Uchikura & Co Blog
2026-08-25
Yesterday’s Enemy Is Today’s Friend — Chess vs. Shogi There is a Japanese saying: 「昨日の敵は今日の友」Yesterday’s enemy is today’s friend. One interesting way to understand this idea is by comparing che...
2026-08-24
若気の至り — Experience Counts There is a Japanese expression, 若気の至り (wakage no itari). It describes the mistakes or reckless decisions we make simply because we are young and inexperienced. Looking bac...
2026-08-24
The Best Earthquake Preparation Is Science Japan cannot prevent earthquakes. But it has learned how to use science to get a small head start. When an earthquake occurs, two important seismic waves ...
2026-08-23
The Two Things Most Likely to Be Stolen in JapanJapan is known as one of the safest countries in the world. You often hear stories about people losing a wallet, purse, or smartphone and getting it ...
2026-08-23
Part 1 of “The Real Last Samurai Was French” became one of my most viewed and commented posts. So I felt I should complete the story and explain what happened after the final battle. In Part 1, I w...
2026-08-23
Even the Smallest Creature Has a SpiritThere is an old Japanese proverb: 一寸の虫にも五分の魂Issun no mushi ni mo gobu no tamashii It literally means, “Even a one-inch insect has half an inch of spirit.” ...
2026-08-22
Who Created the Famous Portrait of Emperor Meiji? Even most Japanese people have seen the famous portrait of Emperor Meiji. But many probably do not know that the man who created it was Italian. His n...
2026-08-22
諌める (Isameru) — Instead of Punishing, Teach There is a Japanese word, isameru (諌める), which means to advise someone when they are doing something wrong or heading in the wrong direction. I think thi...
2026-08-21
Why Does Japan Have So Many Characters? Japan has characters everywhere. Cities and prefectures have mascots. Government departments have characters. Police and fire departments have them. Compan...
2026-08-21
From Silk to a Global Character EmpireIn 1960, Shintaro Tsuji founded a small company called Yamanashi Silk Center. As the name suggests, the company initially dealt with silk products from Yamanas...