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Why Are The Japanese So Lean?

2012-05-30T14:28:00.000+09:00

Okay, so not all of them are. But the Japanese have and somewhat deserve the reputation of being skinny, despite eating huge amounts of white rice. Japan has just over 10% of the obesity rate of the USA, and sits at the bottom of this table of rankings. I took my nutritional knowledge on a short path to the bottom of this for your reading pleasure. First, breaking news: White carbohydrates...

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Train Stations and Platform Tickets

2012-05-28T10:39:00.000+09:00

A while ago a friend of mine came to visit from the US. It was his first trip to Japan. As he was without a cell phone, we spent a little more time than usual planning how we'd meet up. He told me which train he'd be riding on, and I started to explain the layout of my station--how to exit from the shinkansen area instead of transferring to a local train, which exit I'd be waiting at, what stores...

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New Gaijin Card: Zairyu Card

2012-05-25T09:00:00.000+09:00

As we have covered earlier, the alien registration system and basic resident registration system in Japan are undergoing big changes this year. This week, we will look at the replacement for the venerable Certificate of Alien Registration (gaikokjin toroku shomeisho 外国人登録証明書), the zairyu card (在留カード), AKA the "Residence Card." Why Was the System Changed? Long story short, the...

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Reading Japanese Nutritional Information

2012-05-23T11:56:00.000+09:00

Bought a food or drink? Want to know the fat content or something? Easy peasy table for you: エネルギー (enerugii) - Calories たんぱく質 (tanpakushitsu sometimes uses the kanji 蛋白質) - Protein 脂質 (shishitsu) - Fat 炭水化物 (kansuikabutsu) - Carbohydrate 繊維質 (senishitsu) - Fiber 糖 (tou) - Sugar 鉄 (tetsu) - Iron ナトリウム (natorium) - Sodium カリウム (kariumu) - Potassium ﾋﾞﾀﾐﾝ (bitamin) -...

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Stamp Placement on Japanese Letters

2012-05-21T09:52:00.000+09:00

Last week we mentioned the cute stationery sets, called レターセット (retta- setto), available in specialty stores and 100-yen shops in Japan. When using the envelopes in these sets to send international mail, however, they often feel cramped. You can stick the whole thing inside a larger, plain white envelope, but it's not nearly as cute, so here are some other options: First off, as...

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New Gaijin Card: Resident Registry

2012-05-18T09:00:00.000+09:00

As you may have heard, as of July 2012 Japan will be getting rid of the current Alien Registration System, including the onerous Alien Registration Card and re-entry permit system. In addition to the convenience of not having to shell out for a re-entry sticker on your passport, there is another benefit to the new system. Foreign residents will finally be able to join their Japanese brethren...

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Trekking in Japan Trek Database

2012-05-16T09:05:00.000+09:00

If you're into hiking, Japan has some fantastic sites. Not only do many major cities offer great opportunities for long walks, often off into the wilderness starting just a few hundred metres from the bustling metropolis, but there are also tons of national parks all across the country. An excellent book on hiking in Japan, called Hiking in Japan, is well worth the investment. If...

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Japanese "Letter Sets" Stationery

2012-05-14T09:53:00.000+09:00

Letter stationery in Japan is cute and ubiquitous. It's often sold in packs with matching envelopes and stickers called レターセット, "letter sets". I like to keep in touch with friends and family by post, so I frequently pick up a handful these stationery packs when I'm passing through the local 100-yen shop. Stationery stores (of course), bookstores, and variety goods stores (chains like LOFT,...

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Stand-Alone and Data SIM Cards

2012-05-11T09:00:00.000+09:00

In past articles we have given a fair amount of coverage to buying or renting your own Japanese mobile phone. However, visitors with their own mobile devices and those who want to avoid the onerous deposits foisted by mobile phone rental companies. If you fall into one of the later categories, a relatively new company called B-Mobile might just be the answer to your prayers. The...

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16 Ways to Keep Dry in Japan This Summer

2012-05-09T09:31:00.000+09:00

Summer apparently officially started last week. It's going to be pretty humid, in case you didn't know. Here's how you can make a difference!!!!! I'm sure there are some more points not covered here, so tell us about them in the comment field below. Or tell everyone on our Facebook page. Or Tweet us. Driclor, why not buy three? 1. Driclor As we mentioned last year, there is...

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Anti-Loitering Mosquito Device in Japan

2012-05-07T10:16:00.000+09:00

Spending time outside Takadanobaba Station, along the Yamanote Line in Tokyo, I often noticed an irritating, high-pitched whine just outside the wickets. For quite a while I thought it had something to do with the trains or some high-voltage electric current being wired through the area, but it turns out this whine is intentional. It comes from a device installed to prevent teenagers from...

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How to Find Your Local Hot Spring (Onsen)

2012-05-04T09:00:00.000+09:00

If you are anything like me, you might find yourself craving a long, relaxing dip in the traditional Japanese hot spring (known as onsen 温泉) after a long day at work. But how do you go about locating your local bath house? Lets take a look at some handy onsen location resources. The universally accepted onsen mark If you have been in Japan for any length of time, you have probably...

