New Year’s Eve of 2021 marked the first time since the 1990s that I didn’t watch Kōhaku Uta Gassen, Japan’s televised year-end music extravaganza. If you are not familiar with the program, it is a celebration of the...
Author - Tim Patrick
Tim Patrick
Apartment Shopping in Japan
Finding a new place to live can be stressful. Beyond the pressure of getting “the perfect place,” you have to think about square footage, price, location, good schools for the kids, noisy neighbors, and commute times...
You Will Flip over these Popular Phones!
Despite being the odd foreigner, when I ride trains in the Tokyo metro area, nobody makes eye contact with me—or with anyone else—because they are all glued to their smartphones. Android and iOS devices are...
Grown-up’s First Japanese Book
I finally finished reading a book written in the Japanese language! You might not believe me, especially if you learned about my Shelf of Shame earlier this year. I have a bad habit of buying Japanese books and...
What is Causing Japan’s Latest COVID Wave?
If you have been keeping an eye on the pandemic situation in Japan during the Olympics, you know that it went from around 1,600 daily infections at the end of June to nearly 10,000 per day by the end of July. Although...
When Will Japan Achieve Herd Immunity?
One month after Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide set a goal of one million COVID-19 vaccine injections per day, Japan still shows lackluster success at inoculating the general public. One success of sorts came last Friday...
Japanese Anger Over Vaccine Distribution
A few months ago, I posted an article that practically gushed over how well Japan was dealing with COVID-19. Although the points raised there are still legitimate, Japan’s slow rollout of the available vaccines has been...
Japan Everyday is on Hiatus
Due to other projects, Japan Everyday will be on a temporary hiatus. In some ways, the timing is good. Golden Week, one of the largest holiday seasons of the year in Japan, starts this week. It is a time when nothing...
AmaoJapan Podcast Episodes 17 to 20
Episodes 17 through 20 of the AmaoJapan podcast are now available. As with other episodes, these new releases all review recent stories as found on various news web sites in Japan. Here are some of the newsworthy topics...
Paying National Income Taxes in Japan
It’s tax time once again! This year, the filing deadline for national income taxes in Japan has shifted from mid-March to April 15. Be sure to thank your local coronavirus. Naturally, I waited until this weekend to...
