Tag: japanese

I have a friend who had understood the importance of a fit even when I didn't.  He had a specific field of law that he focused on not only in law school but also in college, so he applied exclusively to law firms that specialized in that field.  Not surprisingly, he successfully landed

My every resumé, from the first one I prepared in college to the one I maintain today, ends with the same words: "Fan of James Bond."

It is those four words that got my career started.

Then there's the difference in the months of the year that the Japanese and Americans go watch film.

Summer, to be sure, is the period for blockbuster movies in Japan as it is in America, but the definition of "summer" differs quite a bit between the two markets. In

The United States is undoubtedly the king of the film market, but it turns out Japan is no slouch.  Until being passed by India recently, Japan was the third largest film market in the world in terms of revenue.

 Considering that Japan trails only the United States (of Hollywood), China (of 1.3 billion people) and

Despite my affliction with Airplane Incidents Obsession Syndrome, I enjoy traveling by air.  I've flown domestically and internationally, in business and in economy, and on U.S. and foreign airlines.  What I've discovered through all that flying is that U.S. airlines are unbearably, unbelievably awful.

In fact, I'd rather fly 14 hours on economy class from New

I have exciting news for the very few readers of this blog.

The site, which will celebrate its ninth anniversary this October, is getting a huge makeover that will make it easier for all readers to navigate through the contents.

Many of the benefits are associated with splitting the Japanese content from the English content that enables English-only readers

9/10

It is 17th century Japan, a bad time and place to be a Christian.  The feudal government is committed to eradicating Christianity through the torture and killing of believers, convinced that the religion is unfit for the Japanese people.

In the Portuguese colony of Macau, the Jesuits receive news that Father Cristóvão Ferreira (Liam Neeson), who is living in Nagasaki, Japan, renounced his faith after being tortured.

Japanese and American people are truly remarkable people, although they amaze in entirely different ways.

The Japanese excel in order and discipline.

My favorite example to illustrate this is the shugaku ryokou, which is like a field trip for an entire grade over a couple nights at some exotic location like the historical city of Kyoto or Tokyo

John was a couple years behind me at Boston College.  I don't exactly recall how we initially met, but we quickly became close friends because I was Japanese and he was interested in Japan.

John had a great laugh.  He and I come from a different political mold, he of the moderate left and I of

For the longest time, I had no interest in reading.  

I swear it started in high school, when novels like "The Grapes of Wrath," "Walden Pond" and "The Old Man and the Sea" sent me into temporary comas.  I think my experience proves that just because a book is a "classic" doesn't mean kids in

My life consists of obsessions and it's no different with music.  When I buy new music, I listen to it over and over (and over and over) again until it is playing in my head and driving me insane.  I then find the next music to obsess about.   Because of this, many of the songs

"Nothing is lower than the human race---except the French."  --Mark Twain

A couple months ago, a Chinese person shared how she's struggling with the Japanese counting system because it had different units for different things.  Counting two pencils is "ni-hon," for example, but two books is "ni-satsu."  Boats are counted "ni-sou" yet larger ships are "ni-seki."

I grew up in a quintessential, middle class New Jersey suburb.  My parents, who went to college in America, were not typical Japanese expatriates.  They cared little for socializing with Japanese people or Japanese pop culture and thus, I grew up with very little Japanese around me.  Except for insisting that I attend Japanese school

At the end of August, I will be transferring to my firm's Tokyo office.

The change is dramatic and spontaneous.

I'm really psyched.

The managing partner of my firm's Tokyo office once said that he considered anyone who claimed to be bilingual to be a liar.  Bilingual himself, he was being facetious, but he had an underlying point that I completely shared:  bilingualism just means that you're imperfect in two languages.

I love myself.

This blog is all about me, which is why I love it and I need people to read it, comment on it and love it.

If I'm partaking in a conversation, I need to be the center of attention.  I need people to laugh at my stories and show interest in what I say

My parents are typical Asian parents.  They are controlling and overbearing.  That I was their oldest--and only--son probably didn't help much.

I think it's psychologically healthy for every child to go through a rebellious period against his or her parents (within means, of course), but I fear I missed out on that experience when I had

I'm often asked, generally in Japan, which language I'm more comfortable with, English or Japanese.  Since my subconscience* (i.e. my dreams) has been in English for years, the answer to the question is obvious.

That answer, though, is actually a matter of relativity.  Just because English is my better language doesn't mean I'm a good English

Last week, I bought a TI-89 calculator.  It's like the calculator you used to get by calculus in high school, only this one is better.

I've wanted one for a long time.  My freshman year at Boston College, I got a TI-89 because I was well on my way to majoring in math.  This union lasted

I have a great story that explains how societal norms greatly differs between Asians and Westerners.

The summer after I graduated from college, I went to China on a two week trip composed of college students mostly studying or interested in government. The student composition was geographically diverse, with students from colleges all over the United

The happiest moment of my life was when I got a 600 on SAT verbal.  You may say it doesn't take much to make me happy, but you'd be missing my point.  The statement is a reflection on my life-long struggle to achieve competence in verbalism, be it in English or Japanese.

I somehow managed to

Japanese is a terrible language.  And I'm not saying that just because I haven't been able to master the language due to my elementary school slackery.

Even if you set out to intentionally create the most vague, indefinite language, you couldn't have done better than Japanese language.

It fits the people perfectly.

My college professor once sarcastically remarked that I'm a collector.  That I am.  I don't just collect the popular, and the more common sensical, baseball cards or foreign money.  No, no.  I collect crap like movie stubs and hotel card keys (which I eventually stopped because I realized that's not crap, it's trash).

Then there is