http://www.japanslate.com/ Japan Slate en Sat, 09 Jan 2010 14:07:00 GMT Sat, 09 Jan 2010 14:07:00 GMT info@japanslate.com info@japanslate.com http://www.japanslate.com/images/japanslate.jpg http://www.japanslate.com/ http://www.japanslate.com/the-geisha-misconception-part-2/ In a recent post I wrote about the Oiran being the official prostitutes in Japan. However, a friend of mine then pointed out that Geisha could have also been mistaken... http://www.japanslate.com/the-geisha-misconception-part-2/#comments http://www.japanslate.com/the-geisha-misconception-part-2/ Sat, 09 Jan 2010 14:07:00 GMT http://www.japanslate.com/crossdress-paradise/ Cross-dressing isn't a new thing in Japan. You only have to look at Kabuki (classical Japanese dance/singing theatre) to know that the tradition has existed at least from the 1620s... http://www.japanslate.com/crossdress-paradise/#comments http://www.japanslate.com/crossdress-paradise/ Wed, 23 Dec 2009 09:08:00 GMT http://www.japanslate.com/kanamara-matsuri-festival-of-the-steel-phallus/ The Japanese Fertility Festival is a Shinto ceremony that is held every Spring in various districts of Japan. To foreigners, this is quite the common tourist attraction. Usually the main... http://www.japanslate.com/kanamara-matsuri-festival-of-the-steel-phallus/#comments http://www.japanslate.com/kanamara-matsuri-festival-of-the-steel-phallus/ Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:09:00 GMT http://www.japanslate.com/oiran-ladies-of-pleasure/ Following the movie "Memoirs of the Geisha" one of the mainstream misconceptions has been that Geisha were Japan's feudal prostitutes/escorts. However, to put things back into perspective, Geisha were actually... http://www.japanslate.com/oiran-ladies-of-pleasure/#comments http://www.japanslate.com/oiran-ladies-of-pleasure/ Sat, 19 Dec 2009 09:19:00 GMT http://www.japanslate.com/3-japanese-authors-who-spice-up-my-reading-life/ I'd say in the past few years, Japanese authors are gaining further international exposure. Although the process of translating a Japanese text into another language would inevitably result in losing... http://www.japanslate.com/3-japanese-authors-who-spice-up-my-reading-life/#comments http://www.japanslate.com/3-japanese-authors-who-spice-up-my-reading-life/ Sat, 25 Apr 2009 04:37:00 GMT http://www.japanslate.com/japanese-vending-machines/ Image Source: LINK When I last travelled to Japan, one of the most intriguing things was discovering a whole new species of vending machines. In Australia, you're typically used to... http://www.japanslate.com/japanese-vending-machines/#comments http://www.japanslate.com/japanese-vending-machines/ Sat, 18 Apr 2009 04:35:00 GMT http://www.japanslate.com/hikikomori-they-just-dont-leave-their-rooms-ever/ Hikikomori is a social phenomenon which captured worldwide attention for around the past 10 years or so. The English equivalent term would be "social withdrawal". Basically what happens is that... http://www.japanslate.com/hikikomori-they-just-dont-leave-their-rooms-ever/#comments http://www.japanslate.com/hikikomori-they-just-dont-leave-their-rooms-ever/ Fri, 06 Feb 2009 01:01:00 GMT http://www.japanslate.com/himote-loners-unite-happy-folk-in-real-life-drop-dead/ Are you a Mo-Otoko? Or Are you a Mo-Jo? Hell, are you a Himote? Or maybe you have no idea what I'm talking about. "Himote" ("the unpopular") is a rising... http://www.japanslate.com/himote-loners-unite-happy-folk-in-real-life-drop-dead/#comments http://www.japanslate.com/himote-loners-unite-happy-folk-in-real-life-drop-dead/ Thu, 05 Feb 2009 07:26:00 GMT http://www.japanslate.com/burahara-blood-type-harrassment-or-discrimination/ Perhaps if you're a stranger to Japanese culture - and you're dumped into everyday Japanese life all of a sudden - you'll realise one thing: the question "What blood type... http://www.japanslate.com/burahara-blood-type-harrassment-or-discrimination/#comments http://www.japanslate.com/burahara-blood-type-harrassment-or-discrimination/ Wed, 04 Feb 2009 15:02:00 GMT http://www.japanslate.com/half-vs-double-word-debate/ Japan is well known for its stance when it comes to having a homogeneous society. However, after World War II there was a significant change to the gene pool. More... http://www.japanslate.com/half-vs-double-word-debate/#comments http://www.japanslate.com/half-vs-double-word-debate/ Tue, 27 Jan 2009 04:27:00 GMT http://www.japanslate.com/national-bestselling-english-text/ Japan Today has reported that keen English students of Japan have turned to Barack Obama's speeches in hopes of improving their fluency in the language. As a result, Barack Obama's... http://www.japanslate.com/national-bestselling-english-text/#comments http://www.japanslate.com/national-bestselling-english-text/ Mon, 26 Jan 2009 12:45:00 GMT http://www.japanslate.com/more-grannies-behind-bars-increased-crime-among-elderly/ To view more images of Onomichi Prison, follow this link. There is one phenomenon in Japan which has earned itself headlines globally. That phenomenon is the rapidly increasing crime rates... http://www.japanslate.com/more-grannies-behind-bars-increased-crime-among-elderly/#comments http://www.japanslate.com/more-grannies-behind-bars-increased-crime-among-elderly/ Tue, 20 Jan 2009 04:15:00 GMT http://www.japanslate.com/whaling-in-japan/2/ It seems like it'll be a very, very long time before any form of resolution is set when it comes down to the issue of whaling. However, rather than blubber... http://www.japanslate.com/whaling-in-japan/2/#comments http://www.japanslate.com/whaling-in-japan/2/ Wed, 14 Jan 2009 12:56:00 GMT http://www.japanslate.com/samurai-armour-for-your-crotch/ Hot to trot One-upping the Under Armour brand of athletic wear, this new line of boxer briefs offers the protection of samurai body armor -- or at least the appearance... http://www.japanslate.com/samurai-armour-for-your-crotch/#comments http://www.japanslate.com/samurai-armour-for-your-crotch/ Tue, 30 Dec 2008 10:28:00 GMT http://www.japanslate.com/retired-husband-syndrome/ Takako Terakawa shares her cramped, two-room flat in Osaka with a cat the size of a small child, 400 teddy bears and her husband. The bears are neatly stored, and... http://www.japanslate.com/retired-husband-syndrome/#comments http://www.japanslate.com/retired-husband-syndrome/ Mon, 29 Dec 2008 13:10:00 GMT