Aokigahara

I usually do relatively positive posts on this blog, however this post is very morbid. Just a warning. I often read scary stories and read of places like this, but the stories I read are fiction. They’re for the enjoyment of others and not at all factual accounting of any events (as much as the story itself may beg to differ). However, this place that I’m going to tell you about soon is very real. There have been many sightings of ghosts there, and based on what happens in this place, it would make sense. I’m not a huge believer in ghosts or anything paranormal, but if there ghosts anywhere they’d be here. Ghosts, as I’ve been told, are tortured souls in purgatory left to roam the realm of the living, or more commonly known as people with unfinished business they need to conclude before they pass over to the other side. Either way, ghosts make great stories and can be terrifying.

The place I’m talking about is called Aokigahara. Located at the base of Mt. Fuji, Aokigahara is known as the “Suicide Forest” in Japan. The kanji for Aokigahara, 青木ヶ原, literally means “Sea of Trees.” Many people can get lost in this forest very easily. The trees create a very thick canopy and are very difficult to see through. The deeper you go into the forest, the darker it gets. There are many winding paths in Aokigahara that are easy to get lost on. If you go off the path, you are very likely to get lost because the trees are very similar and it’s hard to find your way around. There are also many vines and roots that can be easily tripped over, so you need to watch your footing in the forest. While you're looking down and looking for better footing, it's easy to lose your way.

Many people go to Aoikigahara to do what  the forest is named after. The Suicide Forest has the highest suicide rate in all of Japan. There are more suicides per year in the forest than any other place in Japan. The most common age range for suicides in the forest is 20-35, mostly office workers that are stressed out from their job. In Japan, people sleeping on the job is considered a sign of your hard work. The more you over exert yourself and the more stress you put on your body, the more highly you're regarded in Japan as a hard worker. This is such a huge problem that there is actually a word for death by over work. That's right, people actually die from working too hard and it's a very popular cause of death in Japan.

Aokigahara is the site of many ghost stories and legends because of its nature. There is said to be many lost souls and ghosts roaming around the forest. These are the souls of the people who killed themselves and regretted it. Now, they're "doomed to haunt the forest" according to one scary story. Whether or not there are ghosts, there have been reports of the forest having a very eerie feeling to it.

Karoshi

Karōshi (過労死), which can be translated literally as "overwork death" in Japanese, means death by working too hard. Every year, hundreds of over stressed Japanese workers succumb to heart attack, stroke or suicide due to a lack of work-life balance. The problem, which first rose to prominence in the 1980s, has become so bad it even has its own name: karoshi. Death by overwork. Last week, a British expat living in Tokyo going by the handle ‘Stu in Japan’ posted a video on YouTube titled ‘A week in the life of a Tokyo salary man’.

The video diary documented a typical 80-hour week during his financial services company’s “busy season” from January to March — 13-hour days for six days a week, leaving the office after 11pm every night, with barely time to squeeze in dinner.

“There are definitely people in Tokyo who do this all year round in order to support their families,” he wrote. “I couldn’t imagine having to do this if I had those kinds of responsibilities as well.”

Late last year, the Japanese government finally decided to do something about the endemic culture of overwork, which has been blamed not just on a growing number of deaths, but also the country’s critically low birth rate and declining productivity.

Although Japan is notorious for hard work, it’s equally known for inefficiency and bureaucracy. Workers sit around in the name of team spirit, despite questionable performance.

Younger workers feel uncomfortable going home before their bosses do. Working overtime for free, called “sah-bee-soo zahn-gyo”, or “service overtime”, is prevalent.

Nijojo

The Nijo Castle was built in 1601 by Tokugawa and it is located in Kyoto, Japan. Tokugawa constructed this castle as his residence. A little bit of structure from Fushimi Castle was added in 1623 by Iemitsu, the grand son of Tokugawa. The castle covers an area of approximately 8000 square meters, of which the buildings occupy the major part. The castle consists of huge stone walls and heavy gates and it is said to be a perfect example to display the architecture of that time.

In the year 1601, the feudal lords were asked donations for the construction of Nijo Castle by Tokugawa at that time. During the reign of Iemitsu, the grandson of Tokugawa, the construction of the castle was completed in 1626. Some parts of the main tower, Kara Gate, and Fushimi Castle are included in the castle. In the year 1788, a fire in the city struck, causing the inner part of the palace to be destroyed. The place stayed vacant up to 1893 when it was changed into an imperial palace.

The castle consists of two fortifications, one is known as the inner walls and the other is the outer walls. Honmaru palace is situated within the inner walls, along with its garden. The Ninomaru Palace, the gardens, the kitchens, and guard house are situated between the two main fortifications.

The Ninomaru Palace comprises of five buildings with an architecture that includes furniture and gold leaf. The architecture not only impresses the visitors, but also show the pride and honor of the kings. This castle is a fine example of arts and architecture at that time. The palace also consists of several reception rooms and quarters. The palace called Honmaru Palace also belongs to the castle. It covers an area about 1600 square meters. The palace has been divided into four parts. There is a living quarters inside where the Shoguns used to live, and recreation areas are provided. The present body of the palace is said to be Katsura place. There is also a large pond at the garden.

Makeup in Japan

Makeup is one of the most popular items purchased in Japan. Its main audience is women, and billions of products are sold per year. About 50 years ago, Japanese women wouldn't wear makeup (or wear minimal makeup) to work. Now, however, a more professional look needs to be obtained. A huge part of makeup for Japanese women is to subtly enhance certain features.

In Japan, many cosmetics shops have employees and staff members that specialize in makeup. They help you out and suggest many different types of makeup depending on your eye shape and face shape. For example, close set eyes should have dark eyeliner in the corners to make it seem like they're farther apart, and wide set eyes should have black eyeliner on the outside creases of the eyes. When I went to Japan, I went to a large mall in Tokyo with many floors. One of the floors had a huge makeup department. Very similar to American stores, the store was organized by different types of makeup. Eye makeup was in a different place than face washes, and nail polish was in a different place than perfume, etc. At each section an employee was stationed to help customers. These employees dished out free samples and suggested the best products for their customers.

