Japanese Culture http://www.yoshida-interior.com All About Japan! Fri, 18 May 2012 06:19:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 What does the hand gesture with the pinky, index finger, and thumb extended mean in Japanese culture? http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-culture/what-does-the-hand-gesture-with-the-pinky-index-finger-and-thumb-extended-mean-in-japanese-culture http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-culture/what-does-the-hand-gesture-with-the-pinky-index-finger-and-thumb-extended-mean-in-japanese-culture#comments Fri, 18 May 2012 06:19:11 +0000 admin http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-culture/what-does-the-hand-gesture-with-the-pinky-index-finger-and-thumb-extended-mean-in-japanese-culture It looks like the ASL sign for "I love you"…Does it mean the same thing in Japanese culture? I see it a lot in anime, especially when somebody’s shocked/surprised.

gesture with the pinky, index finger, and thumb extended –> YES "I love you", but not many people know…

pinky up –> "I’ll promise" "I’ll keep promise"
index finger up –> "one"
thumb up –> "great"

]]> http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-culture/what-does-the-hand-gesture-with-the-pinky-index-finger-and-thumb-extended-mean-in-japanese-culture/feed 2 How does consumerism impact on Japanese Culture? http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-culture/how-does-consumerism-impact-on-japanese-culture http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-culture/how-does-consumerism-impact-on-japanese-culture#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 05:32:12 +0000 admin http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-culture/how-does-consumerism-impact-on-japanese-culture PLEASE HELP~
I really need help on this assignment, it is due tomorrow and it’s neally 12 o’clock D:
I have no idea what consumerism mean, I have googled it and well I still don’t understand what it means.
My topic is Harajuku and we need to answer the question along with some others but I don’t even understand the big question!
How exactly does consumerism impact on Japanese Culture?

Consumerism means buying a lot of things, even when you do not need them.
The word consumerism is derived from the verb to consume.

There is even an article about consumerism in WIKIPEDIA the free encyclopedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumerism

P.S.
I think your teacher gave you a very difficult homework. Me, as a grown-up I would have difficulties to answer it, because you have to know Japanese culture very well, and one would need some statistics to prove certain behavior of the consumers.

]]> http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-culture/how-does-consumerism-impact-on-japanese-culture/feed 1 How different is Filipino culture from Japanese culture? http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-culture/how-different-is-filipino-culture-from-japanese-culture http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-culture/how-different-is-filipino-culture-from-japanese-culture#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:57:07 +0000 admin http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-culture/how-different-is-filipino-culture-from-japanese-culture My boyfriend is Filipino and I don’t know if the culture is different from Japanese culture(I’m Japanese)

VERY different. They may as well be from different planets.

]]> http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-culture/how-different-is-filipino-culture-from-japanese-culture/feed 3 what is so appealing about japanese culture to some americans? http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-culture/what-is-so-appealing-about-japanese-culture-to-some-americans http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-culture/what-is-so-appealing-about-japanese-culture-to-some-americans#comments Sat, 25 Feb 2012 14:34:15 +0000 admin http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-culture/what-is-so-appealing-about-japanese-culture-to-some-americans I’ve noticed over the years that some americans get really interested even obsessed with japanese culture. Why?

SUSHI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3

]]> http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-culture/what-is-so-appealing-about-japanese-culture-to-some-americans/feed 14 Japanese Culture???????? http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-culture/japanese-culture-4 http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-culture/japanese-culture-4#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:04:26 +0000 admin http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-culture/japanese-culture-4 Why is it that injapan theres a lot of english letters everywhere like on signs and clothes and stuff,andthere are a lot of our products still remain in full english language?And is it true that a lot of japanese people speak english?

All Japanese people STUDY english. They are required to take it in school for three years in Jr. High Scool and at least two years in High School (though many schools require three), and then often take another 2+ years in college. Of course this does not mean that they can actually speak it very well.

