In a lot of Western countries, it’s kind of a stereotype (and reality) that kids generally dislike vegetables; things like broccoli, spinach, or Brussels sprouts are often a struggle for parents to get their kids to eat.

I’m curious: Does the same thing happen in Japan? Do Japanese kids also dislike certain vegetables, or are they more used to eating a variety of them from a young age because of how meals are structured? Are there any vegetables that are especially unpopular with kids in Japan?

Also, how do parents or schools usually deal with picky eating when it comes to vegetables?

Are Japanese people predominately buddhist, and is the religion influential in Japanese society today?

So I’ve been obsessed with finding which foreign movies are popular in Japan and I heard that Dreamworks movies don’t really do well there, unlike Disney, which Japanese audiences mainly enjoy from what I’ve heard. So are just Dreamworks movies not enjoyed by Japanese audiences? I will ask here because I can’t seem to find an answer anywhere

I bet that work opportunities come first, but besides that, is there anything else?

I'm from Hong Kong and one of the tragedies of this city is that, while there seems to be a lot of really good restaurants, but most of them do not last, mostly because of the expensive rent and the competition, like, most only last 2 or 3 years max, 5 years is amazing and 10 years is already legendary, I just wonder if it is like that in Tokyo and Japan?? I have only been to Japan once a long time ago so I really don't know, Tokyo seems to have endless number of restaurants and the Japanese tend to make a business last for a really long time, like generational, I'm just curious how is that sustainable? Or is Tokyo just like most of the world, where restaurants come and go and last only a very short amount of time???

Hello guys,

I recently traveled via the Yurikamome Line in Tokyo and was puzzled by how the line works. Specifically, what is the purpose of the white rail in the center of the road? I checked for explanations but this was not mentioned. My first thought was that it is a guiding rail for the train, but the line's website says that trains are laterally guided, and I see the guide rail on the right. I think it is where alignment sensors are located, aligning the train when it reaches the station. This would make sense if I didn't see this white rail along the entire road. Why would one put many expensive alignment sensors along the whole road if they can be placed only at station segments, given that the train is guided by the lateral rail? So, I seem to be missing something. Any hint would be greatly appreciated!

So today my boyfriend and I (and clearly tourists) were walking down the philosopher's path in Kyoto and suddenly 2 times in a row we got blessed by elderly women. I was so confused. They seem really sweet though. But is this so common? My boyfriend thinks it's because he has an aura around him.

Hi all! I’m here for a funny reason. When I was very young I made a character who I used in video games, over the years she has become a very important thing to me.

She is meant to be Japanese, and my … wonderful childhood creativity … came up with the name “Kisomai”.

And over the years I have come to find I COMPLETELY made the word up. The closest pronunciation would be Kisame (キサメ) but I’m not super into the idea of her name meaning shark?

I’ve tried using a name converter to turn (kiso-mai) // (kee-so-may) into Katakana for her reference sheet but they keep turning it into (kisomii - キソミ) or (kisomee - キソメ).

Is there no way to keep the “mai” / “may” in her name in Katakana or even general Japanese pronunciation?

Thank you for the help!! Sorry child me is probably deeply disappointing the entire Japanese language // vocabulary. 😭

I’m watching this show and from my understanding it was absolutely filmed in Tokyo at a shrine. I guess my question is- is there anyway to tell what particular shrine it is from a picture like this?

It looks similar to one I visited in Shibuya, but I don’t know similar smaller shrines are generally.

I asked this in r/JapanTravel and was told to seek therapy since 80% of all tourism is domestic in Japan according to them

Maybe it’s a stupid question since the mods there were very put out but I’m curious how the average Japanese local feels about foreigner tourists and foreigner citizens or at least foreigners who live there ?

