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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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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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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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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Hello and welcome to my personal blog!
Living in Tokyo since 2013, I'm a Study Program Coordinator at GPlusMedia, the company behind GaijinPot, Japan Today and Savyy Tokyo.
I love to write about Japanese culture, society and language, and to share bits of my life in Japan.
If you want to read me live, follow me on Twitter.