Makeup in Japan was very expensive, but it was worth it. Japanese makeup is usually very high quality. When I tried to find information about this post, the first page on Google was full of "Top 10 best Japanese makeup you HAVE to try" lists. Japanese makeup is known for being extra long-lasting, extra smoothing, or just overall a better product depending on what it is. For example, there is a foundation called BB cream that is especially popular. BB stands for Blemish Balm and it was originally made for women with skin issues such as acne or scarring on their face. BB cream was originally made by surgeons, but now it's sold at general stores. The "best" BB cream is a Korean brand that's extremely popular in Japan.

Makeup is very popular with teenagers and women of all ages. Many women want smooth, blemish free skin, big eyes, and very subtle blush to look young.

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Lolita Fashion

Clothing sizes in Japan are completely different than those in America. American clothes are about 3 sizes larger than sizes in Japan. In fact, so are fashion trends. Generally Japanese people tend to want to wear things that are less flashy, while Americans aren't afraid to wear bold makeup (dark blue lipstick and a smokey style eye shadow look, for example).  There are many different types of fashion in Japan.

For example, there is the idol type, which tries to be as cute and childlike as possible. Upon further inspection, there seems to be a correlation between the Lolita effect (men lusting after young girls, or teenage girls wanting to seem younger than they are because it's a trend) in Japan and this type of fashion. This style is even sometimes called Lolita, or Loli for short. This style centers around pastel clothing. It has puffy dresses, cute, pastel wigs that are often curled and long, and knee-high socks. Lolitas love lace and frilly things. Also, big plastic hair pieces or buttons, or really anything to make them appear more childlike is popular. This style also features lots of layers. Often there will be a lace undershirt or cute bra, then a small, flowy tanktop, then the dress (which has many layers by itself) and a cute jacket (depending on the weather). Often Lolitas also carry parasols to keep their skin youthful and free of burns from the sun. Often, famous Lolis are in the sun for a very long time for photo shoots, so it's actually smart that they carry parasols.

As for makeup, Lolitas usually wear large contacts to make their eyes look bigger. They might use glue to make their eyes seem double lidded. Usually Lolis wear lots of dark black eyeliner or brown eyeliner/eye shadow. The pictures I've seen (the professional Lolis) seem like they have their makeup professionally done. They use many makeup tricks (such as lining the eye with black or brown under the actual waterline to make the eyes appear bigger, or lining the bottom waterline with white eyeliner) to make their eyes stand out. Often, the difference between a Lolita and more contemporary Tokyo fashion is that the Lolitas spend much more time doing their makeup and trying to look like a living porcelain doll.

You read that right, they really are trying to look like porcelain dolls. If your face could be painted on, wouldn't that be the definition of flawless? That's the ideology behind Lolita fashion. Besides, you know, the whole slight fetishization of children. Usually I'm all for explaining a social justice topic, however right now I don't have the energy nor the resources to completely explain the Lolita Effect. However, there is a book by that title that summarizes it quite nicely, I think.

Usually these things take time to explain. I guess I could try, if you really want me to. You do? Perfect. I'll go off on a slight tangent, but I'll tie it all together in the end. Basically, society creates these rolls for us to follow. By society, I mean huge corporations trying to sell us (the general public) stuff. Often this type of thing doesn't have a very negative effect, right? They're just trying to sell stuff. WRONG. The more money they make, the happier they are. The more loyal customers they have, the more money they are for sure going to make. These companies are happiest when they have definite sources of income. Isn't every business? So they advertise their name as a small company, then that small company grows. And grows. And the customer base grows exponentially and more and more locations of that business start appearing and the CEO has been making an eight figure salary for a while now. And the reason they grew is customer loyalty. The one thing they need is loyal customers. For a while, McDonald's drive through intro the employees were trained to say was "Welcome back to McDonald's. How can I help you?" One of the largest selling type of product is makeup to women. If companies photoshop models, and tell girls when they're really, really little that only makeup can make them beautiful, that they are born flawed, that acne and fat is disgusting but makeup is the cure, they will start to believe all of it.

With the Lolita effect in Japan, companies have advertised being young as attractive, and teenagers and women followed suit. I noticed that people I talked to in Japan were some of the most sexist people I'd ever met. But that's a post for another day, and it's a generalization I don't have enough facts to talk about. At this point the thing we should probably ask ourselves is who are we trying to be beautiful for? Should you really follow the norms in a society that feeds off your self-hatred? But hey, being little is cute, right?

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Whaling

Whaling is a real thing in Japan.












While being outlawed in the U.S., whaling still happens in Japan. Whaling is when whales are hunted for meat or their blubber. Whaling is very inhumane, since the whales are killed by a harpoon being shot into them, and it’s usually a very slow and painful death. Humans don’t even need any part of whales, but it’s considered a delicacy in some places, and the whale parts can be sold for huge amounts of money. Activist groups such as PETA would like whaling to be outlawed worldwide.

Ramen

Originally, ramen was brought over to Japan from China. The hard, dry noodles kept well for travel and was very useful for a quick snack. Because the noodles could be softened quickly, they were also much more time efficient than a stew or soup. Ramen also kept travelers warm during winter, as it could be a cheap hot meal.

Instant ramen today is usually freeze-dried or dehydrated noodles that are packaged with pre-prepared seasoning, and sometimes dehydrated vegetables. It's popular today because it's a very cheap hot meal. This instant ramen has become popular in America, Japan, China, and many other countries.

