HIGHTECH
Japan’s telecommunications equipment market is structured slightly differently from that of other countries. The Japanese market is unusual in that domestic manufacturers who focus on developing devices specifically for the Japanese market hold a large share.
WordPress’s World Market Share
WordPress has a commanding 70% share in the world
WORK
In many western countries people use signatures when validating documents.
However, in Japan people often use personal seals to the same effect. These seals are called はんこ hanko or 印章 insho.
When trying to picture a Japanese city like Tokyo and its inhabitants, one of the first things that comes to mind is a crowd of straight-backed people with stern faces.
If you’ve researched living and working in Japan much at all, you’re sure to have come across the terms honne 本音 (true feelings) and tatemae建前 (façade). The terms seem to haunt people’s interactions, with some foreigners describing the concepts as the ultimate barrier to understanding.
LIFE & RESIDENCE
Nobody’s ever asked me if it’s expensive to live in Japan, or to visit, but only because they’re too sure to ask any questions. Instead, people tell me that being in Japan at all is much too expensive, more than most of the world by far, and that it’s one of the things ruling out living here or visiting.
STUDY
Despite its critics, and some alternatives, the JLPT is still a major milestone for most Japanese learners.
This is the second part of our step-by-step guide to answering a business phone call in Japanese. In Part 1 we looked at appropriate greetings, how to ask the caller’s name, and how to confirm the caller’s details. In Part 2 we will introduce the language you need to put a caller on hold, how to pass the call on to a colleague, and what you should say if your colleague is unavailable.
CULTURE
The health benefits of eating seaweed regularly are now well known, but just as the English-speaking world is waking up to them, we are being told that the traditional diet and consumption of seaweed in Japan are “on the decline” as people turn to more “westernized” food.
If you live in Japan, or you’re just visiting, you’ll probably be visiting a shinto shrine at some point, for any number of reasons (but probably sightseeing). If not, you really should. It’s a chance to see something very different from home, and beautiful as well.
Recently, despite the issues raised by the aging population in many countries, scientists have come up with the optimistic concept of super-agers.
TRAVEL
This is the second part of our introduction to the main elements of Kyō-ryōri; the traditional cuisine of Kyoto, and the best Kyō-ryōri restaurants. In Part 1, we looked at some key ingredients such as tofu, fu, and fish. In Part 2 we will look briefly at matcha sweets, before examining some of the main styles of Kyoto cuisine from homely obanzai side dishes to high-grade kaiseki multi-course meals.
Tourism is a funny thing, and recommending it, doubly so: A place’s name can sometimes be all the advertisement it really needs.
This may come as a surprise to you (it will not, I’ve mentioned it too many times), but it snows a lot where I live.