In large cities, especially Tokyo, Kyoto, Kobe, Osaka, there are a number of folks who can speak a little english, but when you compare their ability to other non english speaking coutries that have english as a compulsory subject (the Netherlands, Finland, the Philipines, etc.) Japan’s average English ability is just slightly better than piss poor.This is not to say that no one can speak it though. Again in big cities all large hotels have desk staff who speak english as do most banks. People are highly encouraged by the government to learn it, but there are most likely many more people who cannot speak english than who can.

The reason there is so much English everywhere though is that simply, they think it looks cool. If you look at the top ten box office hits in Japan all time, more than half are American movies. American music stars are huge here. They’re cool. They speak english. So english is cool and stuff with english on it sells.

It isn’t always comprehensible English of course. If you’d like to see some really funny examples of Japanese butchery of the English language, I recommend you check out;

http//www.engrish.com

Really funny stuff.

]]> http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-culture/japanese-culture-4/feed 9 How do you say "japanese food" in french? http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-food/how-do-you-say-japanese-food-in-french http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-food/how-do-you-say-japanese-food-in-french#comments Sun, 12 Feb 2012 02:45:59 +0000 admin http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-food/how-do-you-say-japanese-food-in-french If I were to say "I cook japanese food", is it better expressed as "nourriture japonaise” or ”cuisine japonaise”?

"Je cuisine de la nourriture japonaise." or "Je fais/prépare de la cuisine japonaise."

Both phrases are good.
Hope I helped

]]> http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-food/how-do-you-say-japanese-food-in-french/feed 3 What type of Japanese language is spoken in mostly anime, manga, and most part of Japan? http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-language/what-type-of-japanese-language-is-spoken-in-mostly-anime-manga-and-most-part-of-japan http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-language/what-type-of-japanese-language-is-spoken-in-mostly-anime-manga-and-most-part-of-japan#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:25:33 +0000 admin http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-language/what-type-of-japanese-language-is-spoken-in-mostly-anime-manga-and-most-part-of-japan I was told there were two forms of Japanese language. Romaji and kana. I was wondering which is spoken in most part of Japan. Or are they a combo that makes the main Japanese language? I love to learn Japanese but, after seen that Romaji and Kana are in it. I got all confuse. Help!

The standard Japanese language is based on Tokyo dialect, but there are many regional variants. One of the most famous is Osaka-ben or Osaka dialect. Most Japanese courses and resources will teach standard dialect. It is best to learn standard dialect as this is the most commonly used and easiest to understand.

Japanese is not too difficult to learn but It does take a lot of motivation and practice to successfully learn the language. The best way to learn Japanese is by taking a class, enrolling in a course or investing in a good textbook. If you can’t take classes then the self-study method with the correct resources is a good way.

The key to learning Japanese effectively is to work on your grammar, listening, speaking, reading and writing. Its best to think of these as separate categories and focus on each specific category as these require different methods and techniques.

Start by learning the basics through grammar. These books really helped me.

• Shin Nihongo no Kiso I & II
http://japan-australia.blogspot.com/2011/06/shin-nihongo-no-kiso.html

• An Introduction to Modern Japanese by Osamu Mizutani & Nobuko Mizutani
http://japan-australia.blogspot.com/2011/04/introduction-to-modern-japanese.html

• Japanese Demystified by Eriko Sato a self-teaching guide
http://japan-australia.blogspot.com/2011/05/japanese-demystified.html

These books cover both polite Japanese, which is extremely important to learn in order to speak Japanese effectively and causal Japanese, which is great for everyday conversations.

I also recommend trying to learn a certain amount of vocab or kanji each day as this helps you build up your vocab and kanji ability. I tried to learn 5 kanji per day or about 20 a week and did the same with vocab.

Watching Japanese anime or any Japanese TV program is a good idea for improving your listening skills and also your vocabulary. Keep a notebook and jot down any new words you hear. Then look them up and find out the meaning.