In Japan, however, ramen is a traditional meal. When ramen came over to Japan from China, it became integrated into their culture as a common meal. Ramen in Japan is made with fresh ingredients and homemade noodles. Sometimes the stock for ramen is boiled for days to create many layers of flavor. There are many types of Japanese ramen, such as shoyu (soy sauce) or shio (salt). Soy sauce ramen has soy sauce in the broth, and salt ramen has a base without soy sauce. Some ramen also has pork, chicken, or beef broth.

Usually ramen also has many different ingredients besides noodles and broth. A typical ramen dish has some type of meat, usually beef or pork on top. Ramen also has many vegetables. It can have green onions, daikon (radish), turnip, and mushroom. Ramen is a very forgiving dish, so you can really put anything in it and it will still taste good due to the strong broth.


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Tokyo Tower

Tokyo Tower is a famous tower in Japan. It's a traditionally very romantic spot for tourists and Japanese people alike. Tokyo Tower is an Eiffel Tower-like structure that towers over Tokyo metropolis. At night the tower lights up with a bright yellow glow that makes it quite the spectacle. The tower is originally used as a hub for communication, but the height grants a great view as well. The Japanese word for Tokyo Tower written, 東京タワー, is pronounced 'To-kyo Tah-wah.' The word タワー (tawaa) is written in katakana. Katakana is a Japanese written language that is primarily used with foreign words integrated into the language. That word comes from the English word "tower" so it's usually easy for foreigners who speak English to understand.

When I was in Japan, I met many very friendly people. One of them was named Ashimoto, and he was in basketball club. In Japan, school clubs are taken very seriously so he was always practicing very hard. When he had breaks from club and time after school, we would talk. I talked to him about many things, such as the difference between Japanese and American music, and similar pop songs we both liked. He even showed me songs popular in America that I'd never heard before. One day after class, we were talking a lot and he asked me if I knew of Tokyo Tower. Then he asked me on a date to go with him. I was very surprised, but I had to leave Japan soon so I turned him down.


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Nara

Nara is my favorite place in all of Japan. Nara is a place in Kyoto. There are restaurants, shops, and many other things just like any other normal city. However, there is one thing that sets Nara apart from other places in Japan. Wild deer live in the public parks in Nara. These deer are very tame and will allow you pet them. They have been trained to recognize their food comes from humans, and humans are friendly. You can buy a pack of 6 rice crackers for them (made specially with nutrients and ingredients deer like and need for a healthy diet) for only 150 yen. That's less than $1.50 with the current inflation rates taken into account.

Nara also has temples and a museum. There are gift shops everywhere where you can buy deer-themed everything. Deer plushies, deer wallets, deer post cards, deer washitsu (folding fans), deer keychains, deer everything. Nara has 7 temples, but I only went to one. The most popular temple in Nara is called Todai-ji. Todai-ji means the “Great Eastern Temple” and it’s one of Japan’s most significant temples.

When I went to Nara, I was so excited. I had heard about the deer before coming to Japan, and it's the place I was looking forward to going the most. The Nara deer were so friendly, however there was one buck that was very aggressive. He would use his horns to try to hit you or your hand to knock the food you were holding to the ground. He followed one person from our group all around, and even ate food right out of his lap. It was absolutely hilarious because we took pictures while this was happening. One of the pictures that was taken looks rather questionable, and it became an inside joke between us the whole trip.

I was amazed at how the deer were so calm with humans. Many people were petting the deer. Some deer sleeping close to the sidewalk were surrounded by people petting them and they hardly stirred. The deer were curious and came up to any new people. Since Nara is a popular tourist destination, there are hundreds of new people every day. Someone who hadn't been to Nara before squealed as the deer surrounded him and pushed at each other for the food he had. Many people laughed, and I was amazed. There was so much respect and trust between the deer and the people: people allowed the deer to come close too. Small children squealed as they chased the deer in packs. Slightly alarmed, the deer would trot (or run, if needed) away before the kids got too close. Parents of the children watched calmly from behind a loose wooden fence created more for an appearance of a barrier than a functional one. People all around were taking pictures of the deer, posing and quickly snapping pictures before the deer moved away or blurred the shot.

The trip to Nara was the first time I've ever touched a deer, let alone take selfies with one. The deer had very coarse fur. Each strand of hair was thick and long, so thick it was hard to bend the strands compared to normal hair. Their eyes were big and glassy, and they had long eyelashes that reminded me of cow's' eyes. Their long snouts ended in a cute purple nose, and they moved toward us eagerly awaiting food. Their hooves were dark black and layered, and their coarse fur covered their legs only to stop at the hooves. Their bushy white tails flicked back and forth as they lightly scratched the sandy ground with their hooves. Their ears twitched away flies in the Japanese summer heat. I was surprised with how big they were. I'd only seen deer from a distance as they darted in and out of woods on the side of the road. Their wide torsos expanded as they snorted expectantly for more food. They were powerful and graceful. As I watched an albino stag delicately rise from the ground and proudly parade into the sunlight, I understood why deer were sometimes revered as gods.

Kinkakuji

Kinkakuji (金閣寺) is a famous Japanese temple in Kyoto. The kanji for kinkakuji means “Golden Pavilion.” It was originally named Rokuonji (鹿苑寺) which means “Deer Garden Temple” Kyoto has a place called Nara in it, which is very famous for its wild deer that live among the park. The deer are tame and you can pet them, among other things. Kinkakuji is a zen Buddhist temple. This temple is surrounded by water and trees. In spring, many of the Cherry Blossom trees bloom and create a gorgeous pink wall surrounding kinkakuji.

I never visited Kinkakuji but if I ever go back to Japan I’d love to go!

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I bought a model of kinkakuji and assembled it for fun. The model was made of gold-colored metal and very small when I finished it. However, it was very detailed so it was difficult to assemble. Despite being difficult, it was fun to make!

