Gakuranman.com – illuminating Japan

Hop on over to the Japan Times to read my special feature titled “Mastering the Gentle Art of Arguing in Japanese” – an extension to last month’s Arguing in Japanese article. This one looks more at the sort of expressions you can use in Japanese to help discussions go smoothly!

Philip from Nihongoup recently asked me for an interview as part of his growing collection of knowledge on learning Japanese. I’ve never really written a post about how I got to where I am today with my Japanese, so if you’re interested, head on over to read all about my younger days.

In a recent scuffle over the controversial whaling issue, I managed to seriously offend a couple of Japanese friends. Political and ethical issues are volatile topics, but add to that cultural differences when arguing and you have a recipe for disaster. So here’s some insight to help you avoid making the same mistakes.

What’s your best kept secret about Japan? That was the question aimed at fellow J-bloggers for this month’s Japansoc Blog Matsuri. Quite a tricky topic, especially for those who don’t actually live in Japan, but nevertheless, we had 10 awesome entries letting us in on some lesser known parts of Japan.

Sakura Season is almost over and the final petals are falling gracefully to the floor. So before this ephemeral phenomenon has passed for another year, here’s a collection of 10 of the best pictures I shot in Okazaki, central Japan.

This past Sunday on 4th April, I was honoured to take part in a huge Japanese festival. Donning heavy metal armour coloured bright vermilion red, sitting atop a steely brown horse and grinning like a fruitcake while waving to the crowds. It’s safe to say my ‘Last Samurai’ aspirations have been fulfilled.

Last July I hosted the immensely popular ‘Weird things about Japan‘ blogging festival. This time, in celebration of the new focus on Gakuranman.com, I’m holding the Spring matsuri on the topic of ‘Secret Japan‘. I want you to let me in on your hidden dirty little secrets!

What does it mean to become Japanese? Can a foreigner or ‘gaijin’ ever fully integrate into Japanese society such that they blend in and are treated ‘normally’? A recent video foray into this tricky topic.

Here are the winners to the review and contest I held recently. Philip has supplied me with two copies of his nifty little flash game that helps you learn Japanese to give away, so without further ado, let me announce the lucky people to win!

If you’re as smitten with the ocean as me, you might appreciate this little projector unit I discovered for this week’s Interesting Item (Omoshiro Zakka). It brings the soothing comfort of the deep blue to your bedroom, bathroom or wherever you choose to put it.

Ii Naomasa is known as the Red Demon. A historic figure and one of the Four Guardians of the Tokugawa in Japanese history. He is best known for his fearsome blood-red samurai armour and nasty habit of killing people over mistakes. That’s the guy I’m set to become in this year’s Spring parade.

It was only last week that I introduced Kotobukiya’s Power of the Force special Star Wars-themed chopsticks. Now they’ve gone and made chopsticks to make your feudal side salivate. Yes, you can become a Samurai at dinner time!