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When Japanese Words Become Global Products
When Japanese Words Become Global Products On ikigai, wabi-sabi, and what happens when Japanese sensibility is translated, simplified, and packaged for the world. Lately, I keep running into Japanese words in places I did not expect. Design articles. Lifestyle essays. Self-help content. Interior pages with earthy ceramics and natural linen. Productivity frameworks with four overlapping…
Can Japanese People Tell Japanese, Koreans, and Chinese Apart? Honestly, Less and Less.
Can Japanese People Tell Japanese, Koreans, and Chinese Apart? Honestly, Less and Less. Someone asked me once if I can tell Japanese, Korean, and Chinese people apart. I paused. Laughed a little. Then said something like: “Sometimes. Kind of. Not really anymore.” That’s the honest answer. There’s No Reliable Method. There Never Really Was. Nationality…
When Your Japanese Gets Too Good, People Start Acting Differently – Part 2
When Your Japanese Gets Too Good, People Start Acting Differently – Part 2 There’s a particular kind of moment that happens in Japan. A foreigner starts speaking Japanese. Fluent Japanese. Natural rhythm, correct pitch accent, the kind of casual sentence-ending particles that take years to internalize. The Japanese person on the receiving end pauses. Something…
Your Japanese Is Correct. It Still Feels Wrong. -Part 1
Your Japanese Is Correct. It Still Feels Wrong. – Part 1 You studied Japanese. You learned hiragana, katakana, some kanji. You memorized the verb conjugations. You practiced until you could hold a conversation. Then you came to Japan, used it with a new friend, and something was slightly off. They smiled politely. But something in…
Foreigners in Japan Get a Pass. It’s Not Always a Compliment.
Foreigners in Japan Get a Pass. It’s Not Always a Compliment. Something happens when you live in Japan long enough and pay close enough attention. A foreigner talks on their phone on a crowded train. The people around them say nothing — though the silence isn’t empty. There’s a brief, sharp glance. A quiet shift…
Why Japanese Landlords Say No to Foreign Tenants
Why Japanese Landlords Say No to Foreign Tenants A landlord’s honest take on risk, communication, and the rules nobody explains. If you’ve tried to rent an apartment in Japan as a foreigner, you’ve probably encountered it — the polite but firm refusal. Sometimes it’s direct. More often it comes through the agent: the landlord prefers…
Ten Years of English. Still Can’t Speak It.
Ten Years of English. Still Can’t Speak It. In recent EF English Proficiency Index rankings, Japan has sat in the “very low proficiency” category, near the bottom among high-income countries. Japan has struggled to improve in these rankings for more than a decade. That’s the data. But the data tells you what, not why. The…
I Said “Chiketto.” They Had No Idea.
I Said “Chiketto.” They Had No Idea. My first time in America, alone, I needed a bus ticket. I walked up to the information counter and said: “Chiketto.” Nothing. I tried again. Still nothing. For about ten minutes I stood there, saying the same word with increasing desperation, until finally — out of options —…
Pika-Pika, Doki-Doki, Bata-Bata: Why Japanese Has a Word for Every Feeling You Can’t Describe
Pika-Pika, Doki-Doki, Bata-Bata: Why Japanese Has a Word for Every Feeling You Can’t Describe. A Russian friend once said something that stuck with me. “Japanese has so many words that repeat themselves. Chika-chika. Mogu-mogu. Fura-fura. What is that?” I’d never thought about it. I’d been using those words my entire life without questioning why they…
