Uchikura & Co Blog
2026-09-01
Why Does Japan Put the Family Name First? In Japanese, the family name traditionally comes before the given name. For example, 山田太郎 is Yamada Taro, not Taro Yamada. Why? One reason is that Ja...
2026-08-31
The Month When the Gods Leave JapanJapan has a month when the gods are said to disappear. The traditional Japanese name for the tenth lunar month is 神無月 (Kannazuki). The characters can be read lite...
2026-08-31
The Island Mentality Japanese has an interesting expression: 島国根性 (shimaguni konjo), literally “island-country mentality.” Japan is an island nation that developed for centuries with relatively l...
2026-08-30
I Had No Idea 💦 Meant THAT in EnglishI recently learned something surprising about emojis. In Japan, 💦 is commonly used to represent sweat, nervousness, embarrassment, or a feeling like, “Oops!” We...
2026-08-30
This Scene Looks Strange to Japanese People. Do You Know Why? You have probably seen this scene in American TV shows and movies. Several people are sitting together, eating Chinese takeout. Each ...
2026-08-30
染まる (somaru) — Becoming Colored by Your Surroundings The Japanese word 染まる (somaru) literally means “to be dyed” or “to become colored.” We normally think about fabric absorbing color, but Japanese ...
2026-08-30
神々 — Why “Gods” Is Not Quite the Right Translation The Japanese word 神々 (kamigami) can sound strange to Christians, Muslims, and people from other monotheistic traditions. 神々 literally means “many ...
2026-08-30
It All Comes Back to SoundYamaha began with sound. In 1887, Torakusu Yamaha repaired a broken organ and decided to build one himself. His first attempt failed because the tuning was poor. Instead o...
2026-08-30
Do You Know Why It Is the Right Way?We are often taught how to do things the right way. Follow this procedure. Use this method. Don’t do it that way. Someone teaches us what works, and we learn to ...
2026-08-30
There Is No Word for This in JapanHave you ever noticed what longtime couples call each other? In English-speaking countries, couples often use affectionate names such as “Honey,” “Sweetheart,” “Da...