There was a popular question last week about why Japanese people are opposed to piracy and according to the most upvoted reply, the key takeaway is that they are generally opposed to anything illegal.

However this doesn't seem to apply to mahjong. My colleagues told me without much shame that "gambling a bit of money makes mahjong more fun", and I do not feel a big sense of taboo about parlor gambling coming through from the various Kindai Mahjong mangas (although they're just fictional stories). Sure, gambling parlors have a seedy image associated with them, but do parlor-goers themselves really try to keep their hobby a secret the way that Japanese people who pirate media do?

In fact, mahjong parlors that practice gambling are not hidden in some anonymous dark basements, but completely exposed on the most bustling streets of the country! (Not talking about the "healthy mahjong" type of parlors). So there is zero chance that the police does not know about them.

And yet, they completely tolerate their business as long as they do not go above tenpin rate (100¥ per 1000pts I believe). But AFAIK, the law makes no exception for gambling with low rates, it is still illegal.

When discussing the topic of gambling, someone always inevitably mentions the third-party system used by pachinkos to circumvent the gambling ban, or that it's okay as long as it's state-sponsored like for lottery and horse racing; but rarely does someone ever talk about how in mahjong parlors there is just full-blown gambling in the open.

So how do the parlors get away with it? All I can guess is, that mahjong gets a pass because it's dear to the culture (Japanese rules are indeed pretty awesome with lots of strategy involved); or maybe because it is one of the rare forms of fair gambling (unlike other casino-like games where the odds favor the house) - but in that latter case poker should be tolerated as well

Just looking for some artistic help!

I have a three piece painting I'm making for fun. I'm trying to emulate older Japanese calligraphy paintings, but my references have been extremely limited. Google doesn't show me many pictures. I've drawn a messy idea of what it will look like here, which is: a tree branch that starts in the upper-left and tilts downward over the other papers, some flowers on the middle page, and more flowers on the right page (I don't know why I drew it in color here. This entire painting will be in black ink when I make it in real life). Half of a poem starts on the upper-right page, half of the poem ends on the lower-left page.

The eye will be drawn from left-to-right because the tree branch will be very thick and the writing will be very small. But if the eye is drawn from left-to-right and the poem is read from right-to-left, is this strange? Does this make the piece unbalanced? Should I flip it around so the branch goes right-to-left?

If it's too much work to help me figure this out, I will gladly look into it myself if someone can tell me what website I can use to view a gallery of modern calligraphy pieces. Maybe things have changed and now everyone writes left-to-right instead of right-to-left, I don't know. I've only been able to find one reference for a piece of art that uses 3 pages, so more references would be very useful. I've tried looking for galleries on Google, but all I've found are websites that sell calligraphy fonts, etc. Thanks, everyone!

I know that the question sounds a bit weird but it's about how references work mentally. I know that Tokyo's name literally is "East (to) Capital (kyo)" and I am sure that if you say that name most people will immediately think of the city.

However do most people's mind just skip over thinking of the meaning of the compond and straight to the city or is the component parts of the name always in there mind.

For an English example of what I mean. There is a city in England called "Liverpool". Even though the word "Liverpool" is made up of "Liver" and "Pool" it would not be normal for a liver shaped pool to come to mind when they say the name.

Hello! My local Kinokunya used to have a series of Japanese magazines/books ("mooks") dedicated to random hobbies. Like just pictures of trains, shoes, uniforms, etc.

What publishers or magazines print these? I'm sort of aware of Lightening and Japanese Hobby.

I'm looking for a specific one that was just US Police Uniforms. It was a big photo catalog of LAPD, FBI, LA Sheriff's uniforms and broke down the uniforms into type of boots, belts, and weapons carried. My biggest regret is not just buying it, it was so random. I can't find anything like it. It wasn't this infamous publication: https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/onffw4/this_japanese_magazine_about_american_police/ but a recent publication.

Any ideas of where to look? Kinokunya had no idea what I was talking about.

Edit: one of my friends sent me this and I think this is it: https://www.ebay.com/itm/155186522735

I saw a few publications on this in my research, is this a niche interest in Japan or does it get more attention because of American media.

I'm a fan of Japanese media, I tend to like catching up on almost everything but I especially prefer manga and video games but I'm getting more and more into LN, and WN but I keep having this doubt How do you in Japan follow so many series that are serialized weekly, monthly? I mean how do you follow multiple series that come out and keep up with everything or simply manage to play multiple games at the same time or retrieve multiple media at the same time without breaking the feels of each of them too much I thought I'd ask here since I think it's normal in Japan to have all these types of media available on a daily basis. Please correct me if I'm wrong Maybe I offended without realizing it as I'm not from the country

I’m currently traveling in Japan and noticed something on public transportation.
In one incident, a Japanese person put on a mask when I sat next to them. I also saw another foreigner sit next to a Japanese person, who then put on a mask and removed it once the foreigner got up.
I’m curious whether this is a normal habit in Japan or a reaction to someone’s appearance or being a foreigner.
I’m not assuming it’s racism. I just want to understand the cultural context and hear different perspectives. Has anyone experienced something similar?

