men and women.

Cute or Not Cute? Five Things Women Do That Men Really May Not Be Into

Cute or Not Cute? Five Things Women Do That Men Really May Not Be Into

If you hadn’t already noticed, “cute” is a huge part of Japanese culture. From franchised characters known around the world (yes, all the usual favorites like Hello Kitty and Pokémon, to name but two) to local government mascots, Japan is full of cute in various shapes and sizes. But when it comes to passing judgment on what constitutes cute behavior from girls and what doesn’t, there seems to be a significant difference of opinion between the sexes.

See what you think of the opinion of some Japanese men collected on Japanese summary site NAVER Matome. Does any of it ring a bell? Read More

The State of the Kiss in Modern Japan

The State of the Kiss in Modern Japan

There is all kinds of kissing all over the world, but traditionally, in Japan there has only been two kinds and they are the romantic kissing done by couples or kissing babies.  Public displays of affection have always been frowned upon, and still are: a kiss on the lips is serious business.

Not to mention how unnaturally kissing comes to most Japanese.  The moment for a romantic kiss on any Japanese drama looks excruciatingly uncomfortable, especially in comparison to the ”eat each other up” passion of western dramas.  The jidaigeki, or Japanese period dramas, feature absolutely no kissing.  With this in mind, SK Planet Japan did a survey on 400 20 to 30-year-old men and women to find out young Japanese people’s views on kissing—which is actually pretty interesting considering that kissing has always been an almost taboo subject.

Read More