April 13, 2022 Yuka Yoshida Why was Shirakawa-go, a World Heritage Site, chosen as one of the 100 Most Sustainable Tourist Destinations in the World? There is sustainability's spirit inherited from Japanese ancestor. What Is Shirakawa-go? Shirakawa-go was selected as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings in 1976 by the Japanese government and was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage in 1995. The main point of interest is the Gassho-zukuri sty

During the Meiji era [1968-1912] in Japan, masks were made out of wire mesh as the core and used cloth as the filter. At that time, the Japanese used it to protect themselves against the fine particles of coal or metal. After the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, this mask attracted attention as a preventive product. The use of masks is no longer for additional preventative measures, but an essential preventive measure. Masks as a Daily Necessity In 2020, the spread of COVID-19 h

August 1, 2020 Akari Odagiri What do you select as a gift for Mother’s Day? According to a survey conducted in 2019 by Rakuten Insight, approximately half of those respondents who replied they gave a present to their mothers gave flowers to their mother. Especially, young people tend to choose flowers as gifts. In a language of flowers, red carnation means “love for mother” or “true love.” That seems to be a reason why it became a well-known gift of Mother’s Day in Japan.

Saori Kikutani February 27, 2019 Do you think how many animals are euthanized per year in Japan? Unfortunately, euthanasia is the only option for many animals in Japan. According to a survey by the Animal Welfare and Management Office, a not-for-profit animal rescue organization survey, the number of killed dogs was 10,424 and that of killed cats was 45,574 in 2016. The total number of the killed dogs and cats was 55,998. About 155 animals are being killed per day, or one ani

Sae Kanazawa February 27, 2019 In Japan, poverty level of single-mother family is one of the serious social problems. There are about 52 billion households in Japan. Among them, about 1.24 million are single-mother households. “Poor family” here means a household with less than half of the average-annual family income. The Causes of Poverty Why does single mother family become poor? Why can not they earn enough income to maintain their living? The reason lies in the differ

Erika Iijima February 27, 2019 Do you like yourself? Do you take care for yourself? A lot of Japanese teenagers have low self-esteem. Low self-esteem could lead some problems such as a suicide and bullying. In Japan, lots of teenager commits suicide every year. Is this the sad tendency unique to Japanese? Current Situation in Japan According to a survey on self-esteem by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in 2016, most of Japanese t

Megumi Kitazawa July 26, 2018 At the Closing ceremony of the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appeared as Super Mario, a Japanese game character. This is a visible example that Japan has a “characteristic” culture featuring characters of manga/anime and video games. In the summer of 2020, Tokyo will host the Olympic Games and it will be a big opportunity for Japanese pop culture industry to grow in the global market. Super Mario (Courtesy: Alexas_Fotos

Aya Uchiyama July 26, 2018 How we Japan have keep “monozukuri” in industries As I studied abroad in Boston, I realized that “Made in Japan” products are really respected globally for being high quality . Nowadays, the more Japanese brands like Toyota, Uniqlo, and Muji have opened new branches and stores all over the world, the more the image of “made in Japan” increases its reliance in overseas markets and Japan today is known for creating some of the most functional, useful

July 13, 2017 Akari Aoki, Megumi Kitazawa, Mai Watanabe, and Misa Ogura In Japan, people usually graduate from college in March and start working as freshmen employees from April 1. Most Japanese companies officially start recruiting of college students in June and from the next April the newly-employed are sent to in-company vocational training program. Big Japanese corporations have the practice of life-long employment system so that it is very important for college-grads t