According to Wikipedia, a Mexican Standoff is "a confrontation where no strategy exists that allows any party to achieve victory. Anyone initiating aggression might trigger their own demise." Based on my observations, there is a passive Mexican Standoff in the district I live in between the owner of
Twice a month, the Japanese language group I participate in runs a reading club. I was encouraged by Mr. Otake - my Japanese teacher - to participate in this club as it would benefit my learning. He added that the level of Japanese used would be much higher, though I should not
Kentucky Fried Chicken ("KFC") first came to Japan in 1970, around the same time as McDonald's. The KFC Holdings Japan Ltd. ("KFC Holdings Japan") company owns and operates the country's KFC business ("KFC Japan"). KFC Japan launched its Kentucky for
Last month, I went for a medical examination organised by the district I live in. The district organises medical checkups for the early detection of lifestyle-related diseases. Residents are recommended to do a checkup once a year. The only way to make an appointment is via the internet - quite
Bonsai (Japanese: 盆栽, lit: "planted in a container") is the Japanese art of growing and shaping plants in a container. Because the plant is always growing, I guess bonsai is an art that is never complete. Everyday, you theoretically get a newer version of the original art piece.
A few years ago, I completed a coding bootcamp where I learned how to build applications in various programming languages. I did the bootcamp because I've always enjoyed the journey of self-building things from scratch. Programming languages are like spoken languages - the less you speak, the more
Each year, Japan gets hit by about 1,500 earthquakes that range from small ones that can be barely felt to major ones that cause widespread damage. The frequency of earthquakes is because Japan is located where four of the Earth’s tectonic plates converge. Japan is also home to
While in Chino (Japanese: 茅野) during a recent holiday, we stopped by Oginoya (Japanese: 荻野屋) for lunch. Oginoya is well-known for its kamameshi (Japanese: 釜飯) ekiben (Japanese: 駅弁). The company has been family-owned since starting in 1885. You may read more about the company's history here.
I really enjoyed a recent interview between Stan Druckenmiller and Nicolai Tangen on the latter's In Good Company podcast, which I wrote about in a previous article. Within 6 days of its release, the interview has become In Good Company's most watched video on YouTube. Stan
If you have travelled overseas for holiday or work, bank-issued credit and debit cards are used as a last resort because of hidden fees and poor exchange rates. Carrying wads of foreign currency remains the default means of payment for many travellers. Fortunately, things are rapidly evolving in the
Three months after settling into Japan, I decided it was time to open a local bank account and subscribe to a local mobile line. There are several reasons behind this decision, which I will elaborate on in a later article. To begin my journey, I started looking for a Japanese
Wasabi (Japanese: わさび) - Japanese horseradish - is a popular condiment in Japanese cuisine known for giving a sharp, shooting sensation up your nose. In Japanese restaurants, wasabi paste is added (in small quantities) to sushi (Japanese: 寿司), or mixed with shoyu (English: Japanese soy sauce)(Japanese: 醤油) and eaten with sashimi