Kanji…What’s your level?

Kanji kentei is a Japanese test where they test your kanji ability. So what is kanji ability? Notice how Japanese Kanji has so many characters written with complicated shapes and each character has so many ways to read it? Well they test you on how you could read and write these kanji. They have 12 levels with level 10 being the easiest level (they have some levels such as Pre 2 and Pre 1 so there are 12 levels in total) and most native speakers passes through level 10 to somewhere about 8 or 7. But when you go up to level 1 fewer than 15% of the students who take it only pass the tests. Since it requires you to have at least 70% or 80% scores of the test (depending on which level you take).

Aim for the Sky

If you have recently traveled to Tokyo and walked around the Asakusa area, you may have realized the unfinished tower standing. That is the Sky Tree under construction, for which the city of Tokyo is using approximately 40 billion yen in order to develop the Upper East Side of Tokyo.

Mt. Takao -Escape the Urban Atmosphere!-

While living in Tokyo one may feel unease at being surrounded by the city and wish to get outside and escape the urban atmosphere. One of the closest and most beautiful places to visit located less than an hour away from Tokyo is Mt. Takao, a popular hiking and tourist spot with breathtaking wildlife and landscape views. One can easily spend the day hiking up the mountain’s luscious forest paths up to the summit or by taking the cable car for a relaxing time within nature.

We Love Noodles!

Have you seen the sign, or heard of the word Ramen in Japan? Ramen is one of the most popular foods in Japan and consists of just noodles, soup, and some toppings. (It's absolutely delicious when you eat one after you have a nice drink with your friends outside!!) The first ramen was eaten during the mid-1600s and spread throughout Japan over a long period of time. Now you will see ramen stores almost everywhere in Japan; and today, thousands of Ramen stores all over Japan compete over who makes the most delicious ramen of all. Customers are always looking forward to eating the newest and most delicious ramen available. Soup flavors are usually soy sauce, miso (soybean paste), or salt-based and are topped with boiled eggs, menma (sungan), seaweed, and barbecued pork. However, there are many other original toppings and they vary depending upon where in Japan you eat them.

Osaka: Dotombori

If ever in Osaka, one would be "missing out" if he left without visiting Dotombori (pronounced Dou-tom-bori); a single street filled with shops and restaurants located alongside the Dotombori canal. A popular destination for tourists and locals alike, Dotombori is a highly enjoyable destination with a very distinct energy and spirit full of Kansai pride. It is home to famous landmark signs, large, animated store front displays, an abundance of neon lights, and many delicious and reputable restaurants. Although Dotombori can be fun during the day, I recommend one visit this street in the evening, when the street will be attractively lit up with all of the neon displays.

Harajuku: Takeshita Street Part II

The only major minus point of Takeshita Street has to deal with how crowded the street always is as well as with the constant jostling of elbows with fellow shoppers. To give a mental image, if one stands at the top of the street (especially on a weekend day), all he will be able to see is a sea of heads sandwiched between the brightly colored shops. Therefore, it may take a bit of mental preparation to plunge yourself in among this crowd, but once you're in, you're bound to enjoy yourself and lose track of time visiting all of the stores and observing the lively street fashion.

Harajuku: Takeshita Street PartⅠ

If one were to ask any teenager living outside of Japan today, "what do you think when you think 'Tokyo'", they are most likely to mention fashion amongst other subjects. Tokyo, as publicized in the media, is one of the fashion capitals of the world. As a US citizen studying abroad in Japan, I cannot agree more with this statement: teens and young adults here take fashion very seriously, and I mean it when I say they use fashion as a means to express themselves. People here rarely leave the house unless they're dressed from head to toe in the most fashionable manner, and they are definitely not afraid to wear funky outfits with bright colors or items sporting the most outrageous patterns and fabrics. Some even go as far as dressing as what most Westerners may consider "Halloween costumes" on a regular basis. Thus, one cannot help but to wonder, "in a fashion conscious society where trends are constantly changing, where do young people find crazy, cute, fashionable, yet affordable clothes?" The answer: Takeshita Street.

Scrunchy all over the place!!

Have you ever noticed how most young girls are wearing scrunchy on their hair or around their arm?

Well, here in Japan, we call them "shushu" and it is a very popular accessory beyond the young girls in Japan.
They come in lacey type to furry ones, and ones that has ribbons on it. It’s worn on their pony tail style hair or maybe a bun.
They also come in many different colors and they have wide variety of them so any style girls can wear them. The prices are also wide in range, and it could be as cheap as 105 yen to 2000 yen.
Since they are so popular today, some magazines come with brand name scrunchys (shushu). It’s like the prize in the cracker jack box, but instead they have Cat Kidson or Chloe or Tory's shushu inside.

If you are tired of your everyday hairstyle and want a little twist in it, I suggest you to buy one of this shushu sold in Japan. The trend of this winter is to wear a furry or pastel colored shushu on your hair with a loose pony tail. Enjoy!

Warm up in Kotatsu!

Kotatsu is a square or rectangular table with built in warmer inside, and a futon around it to keep your legs warm when sitting down. It is mostly seen in Japan but it is said that they have similar ones in Iran called, Korsi.

Oden

It’s cold right now, but the winter has just started... And everybody is eating "nabe" –a Japanese style pot where many people eat by surrounding it and sharing the food. Everybody knows nabe and it is a typical Japanese food so here I am to introduce another Japanese winter food which will warm you from inside out! Oden! You might see them being sold at many convenient stores but it doesn’t have to be store-made, you could make it at your house on your own!