The picture below isn’t mine, but it’s the same make and model as the one I assembled. I’m just too lazy to take a picture of the one I assembled (lol)

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Nagoya

Nagoya's main industry is automotive. Many companies are based out of Nagoya. Toyota's luxury brand Lexus, Denso, Aisin Seiki Co., Toyota Industries, JTEKT and Toyota Boshoku have their headquarters in or near Nagoya. Mitsubishi Motors has an R & D division in the suburb of Okazaki. Major component suppliers such as Magna International and PPG also have a strong presence here. Spark plug maker NGK and Nippon Sharyo, known for manufacturing rolling stock including the Shinkansen are headquartered there.

The aviation history has historically been of importance since the industrialization. During the war the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter was constructed in Nagoya. The aviation tradition continues with Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation headquartered in the Nagoya Airfield's terminal building in Komaki. The Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) aircraft is produced at a factory adjacent to the airport.The MRJ is a partnership between majority owner Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Toyot with design assistance from Toyota affiliate Fuji Heavy Industries, already a manufacturer of aircraft. It is the first airliner designed and produced in Japan since the NAMC YS-11 of the 1960s. The MRJ's first flight was on November 11, 201

JR Central, which operates Tōkaidō Shinkansen, has its headquarters in Nagoya, as does the regional Meitetsu railway company.
Nagoya lies north of Ise Bay on the Nōbi Plain. The city was built on low-level plateaus to ward off floodwaters. The plain is one of the nation's most fertile areas. The Kiso River flows to the west along the city border, and the Shōnai River comes from the northeast and turns south towards the bay at Nishi Ward. The man-made Hori River was constructed as a canal in 1610. It flows from north to south, as part of the Shōnai River system. The rivers allowed for trade with the hinterland. The Tempaku River feeds from a number of smaller river in the east, flows briefly south at Nonami and then west at Ōdaka into the bay.

The city's location and its position in the centre of Japan allowed it to develop economically and politically.

Fushimi-Inari

Fushimi-inari-taisha (伏見稲荷大社) is a shrine in Kyoto, Japan. It has 5000 gates all lined up along a path. These gates date back to 711 A.D., and as a foreigner with only a 250 year old country, 1300 years old is an age I can’t even fathom.

In addition to age, these grounds are said to hold over 10,000 Torii gates. Experiencing these numerous and well-preserved gates at Fushimi Inari Shrine are like touching a piece of human history; if only we could see all that they have seen over the years.
To give a little background, a Torii gate is seen as an entrance to a sacred shrine in the Shinto religion. They mark the pathway to shrines across Asia, and I’m sure you’ve come to know them as a symbol of Japan.
What is unique about the Torii gates at Inari Fushimi, though, is their background. Each gate has been donated by a company or organization giving thanks for their prosperity and in hope of good fortune in the future. I only wished I could read all of the names engraved on each gate, but for now it remains to be beautiful artwork representing Japan’s past.
The significance of the shrines located at Fushimi Inari is to honor Inari (稲荷), the Shinto god of rice. You will also see foxes places throughout these grounds, as they are said to be messengers for Inari.

But, if you’re more interested in sightseeing than knowing the history, you can still enjoy the Fushimi Inari shrine just as much. As you enter the large main Torii gate you will see multiple shrines and neat shops for souvenirs. Then you will start to make your way up the stairs on the journey through the 10,000 Torii gates. The varying sizes and faded colors surprised me the most. Since pictures don’t do it justice, you have to see all of it for yourself in person.

While taking the long hike through the gates and up the hill, you will see even more shops for souvenirs and food. This is all leading up to the top of the hill, which overlooks beautiful Kyoto. But be warned, this trek up the mountain is longer than you expect. To get to the top and return again to the bottom would take 3-4 hours; if you don’t stop to enjoy the food, that is.

Thankfully, you don’t have to walk the entire path, though. You can enjoy as much or little as you want, then make your way back down through the gates to enjoy the scenery and Torii gates all over again.
As for the crowds, there really were none. I don’t know if it’s the fact that my definition of “crowd” has changed since moving from a town of 2,000 people in Virginia to a Japanese city of 400,000, but it really seemed very pleasant. And as usual, the Japanese visitors were just as much tourists as we were, taking pictures and standing in awe at all the history and sights the grounds had to offer. I’ve heard New Year’s day is a little more crowded, though; with almost 3 million visitors in only 3 days. But hey, one man’s crowd is another man’s adventure, right?


After finishing our hike and picture taking, I noticed a side street to the right as you exit the shrine. I can’t find it on any tourist information websites, but it turned out to be the best place to find souvenirs and food at the shrine. It looks like a permanent market set up along the street, with family-owned shops that have probably been there for years. Just another great reason to see the lovely Fushimi Inari Torii gates.


When you visit Kyoto, don’t forget about this attraction that will give a whole new meaning to “Japanese history and culture."



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Asakusa

Asakusa (浅草) is a district in Tokyo, Japan. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals. It’s famous for the Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple. With so many religious establishments, there are frequent matsuri (festivals) in Asakusa, as each temple or shrine hosts at least one matsuri a year, if not every season. The largest and most popular is the Sanja Matsuri in May, when roads are closed from dawn until late in the evening.

In a city where there are very few buildings older than 50 years because of the wartime bombing, Asakusa has a greater concentration of buildings from the 1950s and 1960s than most other areas in Tokyo do. There are traditional ryokan (guest-houses), homes, and small-scale apartment buildings throughout the district.

In keeping with a peculiarly Tokyo tradition, Asakusa hosts a major cluster of domestic kitchenware stores on Kappabashi-dori, which is visited by many Tokyoites for essential supplies. Next to the Sensō-ji temple grounds is a small amusement park called Hanayashiki, which claims to be the oldest amusement park in Japan. The neighborhood theaters specialize in showing classic Japanese films, as many of the tourists are elderly Japanese.

