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Japanese Model Kit Vocabulary: Plamo Words from Runner to Paint
In Japanese, a plastic model kit is a puramoderu, almost always shortened to puramo (プラモ). The parts come on a rannā (runner, the sprue), you cut them off with nippā (side cutters), clean up the gēto (the leftover nub), and then assemble, paint, add sumiire (panel lining) and finish with a topcoat.
10 min readJapanese Sewing and Knitting Vocabulary: Needles, Yarn and Stitches
The two key verbs are nuu (縫う, to sew) and amu (編む, to knit or crochet). Sewing uses hari (needle), ito (thread), nuno or kiji (fabric) and mishin (sewing machine); knitting uses keito (yarn), bōbari (knitting needles), kagibari (crochet hook), omoteami (knit) and uraami (purl). Tezukuri, handmade, is the word for what you make.
10 min readHakone Ekiden: Japan's New Year University Relay and Its Words
The Hakone Ekiden is a university road relay race run every year on 2 and 3 January between central Tokyo and Lake Ashi in Hakone. Teams of ten runners pass a cloth sash, the tasuki, over ten legs of about 20 kilometres each, five legs out on the first day and five back on the second, and many families in Japan watch it on television as part of the New Year holiday.
11 min readJapanese Motorcycle Vocabulary: Baiku, Licences, Touring and Fuel
In Japanese, a motorcycle is a baiku (バイク), not a bicycle, which is jitensha. Riders talk about gentsuki (small scooters), licence classes such as futsū nirin and ōgata nirin, tsūringu (touring) to tōge (mountain passes) and michi no eki (roadside stations), and they fill up with regyurā or haioku at a gasorin sutando.
10 min readTamago Kake Gohan: How Japan Eats Raw Egg on Rice
Tamago kake gohan (卵かけご飯), often shortened to TKG, is a bowl of hot rice with a raw egg and a little soy sauce mixed in. It is one of the simplest and most loved home breakfasts in Japan, and many people eat it because eggs sold in Japan are usually labelled and handled with raw eating in mind.
10 min readTabearuki: Is Eating While Walking Rude in Japan?
Eating while walking, tabearuki (食べ歩き), is often seen as bad manners in Japan, especially on crowded streets and trains, but it is not banned everywhere. At festivals and food streets people commonly eat standing near the stall, and the polite habit is to stop, eat on the spot or at the shop's bench, and take your rubbish with you.
10 min readHigasa: Why Japanese People Use Umbrellas in the Sun
A higasa (日傘) is a parasol, an umbrella used against the sun. In Japan many people carry one from spring to autumn to stay cooler, block UV rays and protect their skin, and in recent hot summers more men have started using them too.
10 min readMorijio: Why Japanese Shops Put Salt Piles at the Door
Morijio (盛り塩) is a small cone or mound of salt placed on a dish beside the entrance of a restaurant, shop or home in Japan. It is a charm for purifying the place and, in popular belief, for inviting good fortune and customers, so visitors should simply leave it alone.
11 min readOshibori: The Wet Towel at Japanese Restaurants Explained
Oshibori (おしぼり) is the small wet towel, hot in cold weather and chilled in summer, that many Japanese restaurants hand you as you sit down. It is for wiping your hands before eating; afterwards you fold it and leave it beside your place.
10 min readDoyō no Ushi no Hi: Japan's Summer Eel Day Explained
Doyō no Ushi no Hi (土用の丑の日) is the day of the ox during doyō, the period just before the start of a new season. The summer one, usually in late July or early August, is famous as the day to eat grilled eel, unagi, for stamina in the heat.
10 min readWhy Japanese Children Walk to School Alone
Many Japanese children walk to elementary school without their parents from about age six, often in small groups of neighbourhood children. Short, planned school routes, quiet residential streets, crossing volunteers and a culture that encourages early independence all help, though practices and parents' feelings vary.
10 min readWhy Japanese People Carry Handkerchiefs Everywhere
Many people in Japan carry a handkerchief, hankachi, because public restrooms often have no paper towels, summers are hot and humid, and children are taught the habit at school. The most popular kind is a small, thick towel handkerchief that dries wet hands well.
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