Japanese culture travelogue

Link: http://www.neilhogan.com/japan/

Hi. Thank you for visiting my Japan blog. Just a quick message here to say that the Japan travelogue has started. Pictures and diary entries about my trip to Japan. I will be adding one page per week so feel free to come back and check out the new pictures.
Travelogue so far:
Flight - Shibuya - Shimokitazawa - Ginza - Mount Fuji - Iidabashi - Harajuku - Tokyo Cruise - Yoyogi - Roppongi Hills
Shinjuku - Mammoths Head - Odaiba - Shimbashi - Kujiraya - Akihabara - Tokyo Tower

Articles about Japan
Tagata Jinja Male Fertility Shrine
Akihabara Maid Cafes
Japanese girls wearing mini skirts in winter
Shibuya Whale Restaurant
Streets of Asakusa
Short stories and opinions

Have fun!

One of my Japanese friends just told me something that I was very surprised to hear. Apparently, from the age of 7, most Japanese students go home from school by themselves. Amazing. I wasn't even able to go down to the end of my street by myself until I was about 11!

She said that she usually had her own key to her home in Tokyo, as her parents were working, so she would let herself in, dump her bags and do her homework until they came home. Or, she'd dump everything and go back out with her friends.

Young Japanese seemed to have had a lot of freedom back then, and were trusted with that freedom. Unfortunately this has now changed due to the increase in insane people. It's now dangerous for a lot of children to walk home from school by themselves and so relatives are more likely to pick them up these days.

I know my Australian father used to travel home from school by himself in the 50s when he was young. It was a much safer time back then.

News groups are very helpful. Declan in Japan recently told me via fj.life.in-japan that the best way to climb up Mount Fuji is

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A friend of mine is currently teaching English in Japan and sent me a picture that I was quite surprised about. Apparently there are still clothing work cultures in Japan that haven't changed. Women still have to wear miniskirts, even if it is snowing and freezing in the middle of winter. What ever happened to slacks?

And think of all the salary men in

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I've heard that a common question asked on Tokyo streets is "Excuse me, can you tell me the time please?" but in Japanese of course.

Why is this a popular question? Doesn't Tokyo have big time pieces all over the place? Clocks, digital displays, even sundials? Well yes, but the reason that someone asks someone the time ISN'T because they want to know the time!

Lots of Japanese men ask Japanese women the time because

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If you've ever been interested in taking a cruise to Japan you may wish to check out the Pacific Princess. It has just left Okinawa and is, as I write this, docked in Hiroshima harbour.
But if you don't have enough to do a cruise anytime soon, check out what the cruisers will see when they look out the window via the Pacific Princess Cruise Ship official webcam.

Here's a picture taken from the webcam on board.

If you'd like to see where the ship is now

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Well, this certainly surprised me. I only found this out today. Japanese do not kiss at a traditional Japanese wedding. Apparently, at Japanese weddings, to signify that you're bonded for life, you bow to your god. There's no kissing to show your affection.

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Link: http://www.ozdeai.com/

Went on a jaunt recently to the Sydney Japanese Language Exchange Group. They meet every 2nd Wednesday of the month to practice Japanese, meet Japanese people and talk about Japanese culture.

Roppongi was the topic of conversation in some circles and apparently the comparison to King's Cross in Sydney was a misnomer. A common misconception about Roppongi is that there are Nigerians everywhere trying to get you into clubs and pubs (if you're male) Actually this is more likely to be in Shibuya.

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