Life on the internet is getting so chaotic! Whenever I Google what I want to know or open Instagram, loads of ads pop up, telling me “You want this new jewellery, don’t you?” and “You were looking for this last week, didn’t you?” Most of the time, I am resilient against these seductions, but sometimes…
Foreigners say the Japanese are polite, kind, punctual, and rule-bound. I have met many non-Japanese friends during my 7 years living overseas (Australia), and, funny enough, some of them have told me, “You are not a typical Japanese” (with a laugh, not in an offensive way). It was interesting what they said to me, as…
First things first: in most countries, most politicians are male though still a lot of female politicians get greater attention. Japan’s part of the club—but when it comes to women’s social presence, we’re still kind of waiting for our “main character moment.” And now, Japan is absolutely buzzing: on October 21, 2025, the country finally…
In Japanese, otaku refers to people with a huge passion and deep knowledge of subcultures like anime, manga, character franchises, or even very niche items. They don’t hesitate to pour time and money into what they love. So why would it be considered derogatory or negative? Honestly, I think it’s super cool to have something…
You may have heard that tattoos are not very welcome in Japan—especially at onsen (hot springs) or swimming pools. And yes, most of the time, that’s correct. Flash a tattoo at the entrance and you’ll likely be turned away faster than you can mumble sumimasen in embarrassment. But why? In much of the world, tattoos…
Not into anime? No worries—I’m not here to give you a full-on nerd fest about every detail of the Japanese anime world. Frankly, I can’t, because anime otaku overseas know every little nuance of their favorite series already. But the popularity of Japanese anime is absolutely insane, and I’m genuinely curious about what makes these…