How to improve your lifestyle Human biorhythms can be adapted to suit your lifestyle. And following the natural flow of the day and sunlight is a great way to improve mental and sometimes physical health too. This means, going to bed early and getting up early too. The Japanese latest fad of “Asa Katsu” is based on this idea. And goes one further; try to make the most of those first few hours of...

Bullet train (or Shinkansen) rail system in Japan The Bullet Train or Shinkansen is the high-speed railway system that connects all corners of Japan. Well, almost all corners ! Some parts of Japan do not have Shinkansen lines connecting them to the other parts of the country. Itaya sensei, one of Japonin(JOI)'s professional Japanese teachers, lives in Hokkaido, which is one area of Japan that do...

Aging gracefully in Japan Mizuno sensei writes about her husband in this Japanese learning blog. Her story is about just one Japanese man, but it could be about any man in Japan in their 50s. In this country of age-related salary and promotions, the older you get, the more you tend to work. But also physically, mentally and spiritually, you start to reach the limit of your energy. This blog whic...

Japanese Campus festivals Japanese schools and universities have many cultural and intramural events during the school calendar. And in Autumn the campus festival season starts. Japanese Manga and Anime often feature these events in their story lines, and there are similar events in different countries too, but there is also a uniqueness to some of these festivals that make them “very Japanese”. ...

Japanese Sports Days Japanese Sports Days are a central part of the community culture. Although people who have never been to Japan might not have seen one in real life, the events are often featured in Japanese movies and Japanese Manga, so are often part of the standard images of Japan. Ishibashi sensei, a Japanese teacher at Japonin(JOI), has a son and she attends his school sports day a...