Japanese culture
If you walk through a Japanese suburb on a sunny weekend, you might spot a patch of soil surrounded by neat fences — rows of tomatoes, cucumbers, and shiso leaves quietly basking in the light. This is a kitchen garden, or katei saibai in Japanese. It’s one of the most popular hobbies in Japan, blending the calm of nature with the satisfaction of harvest. 🌱 A Little Farm in the City Many people don’t have a backyard, so they rent a small plot from a local landowner or community garden. The space is modest — often just a few ...
Japan loves to borrow words from English — but what’s funny is that many of them have taken on completely new meanings here.They sound familiar to English speakers, yet… not quite right.These unique creations are called Japanese-made English, or wasei-eigo (和製英語). Let’s look at some fun examples you might come across in everyday Japan! “Salaryman” and “Office Lady” If you meet someone who introduces himself as a salaryman, he’s simply saying he’s an office worker — someone who earns a monthly salary.And his female colleague? She’s an Office Lady, or OL for short. These words are everywhere in Japan — ...
If you walk through a Japanese neighborhood early in the morning, you’ll see small children in uniforms heading to school — each carrying the same box-shaped backpack. That backpack is called a “randoseru” (ランドセル). For many Japanese people, it’s a nostalgic symbol of childhood — and surprisingly, its name came from Dutch. From Dutch Soldiers to Japanese Schoolchildren The word randoseru is derived from the Dutch word “ransel”, meaning “backpack.” During the late Edo and early Meiji periods, Japan adopted many ideas from Western countries, including the Netherlands. The original ransel was a military backpack used by Dutch soldiers. ...
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