Yabusame (流鏑馬)

Yabusame (流鏑馬) is a type of Japanese archery performed while riding a horse – hence, it is also known as Horseback Archery.  The biggest Yabusame event is held annually during Reitaisai Festival at the Tsurugaoka Hachiman shrine in Kamakura, Japan (see my earlier blog post about our visit to Kamakura earlier this year).  This particular [...]

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Japanese only take average of 8 days paid vacation a year

A recent survey by Expedia.com revealed that Japanese take only an average of 8 days paid vacation a year, the lowest among the countries surveyed, while France topped the list with 34 days, followed by Italy and Spain with 27 paid days off annually.  Wow, that’s quite a gap!  Do you take all your entitled [...]

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Roppongi Hills Summer Events

During the summer at Roppongi Hills in the heart of Tokyo, Japan, a variety of events were held at the Roppongi Hills Arena near the TV Asahi building.  The events featured live performances, sporting events, exhibits, food and drinks.
The biggest event was the 5th year anniversary of Roppongi Hills and one of the feature performances [...]

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Thinking Outside the Box – Lessons of the Square Watermelon

On the Lean Thinking Network web site, you can find the Lesson of the Square Watermelon, a great story about thinking outside the box in Japan.

Japanese grocery stores had a problem. They are much smaller than their US counterparts and therefore don’t have room to waste. Watermelons, big and round, wasted a lot of space. [...]

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Nihon Buyo at the National Theatre of Japan

We recently attended a Nihon Buyo performance at the National Theatre of Japan in Hayabusa, Tokyo, conveniently located by subway access, 5 minutes walk from the Hanzomon subway station.

Opened in 1966, the National Theatre of Japan consists of 2 theaters, with the large one with seating of 1,610 and the small theater with 590 [...]

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Computer Problem

Funny computer problem story:
I was having trouble with my computer.  So I called Richard, the 11 year old next door whose bedroom looks like Mission Control, and asked him to come over.
Richard clicked a couple of buttons and solved the problem.
As he was walking away, I called after him, ‘So, what was wrong?  He replied, [...]

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Japan in the News: Happy 113th birthday for world’s oldest man

TOKYO (Reuters) – The world’s oldest man celebrated his 113th birthday on Thursday, telling reporters at his home in southern Japan about his joyful life and healthy appetite.
“I’m happy,” said Tomoji Tanabe as the local mayor presented him with flowers and a giant tea cup glazed with his name and date of birth. “I’m [...]

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Japan in the News: Tainted Rice Scandal

We have been following the recent tainted rice scandal in Japan, which resulted in a tragedy when the president of a rice retailer in Nara prefecture hanged himself at this home.

Tainted Chinese rice sold for making ’shochu,’ crackers in Japan
Japan to return foreign rice to exporting nations if found to be tainted
Pesticide detected in rice [...]

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Omikoshi Togyo Autumn Festival

The Omikoshi Togyo Autumn Festival (matsuri) is one of the biggest events in Kichijoji, about 30 minutes by subway from Tokyo. The main event is a parade of portable shrines called mikoshi carried along the streets of the town to the Musashino Hachimangu Shrine.  This year’s festival as held on the weekend of September 13-14, [...]

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Rice Reaping

Last weekend, we attended a rice reaping event held at a roof top garden in one of the Roppongi Hills buildings.  There were about 100 people, many young children, who attended, as well as some press coverage.  The children (and some adults also tried) were able to take part in the activities.
 
Rice is [...]

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