Old Crow
Old Crow's JournalJapanese Halloween Candy with Risa
Just in time for Halloween, language instructor Risa makes a survey of Japanese limited-edition Halloween sweets.
Kumiko-Zaiku: Beautiful Japanese Latticework
I've just learned about kumiko-zaiku, a type of geometic wooden latticework from Japan, and thought I'd share a couple videos about it in case others don't know of it. Dating from at least 1700, the craft was used to decorate the transom spaces above doors in artistocratic homes and then was incorporated into shoji screens and other furnishings. Today you can find kumiko-zaiku in everything from lampshades to beverage coasters.
Jaiden Animations: My Insane Experience with Misaki from Samurai Buyer
Jaiden Animations is a YouTube channel featuring the work of an Asian American animator who identifies herself only by her first name. In this video, Jaiden describes her experiences working with a Japanese businessman.
Top 10 Responses to "How Are You?" in Japanese
In her characteristically cute way, Risa demonstrates 10 ways to respond to "How are you?" in Japanese.
Building Without Nails: The Genius of Japanese Carpentry
This documentary about a Japanese carpenter doing business in New York City is wonderful and may leave you wanting to live in a Japanese-style house. It's been out for awhile; my apologies if it's already been posted. For those who haven't seen it, I think you'll find it's 25 minutes well-spent.
How It's Made: Thai Fish Sauce
For the uninitiated, it sounds off-putting, but the flavor is divine. I think I may be having Thai food tonight. 
Abroad in Japan: Traveling Japan in Style
Host Chris Broad spends three days travelling across northern Japan, experiencing a variety of wondrous and peculiar things: a Japanese garment rental service, soda with marbles in the bottles (?), a restaurant that delivers food in a basket over a gorge, and more.
How It's Made: Japanese Navy Biscuits
For some reason, I found this video compelling. You may want to skip it unless, like me, you have an interest in historical foods, such as the food items that used to be carried on whaling ships, or foods that have extended shelf lives. The biscuits in this video are still being made and are available at Amazon: Japanese Navy Biscuits.
Have any of you tried these?
Marketplace: Japan's Population Is Plunging, So Where Are the Babies?
To sustain its population, a country needs to have 2.1 births per woman; Japan's current birthrate is just 1.4. The author of this article identifies mainly economics and gender roles as the root causes behind that 1.4 figure.
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If you think you work long hours, meet Kumi Matsumoto.
“It’s very normal for us to stay until midnight,” said Matsumoto, who works for Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “and sometimes we have to stay until early in the morning, [the] next day.” Matsumoto lives in Tokyo. She’s 41, and when we met she was on maternity leave. But when she’s in the office she often doesn’t get her assignments until late at night. She says the hours can be brutal – especially for women with kids. “Some ask their mother for everything about their family. One of them, I know, met her child only on weekends,” she said.
Matsumoto acknowledges that this was an extreme case, but because of the long hours Japanese workers are expected to put in, working mothers here have to ask for a ton of help. Much more than a typical American parent. “Mothers, babysitters, nursery schools,” she said, “and somehow manage to do it. But I know many women couldn’t do that much and just quit.”
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More:
http://www.marketplace.org/2016/04/18/world/babies
Abroad in Japan: Inside a Japanese Love Hotel
Host Chris Broad takes viewers on a tour of the rooms of a Japanese love hotel, which features wonderful amenities at surprisingly affordable rates. Some of the rooms look like something out of IMVU brought to life.
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Name: Corvus brachyrhynchosGender: Male
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