Saturday, January 31, 2015

Fortune telling – not only horoscope but also palm reading is popular

Many people want to know what is going to happen or what you should choose.
Horoscope is one of the most popular fortune telling but palm reading is also famous in Japan.

All the people have different line of the palm.
By reading the line, you can know what is your personality or what is going to happen.
For example, the line stars from between thumb and point finger and going down to the wrist is called line of life. The line is long and widely expanding, you are very healthy and longevity person.

There are lines like marriage line, divorce line, lucky in money, steady head etc. and the number of the line is a lot.
It happens that the line can be change in 2 weeks.







Friday, January 30, 2015

Another story of Valentine’s Day

This is a continuance of yesterday’s subject: Valentine’s Day in Japan for young boys.

Most of husbands and boyfriends expect to be given chocolate from their wife/girlfriend on a Valentine’s Day. Well, how about boys? The boys here means, I would say, around junior high school ages or even younger than that.

Many boys get anxious as a Valentine’s Day gets closer. Day by day, they become so kind to girls. Why? Because we (boys) want chocolates from a girl/girls!

On a Valentine’s Day, anxiously, boys open own locker or look at the inside of own desk to see if there is a chocolate (chocolates). It’s funny. But they are serious.

Of course it’s wonderful if boys get a chocolate from a girl who they are interested in. But, you know, to get chocolates from girls just makes boys happy.


This story is based on my experience…so long time ago. But I think today’s boys are same.






Thursday, January 29, 2015

Japanese style Valentine’s Day

I can’t believe it’s almost February! In Japan winter is known as the coldest month of a year. How about your country?

Does your culture have a Valentine’s Day? In Japan – yes. The style of Japanese Valentine’s Day is that a woman gives a chocolate to a man. It doesn’t have to be a chocolate – it can be cookies, cupcakes, and so on. But a chocolate is the most common sweet.

There are so many kinds of chocolate for the day. Prices are varies. Usually women who want to be polite at work, they give inexpensive ones to men coworkers. For the one, for example a husband or a boyfriend, women spend more money to buy a great one, like a special one.

Of course many women make chocolate. It would be cheaper than buying. And it makes chocolate special.

There is another story I’d like to talk about Valentine’s Day, but I’ll talk about it later here!


So, what’s your country’s custom for Valentine’s Day?







Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Do you want to make sushi rolls? Here is for you – a sushi roll kit!

In Japan sushi rolls are very popular and sold cheaply. So not many people would make sushi rolls. But I’m asked how to make sushi rolls by people living in other countries. They think to make sushi rolls are very difficult.

Actually to make sushi rolls is not difficult at all. There are many web pages explain how to make sushi rolls. And luckily there are sushi roll kits! I heard they are very easy to use and you can make beautiful sushi rolls easily and quickly.


If you are hoping to make sushi rolls, those kits might help you!






Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Menbei – popular cookies from Hakata

Menbei is a famous and popular cookie from Hakata (in Hukuoka). The base taste of menbei is seasoned cod roe. And other flavors such as octopus and squid are added. I would say menbei’s taste is like “salty, sweet, and little spicy.” They are just delicious. Menbei goes with green tea or beer.

Menbei has varieties. For example, mayonnaise, onion, hot, scallion, and chocolate flavors. I tried and liked everything, but I actually love a normal taste.

Now people in Japan order menbei online which is nice. My friend in Tokyo often order menbei to keep some his house. He always says, “I just can’t stop to eat menbei!!”


Do you want to try menbei?







Monday, January 26, 2015

Japanese Teeth alignment is not good

It is common sense that teeth alignment is very important in many countries.
Teeth is considered as very important body parts also in Japan but it is a fact that Japanese teeth alignment is not good both children and adults.

Some people do teeth-straightening but not so many like in U.S.
There are also many people who has cavity even the average number of times of brushing teeth is twice a day.


Teeth-straightening is now getting pervading among children but it is too far away to catch up with U.S.





Sunday, January 25, 2015

A canned coffee – quality is …..

In Japan, you can see a canned coffee in a vending machine.
Surprisingly, it is popular in Japan.

The coffee is sold as hot coffee in winter and is sold as cold coffee in summer.
Believe or not, the quality is not so bad. The taste is unique but it is still coffee.
There are some kinds of flavor such as black, with only sugar and café au lait.







Saturday, January 24, 2015

Each Japanese driver’s license has a color which you can know how good your driving is.

There is a color on each Japanese driver’s license: green, blue, or gold. 

For the first 2 or 3 years of driving in your life in Japan, it’s green. In the next renewal, you get a blue one. After that, if you are a great driver for 5 years total (from the first issue), you get a gold one. But if you are not great driver you get a blue one. You could get a blue one from a gold one if you do traffic violations (It depends on what you violate). 

Having a gold driver’s license has benefits: if you have a gold driver’s license your car insurance becomes cheaper. And it’s not known much, though you can get a discount at some hotels or restaurants because of having a gold driver’s license. Isn’t it nice?


P.S. Animals are not allowed to drive a car in Japan! The pictures are made for fun.






Friday, January 23, 2015

Typical Japanese company – too many meetings in a day

In Japanese company, there are many meetings in a day, especially for middle-level executives for example, 5-6 meetings in a day.

It looks like going to the company to have meetings, not working actually.
Yes, what they discuss is important things but still there are too many.

It is so Japanese that the meeting stars from 6 pm…