Japan-Behind the Scenes(from Hiragana Times articles)

Japan-Behind the Scenes (from Hiragana Times articles)

You can read the full standard Japanese text with furigana, Kanji and English in the monthly printed Hiragana Times magazine or the PDF version. Every Japanese paragraph is followed by an English translation (and vice versa) so that you do not need to use a dictionary. About Hiragana Times

"Japan-Behind the Scenes" Index
Japanese Culture	Business	People
Sightseeing	Subculture	Entertainment / Sports
Foreigners' eyes / Cross culture	Wonders of Japan	Living
Satire	Japanese Society / Politics	History
Language study / Education

Pick up article

Australian Magician who Made his Passion into a Living
If you love magic and you love the Japanese language, then Simon PAXTON might be doing your dream job. You see, Simon is a bilingual Australian magician who has made his home in Japan. ...

Cat Café Invites Customers to Relax
You’re not in an average coffee shop when one of the staff has to casually shift a cat sleeping on the menu before you can order your latte. Even more so that the cat doesn’t bat an eyelid and continues to sleep with the café’s money tray resting on it’s back. This is Calico Café in Kichijoji, Tokyo. ...

Mt. Fuji – A Spiritual and Cultural Symbol
Nothing is as symbolic of Japan as Mt. Fuji. Standing at 3,776 meters, the mountain that straddles the prefectures of Yamanashi and Shizuoka is by far the tallest in the country, visible even from Tokyo. ...

Company Director Enjoys her Dream Job
“I’m enjoying my life doing a job I want to do,” announcer and director of SUCCEED Inc, ONO Keiko, says with a smile. You may not know ONO, but you have possibly heard her voice at places like vending machines and your bank’s automated telephone message system. ...

Let’s Enjoy Japanese-English
‘Japanese-English’ is a phenomena that has invaded all levels and encompasses all walks of Japanese life, from bags and packaging to advertising, buildings, Japanese pop music, and particularly clothing. ...

Hidden Intention Requiring Japanese Language Proficiency for Staying in Japan
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has decided to give advantageous treatment to foreigners who have higher knowledge of the Japanese language in their application for entry and stay in Japan. Regarding the governments aim of introducing this system, Hiragana Times CIA interviewed Professor OHURA Yuuzou, an expert in Japanese language education. ...

Indian Software Developer Breaking into Japan
SmartData Enterprises was founded in Silicon Valley, California, USA in 1996 by current president Dr. Sanjai TIWARI. Today, the company has a staff of 300 in offices in the US and India providing offshore software development services that include Internet, database and e-commerce development. So how did Sanjai grow smartData into the success it is today? ...