New Year in Japan has many traditions, from the food to household decorations. Television is part of the ritual of Oshogatsu, perhaps most famously the NHK music show Kohaku. Another perennial ...
It was touted as a "Japanese virtue" during the final speeches for Tokyo's 2020 Olympic Games bid and has become a ubiquitous buzzword ever since, but it seems that reality has some way to go before ...
Bicultural Renho faces accusations of not being Japanese enough
September 12, 2016
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William
The current frontrunner for the leadership of Japan's main opposition party, the recently rebranded Democratic Party, is facing accusations of not being Japanese enough.
It is no secret that Renho ...
Oh, dear. A big Japanese corporation has done it again: made a marketing campaign that is causing offense to some.
Kirin is promoting its recently relaunched tea product Namacha with a new online ...
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Pop-Up Nezuko Kamado
Manga/anime version of Pop-Up Pirate toy
People recently got very angry about the "kimono incident" at Boston Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), which was canceled after being called "racist" by protesters.
The event allowed visitors to try on a ...
It's a dangerous game to throw the racism card around but this development has succeeded in getting that reaction from most corners.
A photo showing a behind-the-scenes shot from an upcoming Fuji ...
The knives are out and accusations of racism are being bandied around again. Only this time it's not a silly corporate ad with fake noses that's to blame.
The culprit this time is Japan's Ministry ...
Blackface or a clever marketing campaign?
Imagine a female minstrel show with svelte legs and you might have the right image of this Astigu, a Japanese tights brand. The ads feature 11 ...
Neko Jinja Shinto Shrine Cat House
Unique cardboard pet furniture
A football match on Saturday between the Urawa Reds, a major soccer team in the J-League Division 1 based in Saitama, just north of Tokyo, and Sagan Tosu, was marred by a banner hung at the venue ...
There may (or may not) be a storm brewing about airline ANA's latest TV ad.
It shows two pilots at an airport, gazing out at the tarmac at Haneda Airport and waxing lyrical about the newly ...
It's not often that I roll out the R-word -- and when I do, it is generally due to the incredible short change that black people or other Asians get in Japanese popular culture. Usually the silliness ...
American teacher asks Japanese school students: Is there racism in Japan?
February 24, 2013
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William
Miki Dezaki, a Japanese American who teaches at a high school in Japan, has already made a name for himself with his YouTube videos about homosexuality and more fun ones in which he parodies his ...
Mount Fuji Eraser
The Mount Fuji Eraser is a fun and clever way to bring this icon of Japan into your home or work stationery set. As you use the cuboid eraser, the shape of Fuji gradually comes into view and you find yourself holding Japan's most famous peak.