Asakusa is Tokyo's oldest geisha district, and still has 45 actively working geisha. Because of its colourful location, downtown credentials, and relaxed atmosphere by Tokyo standards, Asakusa is a popular accommodation choice for budget travelers.

Rice Cakes

In Japan, there are many salty snacks. The word for salty or savory in Japanese is called すっぱい (suppai). My favorite (and a very popular Japanese snack) is a rice cake called osenbei (おせんべい）. This is the word in Japanese for rice cake. There are many types of flavors in Japan. My favorite is slightly salty and sweet at the same time. Along with the crunchy texture of most osenbei, it's a delicious snack. Another interesting type of osenbei that I tried is a soy sauce flavor. I hosted a student from Japan for 10 days, and she brought me and my family a great number of treats! A lot of them were sweet and were green tea flavored. She brought green tea flavored kit kats, green tea cookies with chocolate at the bottom, and a creamy green tea flavored candy. She also brought the soy sauce osenbei. What was interesting about these osenbei is that they were soft and bendable. Most osenbei I've tried are rigid and crispy.

Osenbei are pretty much as popular as potato chips in America. Nearly everyone in Japan likes them, and if not there's usually a flavor someone likes. I tried many different flavors, but I didn't catch the names of them. One had a type of nut in them and tasted very savory. Another tasted like chicken and was delicious. A different one tasted like slightly sweet seaweed and soy sauce. That one was my favorite. The outside of that osenbei looked like it had caramelized sugar on it. It was shiny, but the initial flavor was very salty instead of sweet. The sweet aftertaste came later.

Weeaboos

Weeaboos are a name for people who are generally looked down upon in society. They love anime and manga. They feel the need to live and breathe everything Japan. They often tell people and themselves that Japan is better than America. They idolize Japan as a country for making the comics and shows they love, so they feel Japan can do no wrong. Weeaboos often try to speak Japanese but make no real effort to learn the language. They usually just learn a few words from watching anime with subtitles and use it too much or in the wrong context. The most used term by weeaboos would probably be the word "baka" or "idiot" since it's often used in anime and it often stands alone without being part of a sentence so it can't be confused as other words.

Weeaboos can also be interested in cosplay as well. Cosplay is dressing up as your favorite anime character and parading around and acting like them. I've never done it, but some of my friends have and it can be quite fun. Cosplayers often spend hours if they make costumes themselves, and if they don't make them, premade costumes cost huge amounts of money. These elaborate costumes can often come with many types of props, so they can get very pricey. For example, you might need the base outfit, a wig, colored contacts, a few hours of research to do makeup to match that character, any makeup you might need, shoes, any accessories the character might wear. If you're making a costume, the cost of materials will usually be less and the quality of the outfit will usually be higher (and fit only you) but the time spent can be hundreds of hours for a complex costume. Some people even spend hours doing makeup or putting liquid latex on to mimic scars or cuts their character may have. This often happens hours before a con. Weeaboos usually don't put that much effort in cosplay. They often wear cheap cat ears, or a poorly made schoolgirl outfit. I have nothing against cosplayers, because they put so much time and effort into their craft. It's an art, really, and I'm pretty much in love with all forms of art. I'm mad at weeaboos because they put hardcore cosplayers to shame. They often get mad if you don't know what they're cosplaying as, and some will even cosplay in plain sight, such as school or while shopping.

The reason weeaboos are problematic is because they want to get credit for things they don't actually do. They want to get praised for knowing Japanese when they really only know a few words. They want to think they're fluent because they taught themselves a few words in Japanese. i understand this a very close-minded article. I don't really hate weeaboos and honestly they are a fairly rare breed after you pass a certain age and mature. They're most often younger teenagers. I was one in 8th grade. I loved anime and even said "kyyaa" all the time. It was a dark time. I'm heavily embarrassed of that part of me but also I just think it's funny. Honestly why does loving anime and manga have to be a bad thing? The answer is it's not, it's certain people who act badly and also love these things who are problematic. My boyfriend actually hates weeaboos most of all. They make him cringe and at the same time enraged. However, they're also wildly entertaining if you can keep them at a distance and just listen to them. Wow look at me dehumanizing people. That was rather dehumanizing. I feel like this whole article is. Weeaboos are people too! However their ideals and thought processes are problematic. They're just annoying to me. I don't like them because they make me a little angry.

I've studied Japanese for 4 years, and I have to stop because my college doesn't have any Japanese classes. I chose this college despite loving Japanese because it had the best art program in the state. The probability that I'd get an art job with that college versus the college that had the best Japanese program was huge. Weeaboos want to thing they're fluent for not taking any classes, and I've studied hard and have to give up my passion. It frustrates me.

Anime vs. Disney

Anime is a type of Japanese animation. Many people in America watch anime. The name anime comes from the Japanese katakana word アニメ (pronounced ah-ni-may). It's short for the English word "animation." Anime is watched by many people in America, especially teenagers. Even yours truly had an anime stage. When I was in 8th grade I was obsessed with Naruto and many other anime types such as Bleach or Inuyasha. These anime are very popular with young people and have been around for years.

Anime can easily be distinguished from another show or even american cartoons because it has a very distinct style. Popular characteristics of anime characters are long limbs and huge eyes. They are also often very pale and white, any black characters in anime usually have very stereotypical personalities. These features are often seen as crazy or ridiculous by comic artists in America, but anime is also accepted by many people.

Disney cartoons similarly create disproportionate characters, however it's more Americanized and less exaggerated than in anime. For example, The Princess and the Frog has a black main character without overly stereotyping her personality. Tiana is a princess who just happens to turn into a frog, but that's part of the story. Disney is becoming (slowly) less stereotypical and whitewashed than anime. It's interesting to me because Japanese people are Japanese, not white. However, most of the anime characters I've seen are girls with huge double lidded blue eyes, and wavy brown hair. Or straight vibrantly colored hair in various ridiculous styles. Either way, dark brown eyes and dark haired characters are not as common in anime as double lidded eye characters are. it's interesting.