Websites are not always the best way to learn Japanese. Most websites are run by people with no teaching credentials and are not even native speakers of Japanese. Some of them are just interested in making money and not in helping you in what you need to be successful in learning Japanese.

How to Learn Japanese
http://japan-australia.blogspot.com/2010/11/how-to-learn-japanese.html

]]> http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-language/what-type-of-japanese-language-is-spoken-in-mostly-anime-manga-and-most-part-of-japan/feed 4 What are some good sites to buy japanese food online? http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-food/what-are-some-good-sites-to-buy-japanese-food-online http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-food/what-are-some-good-sites-to-buy-japanese-food-online#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:38:01 +0000 admin http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-food/what-are-some-good-sites-to-buy-japanese-food-online I’ve tried google searching japanese sites and I found a couple good ones, including asianfoodgrocers and veryasia, but I was wondering if theres a better site. I’m looking for a site with decent prices and shipping rates, and lots of food variety. I especially want Japanese bread, which I’m finding isn’t very common on online shops. Please give me a list of as many japanese online shops you know, preferably only ones you know are reliable.

Hmart is Korean, however they do have some Japanese goods.
http://www.hmart.com/ reliable? yes.
how to get free shipping:
http://www.hmart.com/event/2012_bts_spring.asp

J List (Japanese):
http://www.jlist.com/category/822
I’ve only ordered from here once, and it was a good experience.

Mitsuwa:
http://shop.mitsuwa.com/eng/eindex.php

Mt. Fuji
http://japanesefood.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=japanesefood&cdn=food&tm=68&f=00&tt=14&bt=0&bts=0&st=10&zu=http%3A//www.mountfuji.co.uk/acatalog/Japanese_Food_Shop.html

]]> http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-food/what-are-some-good-sites-to-buy-japanese-food-online/feed 2 Question to Japanese Culture? What is the name of Fish Kite that people hang on poles? http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-culture/question-to-japanese-culture-what-is-the-name-of-fish-kite-that-people-hang-on-poles http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-culture/question-to-japanese-culture-what-is-the-name-of-fish-kite-that-people-hang-on-poles#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:27:17 +0000 admin http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-culture/question-to-japanese-culture-what-is-the-name-of-fish-kite-that-people-hang-on-poles I have a question to Japanese people about culture. I have seen Japenese people hang a fish kite from a pole so that it flaps when the wind blows. What is the name of it and where can one get one like that? I think it looks cool.

As the former answerer mentioned, it’s called ?? (koi-nobori) or "carp streamer", where "koi" means "carp" and "nobori" means "banner, streamer" (this "nobori" doesn’t mean "climbing").

I found this site, where they seem to sell koi-nobori:
http://www.goodsfromjapan.com/interior-carp-streamers-c-249_107.html

You may want to search for others using "carp streamer" and "price" as the keywords.

Hope this helps.

]]> http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-culture/question-to-japanese-culture-what-is-the-name-of-fish-kite-that-people-hang-on-poles/feed 2 What is the etiquette for a foreign white man when he wants to ask out a Japanese woman? http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-etiquette/what-is-the-etiquette-for-a-foreign-white-man-when-he-wants-to-ask-out-a-japanese-woman http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-etiquette/what-is-the-etiquette-for-a-foreign-white-man-when-he-wants-to-ask-out-a-japanese-woman#comments Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:42:01 +0000 admin http://www.yoshida-interior.com/japanese-etiquette/what-is-the-etiquette-for-a-foreign-white-man-when-he-wants-to-ask-out-a-japanese-woman
Just show up. White men might not be able to get every girl, but they can get at least some just by showing up. Doesn’t matter how ugly, repulsive, or rude you are; Japanese worship whites.

The exact opposite is true of Blacks. If you’re a "bad boy" as a Black, you’re scary. if you’re a nice guy as a Black, you’re a pushover and the few Japanese that "like Blacks" won’t accept you since you don’t fit the thug stereotypes that they feel that every Black should be. Try to be genuine, it’s not good enough and you can never compete with Whites.

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