Amy Chavez

Amy Chavez lives on a Shiraishijima, a small island in Japan's Seto Inland Sea, with 563 other crazy people. She also writes for the Japan Times, blogs for HuffPo, and has authored two books: Japan, Funny Side Up and Running the Shikoku Pilgrimage: 900 Miles to Enlightenment. She loves running really long distances, skiing super steep mountains and sailing the calm waters of the Seto Inland Sea. Her motto in life is: "Surround yourself with beauty and peace."

Posted by Amy Chavez

RocketNews24’s top 10 Japan Events of 2016: Did your favorite make the list?

We’ve included some events and scandals that were big in Japan, so be sure to find out what they are!

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Is Japanese language becoming less discriminatory towards women?【Women in Japan Series】

The status of women in Japan is changing and the Japanese language is being modified along with it. Let’s see how women are viewed these days by surveying some of the modern Japanese words used to describe them.

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Four more things women are banned from doing in Japan【Women in Japan Series】

We’ve talked before about a few of the discriminatory measures against women in Japan, but there are still a few more. Let’s take a peek!

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8 Reasons Japan is so clean: the wa of cleanliness

Japan must be one of the cleanest countries in the world. What’s behind it all? Find out what makes Japan so pika-pika!

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10 things you didn’t know about geisha

We’ve talked before about geisha as one of Japan’s distinctly female professions, so this time we’re going to share with you a few fun facts about the geisha and their floating world.

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8 Japanese gadgets you wish you had in your country!

The Japanese are known for being incredibly efficient, so you’d expect them to also have the most efficient gizmos. Today, we’re looking at eight Japanese gadgets that we’ve become so dependent on, we can’t live without them!

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An island-hopping visit to the Setouchi International Art Festival!

The Setouchi Triennale Art Festival takes place every three years on the art islands of Japan’s Seto Inland Sea–and this year is a festival year! Let’s check it out!

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We spend a night at Shibuya’s new Nadeshiko Hotel—a capsule hotel for women only

We recently visited the new Nadeshiko Hotel and were truly impressed. Find out what this women-only capsule hotel has to offer!

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You know you’re in Japan when…【List】

“You know you’ve been in Japan too long when you start bowing on the telephone” is an old classic. But how about those things that, even if you haven’t been here long, still make you stop and think, yup, this is definitely Japan!

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30 Photos that perfectly capture everyday life in the Philippines【Photos】

We spent a day taking photos from the back of a pick-up truck in the Philippines. This is what we saw…

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Should you swim with whale sharks just because you can?

If you’ve ever wanted to swim with whale sharks but weren’t sure if it’s an eco-friendly idea or not, then this article is for you.

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Everything you wanted to know about the Ainu, with photos and video【Rocketpedia】

Bear sacrifice, female tattooing and fish-skin boots are all hallmarks of Ainu culture. Join us as we learn about Japan’s indigenous people and watch an intriguing video about their way of life.

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5 cultural tips for taking photos in Japan

Believe it or not, there’s a Japanese Way of taking photos. We’ve compiled some cultural guidelines as well as language tips to help you take happy snappies on your next trip to Japan!

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The 5 phases of adjusting to life in Japan (from a Western expat point of view)

Today, we present five phases Western expats go through, from arriving fresh off the boat to thinking about retirement, when living in Japan.

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Japanese Buddhism in 10 minutes【Rocketpedia】

Today we’re introducing you to the basics of Japanese Buddhism, plus highlighting some of the Buddhist images you’ll see in Japan and help you distinguish them from Shinto ones.

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A peek into the world of the Japanese Tea Ceremony

The culture of tea in Japan goes back one thousand years. Today, we’re going to scratch the surface with this short introduction to the wonders of the Japanese tea ceremony.

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8 Japan-related events to look forward to in 2016!

There’s a lot to look forward to in the Year of the Monkey—Here are just a few of the top Japan-related events you won’t want to miss in 2016!

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Does the experience of living in Japan make you a better person? The good, bad and ugly

We asked expats living in Japan if they thought that simply living here has made them a better person. Find out the results: the good, the bad and the ugly!

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Culture clash: 10 insider tips for visiting Japan

The Japanese are known for their politeness, so it’s only natural that visitors to Japan want to know what to do, or not do, to avoid appearing rude. Check out this list of little behaviors that you won’t find in your guidebook.

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8 things you should never say to a Japanese person

We asked Japanese people to tell us the things foreigners say or think about Japan that really gets their goat—and they were happy to oblige! How many of these faux pas are you guilty of?

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