Anime also distorts anatomy much more than Disney does. There is a genre of anime called yaoi (which roughly translates to guys being friendly) where the hands are often incredibly large and the heads are drawn to be tiny. The shoulders are also incredibly wide in some comics or shows, and sometimes the main characters have limbs that are so long they resemble spiders. It's creepy, however it's just an art style. Anime isn't made to be anatomically correct, it's made to tell a story or just look cute.

Wallet

On our flight to Japan, it was very long and tiring. Each of us were excited to be in Japan, and ready to start our two weeks as tourists in a country none of us had ever been in before. I was so excited, even though I was exhausted. The first thing I bought in Japan was a type of soy rice cracker, a snack called fish and nuts, and milk tea. The milk tea was delicious! It was sweet and creamy with a rich aftertaste of tea. The fish and nuts was the most interesting snack I've ever eaten in Japan. I laughed so hard when I tried to get people to try it. Fish and nuts is basically a snack that is self-explanatory. It's small, dried fish and slivered almonds. It is a great source of protein and omega 3 oils that fish have, and nutritionally it's a great snack. However, since eating whole fish (no matter how small) isn't a regular thing in my hometown, it's a snack that creeped everyone out. However, the fish were crunchy and had a sweet and salty coating.

While I was busy creeping everyone out with my tiny fish snack, one of the people on the trip lost her wallet. She began to frantically search for it in all of her bags, and when she didn't find it there she fervently retraced her steps. One thing about Japan that's important to know is the crime rate is very low. In Japan, it's more likely that you'll get your wallet back quickly than have it stolen. In any American airport, if you lose your wallet, kiss your money and anything else of value you had in it goodbye. Eventually, a clerk came running up to our group with the missing wallet. We were all so grateful! We slept well that night knowing Japan was such a safe country.

White Day

White Day is a day in March that is similar to Valentine’s day. Like Valentine’s Day in Japan, these two holidays focus primarily on heterosexual couples (meaning a man and a woman or a woman and a man) because they are both based on gender. Valentine’s Day is a day where girls give chocolates to guys, and White Day is the opposite. On White Day, guys give back gifts to the girls that they received presents from in February.

The gifts given to girls by guys on white day can be toys, stuffed animals, or candy. Often, these gifts are chocolates. It’s traditional in Japan (since Valentine’s Day became a tradition in Japan, I mean) for girls to make guys chocolates on Valentine’s Day, but often (because #masculinitysofragile) guys buy girls chocolates on White Day instead of make them. These chocolates can come in various sizes. Smaller sizes are cheaper, and can be more plain. The more detailed or big the chocolate is, the more expensive it is. Larger chocolates, however, resemble more love and compassion. It doesn’t get excessive (as everything in America does) because it’s not worth it, and Japanese people won’t buy excessively large things. Instead of enticing, ridiculously large amounts of food seems ridiculous to Japanese people.  

White Day and Valentine’s Day are very heterosexual holidays. Valentine’s day is for girls (or really guys, since they’re getting stuff) and White Day is for guys (or really the girls, for the same reason. In Japan, acceptance of the LGBTQ community is much less than here in America. These communities are very uptight when it it comes to tradition, and gay people are not considered equal in Japan. They have to hide and will be shunned from the community if they try to be openly gay. They can even be barred from jobs and lose friends by coming out openly. This is just mainstream Japan, however. In some places there are gay communities where it’s accepted and okay. People in these communities are often gay or gay supporters and are very kind and respectful of sexuality and gender differences.

During White Day or Valentine’s Day, both members of a gay couple will exchange gifts. Sometimes, one gives gifts and the other waits until white day. They don’t assign certain roles based on femininity or masculinity, they treat each other as equals. I wish Americans were the same way. Many people are often sad or lonely in America because they don’t have anyone to love, or someone won’t love them. My friend, Dakota* is afraid he will be alone forever and will never ever in his entire life find love, other than those two girls he dated who refused to see him in public (really? Two? He let two people treat him like that?) when they were together. He’s not well-adjusted at all and absolutely hates Valentine’s Day in America.

In America, we don’t have White Day. Valentine’s Day is a day where both parts of a relationship give candies and sweet gifts to one another. I love Valentine’s Day because I can show my love and be extra sappy. Naturally, I like being lovey-dovey but I don’t like PDA so it can be difficult to have a relationship. But on Valentine’s Day I can give gifts and say lots of cute things to the person I love and that makes me happy.

*name changed

Umbrellas

Japan has a very heavy monsoons season. During the monsoon season, it can rain a few inches every day. I went during the beginning of the monsoon season, so the rain wasn’t too bad but it still rained for a few days while we were there. Often it was a steady drizzle with thick humidity. Many people in Japan who have lived in Japan for a long time are used to it, and almost every Japanese person I saw had an umbrella. Many people had very cute, personalized umbrellas. One woman had a polka dotted umbrella with pink and white lace on the edges. A couple cuddled under a wide black umbrella with a white cat outlined along the top.

The most interesting phenomenon I saw was that many shops had umbrella stands that sold umbrellas for as cheap as 500 yen (a little less than $5). These umbrellas were clear, but very wide (pictured below). They weren’t disposable, but they weren’t the best quality. However, for less than $5 they were durable and worked perfectly. I’ve bought $10 umbrellas in America that were so flimsy they broke almost instantly when the wind blew. These cheap, clear umbrellas were very helpful in the rain, and they were wide enough to cover me and my backpack, which was nice because often umbrellas I’ve bought in America are too small for both. These umbrellas are very durable and strong despite being cheap. I bought two because I accidentally left my first one in the hotel room, but the first one I bought broke after a few days.

