freeter n.— «The advantage of being a “freeter” is that if you mised the shift, the responsibility falls on the person who hired you.» —“Young Japanese Breaking Old Salaryman’s Bonds” in Tokyo New York...
enryo n.— «One concept that enters into Japanese social interactions a lot is “enryo” (EN-ryoh), which means to exercise restraint or to defer to others.» —by Dave Marquis Japanish (Minneapolis, Minn.) May...
hikikomori n.— «In fact, as many as a million young men—mostly teenagers, but increasingly older men as well—suffer from what is known here as hikikomori. It’s a condition in which they seclude themselves in their rooms for weeks at a...
bishojo n.— «Sadly, in these sims—also known as bishojo (Japanese for “pretty girl”) games—the balance between tedium and delight is firmly tilted toward boredom.» —“Sim Sex Not So Scintillating” by Danit...
zafu n.— «The bathroom is our meditation place. It acts as a Dojo (Japanese word for the place where Zen meditation is done) and the toilet is our Zafu (Japanese for the black cotton cushion used in Zen meditation).» —“Living Room...
gyaru-moji n.— «Japanese girls, however, now prefer to communicate amongst each other using special characters that require more time to input. These characters are called “gyaru-moji” (gyaru is the slang word for girl). The...