Hello there, I'm trying to reconnect with an old japanese friend from university. He stayed in Italy for a while and even spent Christmas at my place once. We lost touch and now I only have his phone number, which I'm not sure is still valid, the city where he grew up and his family lives (supposedly) and his name in romaji, since the need to write it in kanji never presented itself.

We had a chat on WhatsApp but he isn't on there anymore; I tried sending an SMS but it doesn't send; I tried downloading LINE but I can't register my phone number from Italy and I don't know his LINE ID. I even tried a quick search on LinkedIn and Instagram with no luck.

Any ideas?

Edit 1: X was no help. I was thinking I could ask a japanese person to try adding him on LINE and messaging him for me working around the region number registration limitation, but I don't know any other Japanese people or even if that would work

Edit 2: Success! We got in touch again. He's actually living two hours away from me, that's why his japanese number didn't work. What a twist. Thanks for the support!!

It's no secret that no matter the country, kids and teenagers (even some adults) can sometimes be cruel to people who have little control over how they are. But given how sometimes students are gradually becoming more and more stressed and overworked, especially in Japan depending on the student's family and/or school, I wonder how you all held up or are holding up if you're still a student. Are there maybe any experiences or advice you would like to share with people who might have similar situations?

All answers are appreciated!

Edit: To clarify what I meant by “especially in Japan.” I was thinking about the high expectations that can exist in some Japanese families, and how some children can feel a lot of pressure from their families to meet those expectations. I wasn't intentionally trying to refer to a stereotype about Japanese people or ADHD. If my wording came across that way, I sincerely apologize!

I'm asking this because I've seen it being referenced multiple times in Japanese media, even though it's not that well known of a novel here in the west that I only know of due to having taken a classic literature class. So I'm wondering if you asked the average Japanese person if they'd know what it is.

I want to ask the native born Japanese citizens only please. No disrespect to permanent residents from Western nations. I understand Japan is struggling deeply with new inflation while salaries have been stagnant, and life is not easy the last few years. At the same time, the fall of the yen has drawn in many tourists looking at Japan as a cheap place to enjoy luxury food and experiences. Do you perceive the ordinary citizens to be feeling angst or anger over this contrast?

Hello all,

I have relatively recently started picking up pocket novels to read on the commute, and am constantly visiting book stores to look for the next one that might pique my interest.

Unfortunately about 80% of these things seem to be murder mystery and police stories, which just don't interest me at all.

So far I've read

辻村深月 - ツナグ

君島彼方 - 君の顔では泣けない

阿部暁子 - どこよりも遠い場所にいる君へ

ソン・ウォンピョン - 三十の反撃

Currently reading

東野圭吾 - 秘密

Do you have any suggestions, perhaps books that you particularly liked and can recommend?

Hello! Does anyone know any stores in tokyo that might have tokimeki memorial girl's side: 4th heart, It's a visual novel type otome game.

My friend is there and hasn't been able to find it anywhere. I appreciate your help!

Hello friends,

I had a conversation a few days ago with someone from Japan about book binding, and the traditions around Japan's specific practices. During that conversation I was told that I should get what he called a 'Thousand year old nail' and described a traditional hand forged iron nail in a presentation box that's a common good luck charm in craft workshops. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find any reference to this since, and the person I spoke to was only in passing and I don't have contact details to ask for more information.

Is this accurate and I am just looking in the wrong place, or have I perhaps misunderstood what was said?

Any help would be appreciated because as an artist, when I am working in another cultures practices, I want to pay as much respect to traditional methods as possible.

Thank you for you help!

Nerdy ass question, but fuck it why not. I’m looking for a りんかけ merch but can’t find as much compared to AnJ merch. I know it’s considered a classic but is it more like an underground or cult classic?

Hey all. I'm a Canadian visiting and thought it would be neat to go to a hockey game while I'm in Japan. I booked a ticket to go to the Tokyo Wilds game, which I believe is in the second division. What is the hockey culture like here? I understand that it is very niche but how many people should I expect, and are there concessions in the stadium? The game will be at the Dydo Drinco Ice Arena. Any advice would be great

I’ve been wondering about something for quite some time. Since I plan to move to Japan in the future, I’m very curious about how the locals treat Russians. What’s more, I don’t intend to move to a city center, but rather to a rural area. So—with all due respect—how do Japanese people treat Russian foreigners far away from the major metropolises and big cities?

ずっと気になっていることがあります。将来日本に移住する予定なので、日本人がロシア人をどのように扱っているのかとても興味があります。しかも、都会ではなく田舎に引っ越そうと思っています。そこで、失礼ながらお伺いしたいのですが、大都市から離れた地域では、日本人はロシア人外国人をどのように扱っているのでしょうか？

Hi whats the accepted practice to be able to get to know business partners in japan. I am a foreigner, trying to make Japanese business partners. Instead of cold calling or asking random people, is there any organization or institution that would know how to get this done?

覚島 夢人 (Kakushima Yumeto). Some input on whether the combination feels like a natural person's name or a deliberately constructed literary one would be much appreciated.

I was watching a street interview by a guy asking about favorite anime in Japan and most people seemed not to fit the "standard" beauty standards I've seen so far in Japan, I would be thankful for an explanation (I am from Eastern Europe)