Japanese fiscal and school years
The fiscal and school years begin in April in Japan. This is the month when schools have their entrance ceremonies and companies welcome new recruits./p>
It is also the month when the cherry blossoms bloom all around the country. The image of celebrating the changes in lives and new environments is almost a cliché in Japan.
Read this interesting blog by Rie K...
Local cuisine in Japan
Japanese people really enjoy traveling and eating. When they travel to a certain area, then love to try the local food that is sold there, and taste the local specialties.
There is a lot of TV and magazine coverage on the different cuisine that can be found in each town, city, and prefecture around Japan. And it is rare to switch on the TV and not find at least one program...
Japanese consumer marketing
Japanese consumers can be very fickle yet also very loyal customers. They can stick with a custom or create a new habit which continues for decades or even generations, and are apt to jump onto a quick fad that lasts for only a matter of weeks.
There are many strategies that are housed in cultural images but are really just a clever marketing ploy by a certain industr...
Japanese traditional local events
In Japan, there are a great number of local traditional events held in towns and villages all over the country.The local cuisine and craft specialties are often used and help to make each of the events unique to the area.
If you are ever in Japan on holiday, we recommend that you research any local events that might be occurring near where you are traveling.
In...
Hay fever in Japan
If you visit Japan in March and April, you will tend to see many people wearing masks. This is not due to air pollution or due to colds, but it is probably because many people are hay fever sufferers.
The Japanese hay fever phenomenon was created by a forestation policy decision made shortly after World War II. This policy involved planting Japanese cypress and cedar which wer...
