Nissan has joined forces with the Empire. Images of stormtroopers, the shock troops seen in the Star Wars films, will be emblazoned on promotional materials up and down the country and on TV screens as the car maker enlists their help for the launch of its redesigned Juke sport-utility vehicle. Invision for DisneyConsumer Products/AP ImagesThe stormtrooper character from the Star Wars movies is helping Nissan sell its redesigned Juke SUV in Japan. In a TV ad aimed to boost...
Read More10 Things Japanese People love to do in Autumn
1. Dig up the old camcorder for Sports day festivals at schools. Health and Sports Day (体育の日 Taiiku no hi), also known as Health-Sports Day or Sports Day, is a national holiday in Japan held annually on the second Monday in October. It commemorates the opening of the 1964 Summer Olympics being held in Tokyo, and exists to promote sports and an active lifestyle. The first Health and Sports Day was held on October 10, 1966, two years after the 1964 Summer Olympics. October...
Read MoreWhere to shop: Tokyo’s top 6 department stores
Department Stores Tokyo is home to some of Japan’s biggest department stores, rivaling most around the world. Shoppers can spend the entire day wandering the floors of a Tokyo department store, where primarily fashion and home decor make up the bulk of the goods sold. Throughout the day, visitors can go to a Depachika, or department basement gourmet halls, commonly found throughout the city’s biggest department stores. Here, customers may spend hours walking...
Read MoreA country in termoil; Who will inherit the Chrysanteum throne and become the next emperor of Japan?
The Emperor will turn 80 late this year. Next January will mark a quarter century since his accession to the Chrysanthemum throne. The Emperor was enthroned as “the symbol of the State” under the current Constitution, becoming the first head of the Imperial family in its 1,300-year history to assume that position from the beginning of his reign. The Emperor has since joined hands with his wife the Empress, who is 78, in exploring the proper status of a national symbol in a...
Read MoreWhat to read: Geisha of Gion by Mineko Iwasaki
This book is a real page turner! Mineko Iwasaki was the foremost geisha of her time, to the extent where she became a legend and was invited to entertain the highest levels of world society. When Arthur Golden wrote his novel, Memoirs of a Geisha, he consulted with Mineko but was apparently sworn to silence. Unfortunately, he then went on to tell people that it was Mineko who had spoken with him about the life of geisha in Japan; Mineko herself was upset that he had twisted...
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