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Why Do Japanese People Bathe in the Evening?

Before I came to Japan, I was completely on the side of people who took a shower in the morning rather than in the evening. After a few months of living here, I’m not so sure. Japanese people have baths at night…

11 mins read
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Why are Japanese roofs curved?

Perhaps the most synonymous feature of Japanese architectural design is the curved roof. Whenever I used to think about Japan before I moved here, I envisioned large towns with roofs that curved up at the edges, which seemed to make practically any…

8 mins read
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Why is Japan Romanticized?

The more time I live in Japan, the more it becomes clear that so many people around the world romanticize it as a destination. While I’ve created this website which is dedicated to my love of the country, it’s important to realise…

14 mins read
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How Many Days Should You Spend in Kyoto?

If you’re coming to Japan for the first time, I can almost guarantee you’ve put Kyoto somewhere on your itinerary. First off, great idea! Japan’s ancient capital is full of interesting things to do and beautiful places to see, so you certainly…

13 mins read
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Why Don’t Japanese People Have Beards?

If you’ve ever been to Japan, you may have noticed the distinct lack of facial hair pretty much anywhere you look. At first, I thought it was purely genetics, but maybe there’s some sort of cultural reason that explains why you never…

10 mins read
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Why Do Japanese People Bow?

Here in the UK, shaking someone’s hand is the most common way to greet them. It’s polite, formal, and a sign of respect to the other person. But if you’ve ever been to Japan or seen it on TV, you’ll notice they…

9 mins read
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Can You Learn Japanese While You Sleep?

I've always dreamed about being able to learn Japanese whilst exerting the least amount of effort possible. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy an intense study session, but Japanese is an incredibly heavy language sometimes.…

11 mins read
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Why does Japan still use outdated technology?

On the surface, it’s easy to write off-Japan as a country of flying cars and robot butlers. However, as with countless things surrounding Japan, the actual situation is a lot more complex. Today we’re going to discuss Japan’s unusual and perhaps surprising…

18 mins read
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How many mountains are in Japan?

Quite often I find myself pondering strange questions about Japan. In the past, that’s led me to find out why Japanese cars are so boxy, why Japan is so clean, and why it snows so much. But today, we’re going to find…

9 mins read
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Why is the Tokyo subway so crowded?

If you’ve ever seen a documentary about Japan, chances are that somewhere along the line you saw a video (or 10) of people squished into train carriages like sardines. But can’t one of the most advanced and populated countries in the world…

16 mins read
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Does it snow in Japan?

In England we get roughly 20 pathetic days of snow a year. That doesn't mean it settled and doesn't mean it was heavy! So it got me thinking, 'Where's the snowiest place on earth?'.…

10 mins read