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Asking Directions from a Tourist

In a foreign country, it's always good to know the language of the country you're visiting. If you get lost or need to buy a cab, or even need to ask the time, it's always good to know certain helpful phrases. When I was in Japan, my group and I did a lot of traveling all over. We went to Kyoto prefecture, Tokyo prefecture and also city and Narita (a small city near Tokyo). We walked from about 8 in the morning to 10 at night every day. Every day we covered about 10 miles or so on foot without nearly any seating besides on the subway (if it wasn't busy).

Our teacher wanted us to learn many routes ourselves, so he had us figure out the Tokyo subway system and find our route, and ask many people for directions. He always knew where we were going, but he wanted us to have the experience of getting around ourselves. He also wanted us to be somewhat independent and not blindly follow him around like stray puppies. It's always good to have a map of the area on you when you're in a new country. If you don't have a map, you could easily get lost or not know your route.

It was hilarious, three times when we asked people for directions, they gave us directions completely opposite of the way we were supposed to go. Without our teacher to tell us where we really should go   

Japanese Flip Phones

In America, everyone has cell phones. They are great. Often, many Americans have iPhones or other touch screen devices. The most popular phones in America are Apple iPhones, but other competitors such as the Samsung Galaxy are popular as well. Many of these phones are often broken and need to be replaced often (especially the screens). Because of this, many new models are constantly coming out. For example, the iPhone 6s recently came out. There is a conspiracy theory among various conspiracy theorists that these phones are made terribly, and when a new model comes out or  the software is updated, the hardware of the old phones can’t handle the updates and perform more slowly, making Americans and other Apple consumers want faster phones (the newer models) more.

In Japan, Apple iPhones are popular and many people have them. However, a more common type of phone is the flip phone. The largest flip phone company in Japan is called Docomo, and it produces hundreds of thousands of new flip phones a year. Some flip phones in Japan can have touch screens, but a key feature (no pun intended) of the keys is that you have to push each key multiple times to get certain characters or letters. The flip phones in Japan are seen as iconic. They are especially popular among teenagers. Japanese teenagers love the fact that other countries don’t use flip phones as a status symbol as much as Japan because it makes them feel unique. All teenagers want to feel unique, and their unique style is what helps them grow to be a mature adult with their own identity.

Harajuku is the fashion capital of Japan. Many people there are cosplaying or showing off their most recent styles and trends. Lots of girls are in kimonos, and many others are showing off their summer yukatas. More often, however, they are showing their Tokyo metropolis-like fashions.

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Japanese Candies

Snacks are very popular in Japan. They differ from American snacks in that there are smaller portion sizes and healthy snacks are available along with unhealthy snacks, not in special "health food" areas like the US has. Although smaller portions and healthy options are good, Japan has the highest anorexia rate of any country.

Although portion sizes are smaller, unhealthy snacks are popular. Japanese people often eat for texture as well as flavor, so there are a lot of fried, puffed, crunchy foods like soy and miso flavored rice crackers and corn flavored crisps (these are a little sweet. Healthier crisp options include baked puffs in a variety of flavors including a lot of fish- inspired tastes. Fish is a common snack in Japan because they are an island, and crisp, whole, tiny died fish are popular! Small bags of fish and almonds are a common snack. Very chewy, and healthy, dried squid tentacles fish pieces can be found in convenience stores (these are much like jerky).

Sweet food are a really popular choice for a snack in Japan. One that's found here too is Pocky--bland, crisp, thin bread sticks dipped in chocolate, strawberry, or other flavor coatings. In Japan, green tea and red bean flavors are common! Other cookies like HELLO panda, with creamy, sweet fillings are popular. There are countless other cookies with light, crunchy texture. It's interesting to note that the cookies are always small so you can eat one or two and enjoy the texture and flavor without too many calories. Hard candies in fruit flavors are enjoyed by many people and are often available in tins with popular Japanese cartoon (anime) characters. Since texture is important, you can also find a variety of interesting chewy candies. HiChew is a fruit-flavored chewy candy that's available in the US also. It melts in your mouth slightly as you chew and is a little bouncy, making it a fun experience to eat.

Rock Gardens

Japanese rock gardens, called karesansui (枯山水) are a type of traditional Japanese art. Similar to Ikebana, Japanese people tend to their zen rock gardens to stay calm and create a peaceful atmosphere. A tranquil mindset is that of a very happy and well-adjusted person. The kanji for karesansui literally means “dry landscape.” Japanese rock gardens have been studied and tended to for hundreds of years. Originating from early Chinese settlements, it’s one of the oldest Japanese traditions still practiced today. The main point of rock gardens is tending to them. The sense of peacefulness comes from repeatedly smoothing and raking the sand, slowly travelling around your garden over and over to create a flawless finish.

Japanese traditions are very important to Japanese people, and rock gardens are the same. Rock gardens are often created with lots of sand or small stones as a base. This sand is raked and smoothed into various patterns depending on the style of the rock garden (pictured below). Rock gardens, as their names suggest, also carry many rocks. These can be large, weathered boulders or small rounded pebbles. Some rock gardens use large, flat rocks as stepping stones to get through the garden without disrupting the sand.

Many contemporary rock gardens also contain foliage such as trees, bushes or moss. Moss naturally occurs on some rocks, and it adds color to the grays and browns of the rocks and sand. The trees oxygenate the air and allow people visiting the gardens to feel more at ease and peaceful. The different height of the trees and bushes also allow for some artistic contrast. This contrast allows the gardens to be more aesthetically pleasing and add a greater sense of peace to the garden overall. Rock gardens are very interesting in that they are only popular in Japan and around some Buddhist temples in China.

