My Japanese visa came up for renewal in the middle of July this year and I was quite nervous as this was my first time doing a renewal. A successful renewal is accompanied by a Period of Stay (Japanese: 在留期間) extension. For my visa type, this period is six months,
If you appreciate good quality earthenware, whether it be for decorative purposes or as dining ware, be sure to visit the quaint, rural town of Mashiko (Japanese: 益子). About 150km north of Tokyo, Mashiko is located in Tochigi Prefecture (Japanese: 栃木県) and has a population of around 21,000. The
Natto (Japanese: 納豆, English: fermented soybeans) is a Japanese fermented soybean product typically eaten for breakfast over a bowl of rice with a cracked egg. I daresay natto with rice is the Japanese breakfast equivalent of eating toasted bread and jam. A package of natto often comes with condiments like
In early July, the National Policy Agency announced it was looking to make the gaimen kirikae (Japanese: 外面切り替え, English: Foreign Driver's License Conversion ) process significantly stricter. The move was made in response to a series of car accidents in Japan involving foreign nationals. In one case, a man
Three months ago, I submitted an application to convert my driver's license to a Japanese one via the gaimen kirikae (Japanese: 外面切替, English: foreign license conversion) process. To recap, my application and supporting documents were checked and verified on the spot. On the same day, I passed an
In November last year, I joined a bonsai (Japanese: 盆栽 ) class and brought home a Japanese Alpine Juniper (Japanese: いぶき) bonsai. WB023: Trying the art of BonsaiBonsai (Japanese: 盆栽, lit: “planted in a container”) is the Japanese art of growing and shaping plants in a container. Because the plant is
Today (July 6th), I will be sitting for the N3-level Japanese-Language Proficiency Test ("JLPT"). The JLPT started in 1984 and is jointly-administered by the Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges & Services. The goal of the JLPT is to test and certify the Japanese-language
Eating a home-cooked bento (Japanese: 弁当) box for lunch is common among school-going Japanese children and some working folks. These meals offer much better value than eating out, especially as rising food inflation and a weak Japanese Yen persist. From a health perspective, home-cooked meals also tend
In Volume 1 of the Japanese manga (Japanese: 漫画, English: comic) Gokushufudou (Japanese: 極主夫道, English: The Way of the Househusband), the main protagonist Tatsu (Japanese: 龍, English: dragon) is seen making a tamagoyaki (Japanese: 卵焼き, English: fried egg roll) for his wife's bento set. Bento is a Japanese-
Last week, I listened to an engaging interview on the In Good Company podcast, where the host of the podcast, Nicolai Tangen, interviewed the leader of a company that builds & maintains a product that moves 2.4 billion people every day. Tangen is the CEO of Norway's
Since making a determination to eat more vegetables, I've successfully incorporated at least two servings of salad into my daily diet. Upon reflection, two things have made this transition easier than I anticipated. 1. A simple salad is all about preparing and assembling vegetables. You just need to
I recently started a new daily routine of boiling water using a traditional Japanese cast-iron kettle called a tetsubin (Japanese: 鉄瓶), which has been around since the end of the Edo period (Japanese: 江戸時代). Today, Iwate Prefecture (Japanese: 岩手県) is where many good quality tetsubins are manufactured by skilled