Uchikura & Co Blog
2026-11-06
Japanese Wisdom — The Meaning of an Unspoken SubjectWhy Saying Less Can Mean More One interesting characteristic of Japanese is that sentences often do not need a subject. For example, someone as...
2026-11-06
Japan's Hidden Treasure — The World's Largest Iodine Reserves Japan is known as a country with very few natural resources. It imports almost all its oil and many important minerals from other countri...
2026-11-06
陰陽師 (Onmyōji)Anime, Magic, or Real Japanese History? When you hear “Onmyōji” (陰陽師), you might imagine anime characters casting spells, summoning spirits, and fighting demons. But did you know Onm...
2026-11-06
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC — Are We Really Securing Email? We have spent years implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to improve email security. But I have a fundamental question. What is the point of authe...
2026-11-05
金槌 (Kanazuchi)Knowing Your Weakness Is Golden In Japanese, a person who cannot swim is called "Kanazuchi" (金槌), meaning "hammer." Why a hammer? Because a hammer has a heavy metal head. Drop it ...
2026-11-05
防人 (Sakimori)Those Who Stand Guard While Others Stay Safe In ancient Japan, 防人 (Sakimori) were soldiers assigned to protect the country's distant borders. Many were ordinary men sent far from their...
2026-11-05
案山子 (Kakashi)The One Who Stands Still and Knows Everything In Japan, a scarecrow is called Kakashi (案山子). Traditionally, it stands quietly in a rice field, protecting crops from birds and animals. ...
2026-11-04
A $5.99 Lunch in Seattle — Am I Just Cheap? Today's lunch was from Ezell's Famous Chicken, a well-known fried chicken restaurant in the Seattle area. For $5.99, I got two chicken tenders, a bread...
2026-11-04
Doing the Same Thing the Same Way Brings Comfort, But It Leaves Nothing Behind People naturally resist change. We go to work at the same time, do the same tasks, talk to the same customers, and finish...
2026-11-04
万事休す (Banji Kyūsu)Not the End — Time to Pause and Think The 2026 U.S. midterm elections delivered a dramatic political change. The Democratic Party won control of both the House and Senate, with ...