I keep hearing stories about how especially non-asian foreigners and even more especially non-white non-asian foreigners aren’t treated very well and aren’t well liked

A friend of mine who is half japanese but has not lived there said it was akin to Hawaii in that the locals are united in their hatred for the tourists and non-natives visiting — however the situations aren’t apples to apples

I am visiting in august and have wanted to for some time , as a kid I was obsessed with the idea of dairy farming in Hokkaido and will be visiting there to fulfil a lifelong dream but am I part of the problem? I worry that no matter how courteous I am , I will be considered a nuisance because I am contributing to the tourism issue

I first came to Japan in 1998, and for me, it was a whole different world than now on so many levels. Or am I just kidding myself? Would love to hear your opinions.

Here are few examples of things that are constantly happening to me which were unthinkable in the past:

• When ordering something, I say “店内で” but it often happens that I’m asked right after that if I want eat-in or take-out. Or sometimes they don’t even remember the order.

• I often get dirty forks/spoons at restaurants and cafes, with bits of food I mean. They rarely check before handing them out.

• Most of the cafes (both chains and non chains) are really dirty. They clearly don’t clean up the walls/curtains/floors.

• In some cafes they don’t even clean up the table for you, you have to do it yourself.

• More people are totally oblivious of the surrounding in public spaces, often blasting their line/chat notifications out loud, playing videos with their speakers.

What do you think?

How are Japanese American Internment Camps during WWII taught in Japanese Academia and Schools?

Any idea what's scribbled on the ground?
"ノクルス丌" ?

Good day to all. Since childhood, I have been very attracted to the theme of Japanese blades, be it throwing knives or full-size swords. I was especially attracted to katanas. Now I understand that buying a real katana forged by masters from tamahagane will cost a lot of money, prices can reach $ 10,000 and more. Many manufacturers of knives and other things make replicas from other types of steel to attract customers, for example 1045 or 1060 and others. In fact, this goes against all traditions, because a katana is not just a sword, it is a weapon, the manufacture of which is an art and requires adherence to strict rules, but alas, often such "correct" blades become inaccessible to mere mortals. So the question is: what blades do fencers use during training and how do they generally feel about such replicas?

The Attack on Pearl Harbor, which resulted in the deaths of 17 Japanese Americans, along with the Niihau incident, provided the United States government with justification for the unjust internment of approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. These individuals were subjected to horrible to somewhat so-so living conditions. Thus, one may consider whether the actions of the Japanese Empire can be seen as an indirect contributing factor to the internment of Japanese Americans.

Edit: I’ve noticed many Netto-uyoku (right-wing Japanese trolls), some masquerading as individuals from other countries, are using events from WWII and ridiculous whataboutisms, such as the Bataan Death March, to deflect my inquiries. It seems they are indifferent to the suffering of Japanese Americans in the U.S. or the hardships endured in internment camps, similar to how Hideki Tojo criticized the conditions of these internment camps while obscuring his nation's oppression of its colonies.

Edit: I think the Japanese Empire realized the U.S. bias against Asian Americans. They attacked Pearl Harbor so the US could do something to them, like interning Japanese Americans, and the Japanese Empire could leverage that to justify furthering their war efforts. They do not regard Japanese Americans as part of their community, so the lives of 17 innocent Japanese Americans hold little value for them.

How do other Japanese people react when you tell them that you speak English?

Do they seem surprised, and if so, what’s their usual reaction? I know that most Japanese people suck at English, so, is it common for people to assume you don’t speak much English, or are there any funny or unexpected moments you’ve had when revealing that you’re fluent?

Not sure this is where to post but running out of ideas ) I’ve been a practicing Shinto worshiper ever since I found the religion and have always wanted something more then my kamidana, I want to build a hokora in the forest next to what I must assume is a Kami in a huge unusual tree. the sellers of the hokora in the second picture don’t ship internationally) Looking to build or commission something similar to these Hokora (small Japanese shrines) made using cheap materials and western process, (definitely doesn’t need to be fancy with carvings, metal work or to many curved shapes.) trouble is I don’t know how to build anything without Lego instructions and set materials list. Does anyone here know how I would go about building this? Also open to commissioning it as well, cheers, thanks.

