tweetoftheweek
In Japan, Valentine’s Day is all about women giving chocolates to men in their lives—boyfriends, family members, schoolmates and work colleagues. But with coronavirus cases on the rise (again) and companies switching to remote work, workplace Valentine’s Day took a different turn. The tweet below is a joke about how Valentine’s Day took a hit this year. Still, some people noticed a lot more men in the office than usual. Women apparently aren’t interested in gifting chocolate to coworkers when remote work is an option. Were you expecting chocolates?なんか今日、出社してる男性陣いつもより多くてワロタww そして女性陣、全員在宅勤務で更にワロ...
GaijinPot
We know it’s bad for us, but we’re often tempted to compare ourselves to others. Should we trust those impressions, though? Are the longed-for attributes we see in others actually curses? This hilarious illustration introduces a series of types of people we might be envious of and what they say when complimented on those positive traits or good genetics. The illustrator feels that only bodybuilders will actually tell you the truth. Eye of the beholder1. The macho manもうマッチョしかじられない“I can only trust macho now”2. The smart guyがいい = がくってもいいことないよSmart person: being smart isn’t everything.3. The beau...
GaijinPot
When nature calls, we’d rather be home. Alas, when you got to go, you got to go. Thus, we end up in a public restroom. In Japan, women are allegedly so self-conscious that Japanese toilet maker Toto invented the Sound Princess (音姫) to solve this delicate issue. However, the musical setup is often absent from male or mixed bathrooms, especially in stores. Recently, an old sign posted on a Daily Yamazaki convenience restroom in Osaka surfaced on Twitter. The poster, illustrated with two apologetic bowing characters, kindly asks for the consideration of restroom users, encouraging them to hold ba...
GaijinPot
Last weekend, third-year high school students took their stressful two-day standardized university entrance exams. These exams will decide whether they can enter their university of choice next spring. However, some weren’t too pleased with the tricky English comprehension test. They needed to know the difference between British and American English when counting floors. The National Center for University Entrance Examinations does warn all the test-takers that in addition to commonly taught American English, they may use British English in the test questions because they deem it essential tha...
GaijinPot
Last Monday, Japan celebrated 成人の日 (Seijin no Hi), or the Coming of Age Day. This day is dedicated to young people who turned 20 in the past year, the official age of majority until 2021. While the pandemic has forced everyone to scale down the traditional picturesque celebrations, the day was still very colorful all around Japan. Young people wore kimonos and suits, and some wore even more original outfits for this rite of passage into adulthood. What the duck北九州の成人式、毎年一人は珍な人おるけ好き “Every year at the coming-of-age ceremony in Kitakyushu, there is at least one unusual person.” Hail Zeon!明日の成人式に...
GaijinPot
So long, 2021, hello, 2022! This week, we welcomed the new year, and most of Japan headed back to work. Last year was wild and, sadly, ended with a really short holiday off work. The few national holidays people get for year-end celebrations fell on a weekend, leaving only December 31 through January 3. Thus, January 4 marked the first workday of the year (仕事始め). Here are a few selected tweets to take a peek at the atmosphere during Japan’s this first week of the new year! Five more minutes明日仕事始めの方に向けて For those who start work tomorrow.” “危ない!!あと5分が一生つづく” Danger! Five more minutes will last a ...
GaijinPot
On December 22, 2021, Japan celebrated the winter solstice (冬至), the shortest day of the year. Traditionally, Japanese people would celebrate the day with a yuzu bath—perfumed with the whole citrus fruit or cut pieces encased in a bag. However, nowadays, people might not pursue the tradition at home. Still, some sento (public baths) and onsen (hot springs) offer yuzu baths to their customers. It is said the tradition helps bring good fortune and ward off colds. What we can say for sure is that you’ll smell good after dipping in a bath filled with citrus oil! Even Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Colon...
GaijinPot
Every December, Japan’s Kanji Proficiency Society reveals the kanji (Japanese alphabet) of the year, a symbol based on a nationwide survey. Last year’s kanji 密 was chosen to relate to the government’s slogan “avoid the san-mitsu“ (close contact, poor ventilation or crowded) and reflect the atmosphere of the pandemic in Japan. This year’s kanji, 金 (gold) was a reference to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. It drew some criticism online, as (some) people felt the choice was an insult to financially struggling businesses and families. It’s also dull because this is the fourth time this kanji has been...
GaijinPot
With school math problems, the text matters just as well as creating and solving a numerical equation. But understanding the logic behind wording can be challenging for students, and their parents, too! Twitter user @nao_p_on shared a picture of her son’s elementary school test earlier this week, and a buzz ensued. Her son scored 95 out of 100, losing five points for one tiny mistake. He got the correct answer (32), but the proper formula was “8×4” and not “4×8.” Mom also joked she’d take it up with Japan’s highest authority if she had to. Many shared their frustration at what appears to be va...
GaijinPot
Shrinkflation is when goods get smaller, but prices stay the same. Consumers in Japan have been lamenting about their beloved snacks becoming smaller. This time around, the famous snack company Calbee announced a reduction in package quantities for their popular potato chips and sticks by April 2021. However, don’t count on the retail price dropping. It will increase! While we would all gain from eating less salty snacks, the price increase isn’t easy to swallow! You Calbee seriousカルビーの「ポテトチップス」や「じゃがりこ」の内容量の減少 や一部商品の値上げ が 来年1月24日から順次開始されますので、念のためお伝えさせていただきます。 “Just to be sure, I’d like to tell...
GaijinPot
閲覧を続けるには、ノアドット株式会社が「プライバシーポリシー」に定める「アクセスデータ」を取得することを含む「nor.利用規約」に同意する必要があります。
「これは何?」という方はこちら