In recent years, stink bugs (Kamemushi, カメ虫), which come in a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes, have been appearing in alarming numbers in Japan. These insects are notorious for feeding by poking their mouths into fruits and plants and sucking the juice from them, which often leads to the rotting of fruits and other …
Category: culture & news
From Interpreter to Caretaker: A Tale of Workplace Boundaries
An interpreter was hired by a Korean branch of a well-known Japanese cosmetics company to assist with language barriers. However, her life took an unexpected turn when the CEO contacted her urgently in May of the previous year. She was informed that his wife had fallen ill and required emergency surgery. Without hesitation, the interpreter …
When Booking a Dream Vacation Turns Into a Nightmare
A young man and his friends were left feeling cheated and furious after booking what they believed to be a luxurious hotel on a popular travel reservation website, only to arrive and discover they had been scammed. Despite the website’s promise of spacious living areas, beautiful bedrooms, generous terraces for barbecues, and even a bathtub, …
The Inspiring Story of Hokkaido’s Drunk Driving Eradication Day
In July of last year, an important development occurred in the legal proceedings of a hit-and-run case in Hokkaido’s Otaru City. A man, accused of dangerous driving that caused death and injury as well as hit-and-run, faced an appellate court trial on the 8th of the month at the Sapporo High Court. The trial ended …
Youth Policy Challenges in South Korea
In South Korea, the government has been struggling with the problem of young individuals living in isolation for the past decade. These individuals, known as “reclusive lonely young people,” make up about 3.1% of those aged 19 to 39. Due to various factors such as financial difficulties, mental health issues, family problems, or health …