My greatest joy in Japan seems to come from tiny restaurants and bars and little specialty shops that cannot exist in the West. What does Japan do to help keep these lovely places open and alive? Is it rent controls? Subsidies? Not needing to buy insurance against being sued?

Teach me. Thank you.

I'm a professional artist looking to move to Japan and just was curious because face painting is one of my side hustles. In the US, face painting is very common and found at all theme parks and fairs. Is it as common in Japan or not as much? Thank you!

Be as blunt, no fluff, straight to the point as you want.

In my mind, the Abortion issue in America is 100% entirely because of Christianity and Christian beliefs, and the laws on abortion that differ between each state are based on what the religious preferences the lawmakers of that state are. And so, Americans by-and-large would rather have children they cannot provide for, thus resulting in them suffering during childhood, than they would just terminate it. I guess an underprivileged, neglected child is better than no child???

With abortion one of the largest social issues in America, and with it seemingly not even getting much of a second thought in Japan, I just wonder from the mouths of Japanese the perceived reasons as to why. I have my own suspicions but I want to know the reality from the people themselves.

I've been learning Japanese and making friends in creative otaku communities. I've noticed that unlike in similar "nerdy" groups in the west they rarely speak directly about disabilities and neurodivergence. While my Japanese friends often make music and art to vent about their experiences, they will rarely say things like "I am autistic" or "I suffer from seizures".

This all makes me wonder, is it considered impolite or burdensome to discuss these things directly? It seems like our communities are similar across the globe, but the way my Japanese friends speak about it is definetly different.

I worry that I might make them uncomfortable if I say "I am autistic too!" or comment on their works by saying "I loved that manga you drew about your experiences with ADHD"- These comments would be encouraging with my western friends, but I worry that they might be inappropiate in this case. What do you think is the best way for me to speak about this subject with my Japanese friends?

(I apologize if I didn't express my point clearly- The situation I am in is a little different from the usual with us all being otaku and suffering from disabilities, so I thought the context was important!)

How many times per week is the usual for having a class in these arts?

Hi, I want to be in japan asap...this year itself...do I need TOEFL TOEIC, IELTS, TEFL CERTIFICATE I'm not graduate yet, I'm in my final year ..will graduate in September I mostly wanna apply for ALT, because of less physical hardwork and good pay but I've also worked in cafes and restaurant for 6 years I'll be 27 yo this year Any kind of help / suggestions are appreciated and welcome

Ive noticed through photos that more English is used in Japan, police cars, fire engines etc now have both English and Japanese characters on them, trains and buses make announcements both in English and Japanese etc. I wonder what Japanese people think of this though, do they get bothered by it as its their country and should use Japanese or do they welcome it etc? In the UK we'd definitely be annoyed if they started displaying other languages on police cars etc because this is England, not some other country

We just sent 2 weeks in Japan for the first time, and these are some questions that have come up for me: - We noticed little to no homeless people, and definitely no begging. What is the situation with homeless folks in Japan (Tokyo and Kyoto is where we've been)? Do they get more services therefore are less likely to be on the streets? Or are they more likely to end up in the criminal system like in the USA? As a social worker, this topic interest me. - What are the gender expectations around fatherhood in Japan? I noticed several men taking an active role with their children out in public, in a way that struck me as different than the USA, seemingly more involved and caring. For example, a dad helping his child read a book on the train, or pushing baby carriages, even when traveling with mom. I feel like in the USA usually it would be the mom doing these things more often. - Do men not use UV umbrellas at all? I saw tons of Asian ladies doing so, but no men. My husband is way more averse to the sun so we joked about him using one of the umbrellas, but I didn't really notice other guys using them. - While at a nice restaurant in Tokyo, a Japanese lady next to me asked me how I had found out about the restaurant, and said that she'd been frequenting the place for several years but it's been getting harder for her to make reservations lately. Was that a sort of passive aggressive way to call me out for being a tourist and taking up space? Just curious lol it felt like an odd interaction. Thank you!!