire in the fireplace. Although these days a lot of families with small children will set up a small tree and some decorations and may even go through the whole Santa-san charade, the kids just get one present or two. They may receive it on ã€ã (âibuâ, Christmas Eve) or first thing in the morning before going to school. Family celebrations are short and sweet. There are still a lot of families who don’t celebrate at all â in fact, they might not even know which day is Christmas, though they know it’s Christmas season because you can’t get away from the ubiquitous Christmas music and lights.
You’ll wake up the next day and won’t see a single light, wreath, or Santa-san. The clean up is so efficient and thorough that if you hadn’t actually seen the stuff up, you’d think there was no such thing as Christmas in Japan at all.I used to think that this was just the silliest thing ever â an example of Japanese over-efficiency. But recently, I have another theory. The biggest holiday in Japan â the big family holiday which brings everyone from all over the country back to their home towns â is ãæ£æ (o-shÅgatsu, New Year’s Day). It’s not a very consumer driven holiday, but it is a rather solemn holiday and it IS a real Japanese holiday, deeply connected to the culture and history and language. I’ve come to think now, that while Christmas is all fun and all, they clean it all up quickly to get people into the mind set of o-shÅgatsu and remove all the distractions of this foreign practice. And if that’s the case, fair enough. It’s their damn culture, they can do what they want with it.
Since this is my first blog post, I’m in need of feed back. If I’ve left anything out or been unclear, point it out and I’ll add it to this when I expand it for next year’s Christmas post!!
awwwwwwww yeah!
mαrky( -_-)åž Continue reading “Christmas In Japan!”