When looking at the world, analysts tend to focus on factors that can be changed — Worldviews, political institutions, counter-narcotics, pollution, military spending, education, etc. Even statistics such as the availability of natural resources can often be offset by importing the needed goods. However, it’s population patterns that leave an indelible mark on a country’s [...]

I thought I’d written about Japan’s crazy vending machine costume before, but perhaps it was back in the archives of my blog that disappeared in the server debacle awhile back. Anyhow, I’m posting (or reposting?) it on request. There are a couple of cultural details you have to be familiar with in order for this [...]

There are many “common” phrases used in the world of international politics that we use often put probably don’t fully understand — One of these for me is the term, “Japan passing.” According to the Economist, this phrase has two meanings: (1) that world’s second biggest economy was being passed by in a fast-changing world, [...]

I forgot where I saw this… whether it was part of a film festival or just on YouTube. But either way, it’s funny in a particularly Japanese sort of way . Right Place By Kosai Sekine

Although today’s biggest headlines were in the Middle East and South Asia, as I was scrolling through the headlines about Japan I couldn’t help but notice this lead: Japanese Yen Has Huge One-Day Decline; Helps Market Rally. Really now. When was the last time you heard a market rally over currency devaluation? Unfortunately for the [...]

According to Japanese press, Construction and Transport Minister Nariaki Nakayama “intends to resign from his post to take responsibility for a series of verbal gaffes he has made since his appointment last week.” Nakayama came under fire for calling the nation’s biggest teachers union a “cancer” in the education system as well as previously referring [...]

Repurpose: to give a new purpose or use to (Pronunciation: rē-ˈpər-pəs) I saw this word online and thought, huh that’s a new one. Actually (if you hadn’t already noticed), I’m kind of a geek, and I love encountering new words. Japan’s version of this concept is encapsulated in their 3R initiative, but somehow (at face [...]

After months of foot-tapping and nail-biting (wait, who are we kidding), Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda has finally reshuffled his cabinet — that’s the terms for giving under-performing/unpopular ministers the boot. Media has dubbed the move a “last ditch” effort on Fukuda’s part to improve his public approval ratings, but that is of course assuming that [...]

Yesterday I wrote on the Takeshima/Dokdo dispute that’s currently driving a wedge between Japan and South Korea. If the US had any sense it would keep the mess at arms-length — but no. Perhaps in response to the ROK’s vehement objection to a decision by the US Board of Geographic Names to change the islands’ [...]

Present-day international relations in NE Asia are inextricably conflated with ongoing history disputes. It really is quite a headache at times. Although China and Japan appear to have placed some of their differences behind them in favor of building friendly atmospherics and strengthening trade (which isn’t to say they’re on the same page — merely [...]

I stumbled across another one of those pointless but nonetheless fantastic Japanese inventions: the Rolly by Sony. The video above shows the device in action, the video below is mostly an interview with one of its creators. I’d first heard about the Rolly concept about a year ago and though to myself, ‘Why would anyone [...]

We all have things we dream of — those little bits and piece of life that never fail to stir somewhere deep inside our hearts and minds the subtle pull of desire. Each to their own vices, I guess you could say. I love onsen. Or rather, it doesn’t even have to be a full-blown, [...]

These bring back so many memories! Actually, while I was in Tokyo I didn’t really pay that much attention to the train jingles, but listening to them one after another, I think I could even tell you which lines some of them belong to without looking at the video’s descriptions . Of course, there are [...]

Senario: You’re walking down the streets of Tokyo without a cellphone, and you need to make a call. How do you locate one of the dying remnants of a bygone era: the public pay phone? Well, fear no more. This website conveniently maps the location of over 17,000 pay phones in the Tokyo metropolitan area. [...]

Happy 2008 everyone! Amazingly another year has past again, and we’re now entering the second part of winter and edging slowly but surely toward spring. Characteristically, a cold front has descended on DC, and the temperatures have fallen to into the 20′s. Whispers of “snow” are on everyone’s lips, and those in favor and those [...]