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Valentine's Day

Do you have any plans for Valentine's Day? Is there a special way of spending this time in your culture? In Japan, it is only the women who give presents (mainly chocolates) to men. Japanese women are usually too shy to express their love. (Though it might not be true nowadays.) Therefore, Valentine's Day was thought to be a great opportunity to let women express their feelings. However, this is a custom that smart chocolate companies spread to boost their sales, and it has been very successful.

Now the chocolate companies in Japan sell more than half of their annual sales during the week before Valentine's Day. Men are supposed to return gifts to women on a day called White Day (March 14th), a Japanese creation

There is a strong tradition of women giving chocolates to men on Valentines Day. There are two types of chocolates, “Giri-choco” (obligation chocolate), and “Honmei-choco”. Giri-choco is meant to be for friends, colleagues, bosses, and close male friends. “Giri” means obligation hence this Giri-choco has no romance involved. On the other hand, Honmei-choco is given to a boyfriend, lover, or husband with true love. Japanese women often prepare the Honmei-choco by themselves as many of them think it is not true love if they just buy the ready made chocolate at shops. You will start seeing large displays of chocolate, often heart-shaped in department stores and grocery stores from mid-January. Days before the Valentine’s Day, stores get packed with a large variety of chocolates, the cooking tools, and women!

Does it sound good to you? Don't get too excited when you get chocolates from Japanese girls! They might be "Giri-choko (obligation chocolate)." Women give chocolates not only to their loved ones ("A true love" chocolate is called "Honmei-choko.") "Giri-choko" is the chocolate given to men such as bosses, colleagues or male friends that women have no romantic interest in, just for friendship or gratitude.

Deco Choco

So take your chocolate that’s already tempered and that’s just cooled down, and put a little bit of it right onto your acetate sheet, your transfer sheet, and just take a small offset spatula and just spread it. You’re looking for a very thin layer, not too thin that it will break, but just thin enough. Imagine like a piece of thin brittle like a candy. Just spread it all over.

Now, for the other you should make a little bit of like a chocolate squiggly design. So, take a little bit of your chocolate right into the corner and you can see it just goes right to the bottom. You should take it and fold it over, and then you’ll have a really cute little cone.

This is also great if you want to write people’s names on birthday cakes. You just write happy birthday with the little chocolate cone. Just snip the tip and you can go as wide or as kind of small as you want to.

All you should do is just make cute little kind of squiggly designs. When they’re set you should break these up and put them in shards kind of on top of your cake. It’s going to be really beautiful lace to put around. So easy, incredibly easy, but it looks really cool.

So that’s it for that. You want to do enough that it’s not going to break on you, so a good layer of squiggle, a very technical term. That is it. So, all of these chocolate designs you should  pop in the fridge or the freezer until they’re nice and firm and set. Then take them off of these transfer sheets and put them on some cakes, and you’ll see some really beautiful designs.

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Aegyo Sal

In America, it's very important to hide under eye bags. There are many different types of concealers and foundations sold to specifically cover up darkness that can appear under eyes. Dark eye bags can be formed by many different reasons, such as lack of sleep, being sick or having an illness, or even having excess makeup under your eyes that has rubbed off without you knowing. Each of these things are very important to be aware of to avoid dark under eye bags.

Many women use many methods to get rid of them. There are countless tutorials on the internet and YouTube videos that illustrate in detail how exactly to get rid of this pesky discoloration. You can put cucumbers on your eyes (with a rejuvenating facial mask of course) or put ice under your eyes to rid yourself of this problem. Or, you could not do anything at all.

A recent trend in Japan has been to actually accentuate a certain part of your under eyes. It originated in Korea, because very famous models and idols known for their youth were idolized for their "under eye pudge." This "pudge" (when accentuated) makes a woman look more youthful and beautiful. Similar to the tsuke yeba trend, a younger looking woman will be more approachable. The aegyo sal is usually only seen prominently when you are smiling. If you make it more prominent, it will seem like that woman is always smiling.

The aegyo sal look doesn't always work out for everyone. The reason aegyo sal is very popular in Japan and Korea is that it makes women with hooded eyes more youthful, and the most common eye shape in all of Japan and Korea is hooded eyes. Most Japanese and Koreans also have hooded eyes. It works on American hooded eyes as well, no matter the ethnicity of the people trying it. However, the effect varies on different eye shapes. For example, it doesn't turn out very well on protruding eyes (pictured below). It's almost scary. On down turned and almond-shaped eyes (and most double-lidded eye shapes, depending on the shape of the person's face as well) it can make the wearer of aegyo sal look weird.

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Aegyo sal is also a surgical procedure.If you do not have naturally-occurring aegyo sal (i.e. most people over 20), you can have these created artificially. The only permanent way to achieve them is via a surgical procedure where a 0.5 cm flat strip of AlloDerm (acellular dermal matrix) or Gortex is inserted under the skin surface through two small incisions, leaving behind tiny scars. This method heals quickly and sutures can be removed after 3-4 days.

Aegyo sal can also be achieved with fillers for those who do not want to go under the knife. This method is temporary and lasts around 6 months. If you’re curious as to whether your favorite idol has taken the surgical or non-surgical route, keep an eye on their aegyo sal and see if it is sometimes more or less pronounced. If the size of their under-eye bands fluctuates, it’s likely they’ve gone for the filler option.

Lastly, there are make up tricks to help you get the youthlites look without even needing to see a doctor. If you’re interested in this option, Google is your friend.

Etude House suggests starting off with the light brown to contour right beneath the eye pudge. Then, smile hard with your eyes to bring out the pudge to see where you should contour. The next step is to use the champagne pink to line the inner corners of your eyes and right underneath your under lashes up until where you contoured in the first step. Finally, using a mirror (and plenty of sunlight) use a blending brush (or your finger) to make sure the brown blends in naturally with the champagne pink. (After a couple of tries, I found that it didn't matter which step you started with first, since you blend it out anyway.)

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