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User Shaken: Japanese Car Vocabulary

2012-05-02T09:04:00.000+09:00

This is a list of vocabulary you will probably need during the self shaken tunnel test. It's mostly Japanified English, so it shouldn't be too taxing, but you should be able to follow basic commands and anticipate slight modifications to the phrases listed here. For the paperwork, you'll also need to know the name of all the documents and which bits to write where. Click here for that...

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RoomShare net: Find a Roommate in Japan

2012-04-30T09:56:00.000+09:00

Living with a roommate is not as common in Japan as it is for university students and young adults in the US and other western countries. In fact, a lot of apartment rental contracts specify that only the person (or family) who has signed the contract is to be living in the property, and only one person is allowed to put their name on the contract. Apartments allowing two people to put their name...

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Japanese Internet Guide Part 8: Routers and Wireless

2012-04-27T09:00:00.000+09:00

Unless you have been sleeping through the electronic revolution, you have probably heard that all the cool kids on the block are using wireless connections to access their net connection. While ISPs love to try in rope you into paying a monthly fee for renting their own wireless modems, you can easily save some cash and bring your own modem. Renting Versus Buying Many carriers and providers...

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User-Shaken: The Test Shed

2012-04-25T23:04:00.000+09:00

This part of the series covers the running and visual tests performed at the user shaken centre. Despite being the entirety of the official inspection the steps for this part of the test are few in number. In fact, they'll take something around ten minutes to complete. Here's a breakdown of exactly how it will happen on test day: Want to see this as a video? Stay tuned for a...

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Japanese Textbook Characters: Part 2

2012-04-23T10:34:00.000+09:00

Continuing last week's article, here's a look at the characters of the other three junior high English textbooks. Total English Art Style: The Most Generic Anime. The ALT: Female. From Canada. Click to enlarge! Despite unimaginative characters (really, I think New Crown is on a good track; if only they didn't shove their agenda down the reader's throat), the art style in Total...

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Japanese Internet Guide Part 7: Bandwith and Torrenting

2012-04-20T09:00:00.004+09:00

Once you get your super fast 100 megabyte a second internet connection, you may be tempted to test out your new set-up by torrenting (for back-up purposes only, of course) a few odd files. While you probably won't be as scrutinized to the level that US college students with dormitory net connections are, too much file sharing might get you in trouble. Let's take a look at the details....

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5 Types of Edible Japanese Mushroom

2012-04-18T08:00:00.000+09:00

There are some seriously suspect mushrooms in Japan. Some delicious ones, too. Here are some varieties you'll find in most supermarkets/on many menus. Most typically appear in nabe or fried rice dishes, or unwelcomely raw and work enkais. You'll notice many types end with the letters "take" and kanji "茸". This literally means "mushroom", although the common word is "kinoko" or "きのこ". The...

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Japanese Textbook Characters: Part 1

2012-04-16T10:33:00.000+09:00

Next in our textbook bonanza, let's take a look at the characters appearing in the six new junior high English texts. New Horizon Art Style: Educational comic book. The ALT: Female. From the US. Click to enlarge! Right off the bat we've got New Horizon. The recurring cast here has been pared down to the basics: Two Japanese and two whiteys, a boy and girl each. Canada,...

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Japanese Internet Guide Part 6: Optional services

2012-04-13T09:00:00.009+09:00

Japanese internet providers offer a wide variety of extra services including phone and television-over-internet. Read all about it. Phone Service Most high speed internet providers will give you the option of a land line phone when you subscribe. This service cuts out the middle man and sends your voice communications over a high speed network: cable, fiber optics, and sometimes DSL. In...

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Converting an Automatic Licence to Manual

2012-04-11T08:00:00.000+09:00

A little while ago, Dom posted about the cost of going to driving school to change an AT licence to MT (see our "Live" archive page for more driving articles). That's expensive. Luckily, if you are already capable you can just take the test. Today, guest poster Joe talks us through it: The “Automatic Transmission Only” license (recognizable by the following appearing to the left of your...

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Supplementing Junior High English Texts

2012-04-09T10:03:00.000+09:00

The other week we learned about the six MEXT-approved textbooks for teaching English to junior high school students in Japan. Ostensibly, MEXT leaves room for other textbooks that meet its curriculum guidelines. However, those six books are the official English text for 99.9% of junior high schools students in Japan, according to the annual 教科書レポート (kyokasho report, "textbook report") released...

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Japanese Internet Guide Part 5: Set-up

2012-04-06T09:00:00.003+09:00

After a long, internet-less month or so, the time to hook up your net connection has finally come! So long as you remember to be home on the proper day, it is not too difficult, but just in case you are nervous.... Installation Day Installation for most types of connections are collectively called koji (工事), which litterally means "construction." In order to get your connection working,...

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Applying Online for the JLPT

2012-04-04T11:55:00.000+09:00

This year is the first year of online JLPT applications for Japanese residents. So, instead of our usual entry about paper applications, here's how to do it online. Japan is notoriously behind the times in terms of the internet, so it's pretty hard to find the right page. First you need to create an online MyJLPT ID here. Then, go to this page to log in. You can pay by card, pay-easy or...

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