omiyage git culture

Omiyage and Japan’s Gifting Culture

The omiyage culture in Japan has made the act of giving an institutionalized practice, which can sometimes feel burdensome due to the unwritten rules and obligations surrounding it. The obligatory dimension of bringing gifts from your trips often takes away the joy of giving and receiving unexpected gifts.

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What’s Japan’s Nommunication? Understanding Japanese drinking culture at work.

Strongly critized in the last few years, the culture of nommunication still rules Japanese salarymen’s daily life, especially in traditional-style corporations. This made-up word is built with the verb ‘to drink’ (飲む, nomu) and communication. Groups of noisy salarymen heavily drinking at popular izakayas are a common sight on weekday evenings. Although those parties called nomikai (飲み会, meeting to drink) may happen outside of their working hours, they …

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search for an apartment in tokyo

Mission Impossible: Search for a New Apartment in Tokyo?!

I moved to Tokyo about 4 years ago and experienced moving from one apartment to the other only once. At the time, however, I had no time to search for the perfect home and couldn’t be picky. I had only 1-week to pack and move, so I chose the first property whose owner said « yes ». 2 years later, I’m ready …

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Flat in Tokyo

Challenged Accepted: Finding a Flat in Tokyo And Moving Out Within a Week

How I ended up with 1-week to find a flat in Tokyo and to move out. I was struggling to find a job and had given up keeping my current flat to move in with my in-laws. At least for a while, I thought. I had notified the building manager that I was renouncing the lease, coming to an end …

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