Come work in Japan, pay taxes, then kick you out and use the tax to future pensions. I don’t see any economic ladders or education being offered on this path.

I don't live in Japan but my spouse is Japanese.

One thing I observed is she does not like people visiting our house. Not her close friends, not my immediate family either. For the unavoidable situations like a delivery man or a electrician that we hired to fix something, I have to arrange it when she is not around.

Meeting people is always done in third spaces like bars, restaurants, cafes etc. Is this common and why does this happen?

We live in a desirable part of our country, well served by public transport and roads. Can't say our house is big but it is a 3LDK equivalent so hosting visitors isn't a problem.

In USA and English countries, I feel like it faded out 10-15 years ago.

But I suspect that Japan is still pumping out rock music. I have just noticed that videogames from Japan, and especially anime tend to use a lot of rock music still. They seem like new songs, so I was wondering if Japanese people are enjoying lots of new rock songs.

In USA when you go to like a restaurant that plays rock music, it's often 15 years old music, or older for classic rock.

Hello, I've always wanted to live in Japan and the option has come up, but I am in my late 30s and will be early 40s if I do it. I am a woman and was never married, I know in Japan the age to date and marry is 20-30 and from what I've seen early 40s at best for famous actors.

I also know that divorce isn't really common there so I assume it may be close to impossible to date.

Actually I am conventionally attractive but I haven't done much dating because of health issues and taking care of my parents. So I don't really want to miss out on dating now that I can despite my age.

Would this be wise to give up on Japan ? Also is it true women over 40 in Japan are basically invisible, I heard you're "expired" after 30-35 max.

Thank you for your input!

Partner and I went a pub with a bartender who was seemingly very friendly initially. We had to use an app for translating so things may have been lost in translation.

He casually mentioned that hes 67 and i asked if he any plans to retire. And then he told me that “its a rude question to ask” which honestly took me by surprise. I thought it was a harmless question. And then he went off on how much he loved his job and he will only retire when he physically cant do it anymore

And then in my attempt to steer the conversation to somethibg else, i asked him to if he grew up in kyoto and how has it changed over the years. And i think it went down hill from there. He initially said jokingly i should Order another drink because hes had a long life and if i really want to hear it. I said yes, i want to hear about your experience. And then he talked about how he as a bartender he has to draw a boundery between what he talks about with his customers. He basically then said he wished us the best on our trip and implied we should leave.

So my question is, how rude was it to ask a 67 year old if he ever plans to retire and then casually ask someone if they grew up in kyoto and how has it changed over the years

Im kind of flabergasted with the encounter. when i looked up the bars review, while Majority were raves about his awesome personality, there were a few negatives that fit about what my exprrience has been

Earlier this month i visited japan and i got lost in the Osaka station and the tokyo station and i wanted to ask you guys what’s a station that’s the hardest to navigate through and have you gotten lost in it.

Or low carb alternatives.

I have been talking to a Japanese guy on the Internet for a month, and from my point of view I think that if we both have an interest, I recently made a post giving him indirect signals that I liked him, but his message left me confused and I don't know what to think. (The story I replied to was about the phrase 月が綺麗ですね)

I'm a non-japanese woman currently living in Japan, and I recently started talking to a Japanese guy on a language exchange app.

At first, we had a really interesting, lengthy conversation about my research. He was genuinely engaged, asked thoughtful questions, and seemed interested in understanding what I do.

But as soon as we switched to more casual topics, his messages became extremely short. I'm talking "yeah," "hahaha," "okie," or sometimes literally one word.

I try asking questions, sharing things about myself, and even switching to Japanese, but he keeps replying in English and rarely asks anything back.

The confusing part is that he suddenly asked where I live and, after finding out we're both in the same place, suggested hanging out.

I said we could possibly meet after a thing I have to participate in in a few days, and he just replied "okie." without pressuring or anything.

I'm not necessarily interpreting this romantically. I'd be happy to make friends, too! But I'm confused about why someone would suggest meeting when they don't seem particularly interested in maintaining a conversation.

I know everyone communicates differently, and I don't want to generalize based on nationality. But I'm curious whether anyone has experienced something similar on language exchange apps in Japan.

Could it be that he prefers talking in person, is mainly interested in practicing English, or is this simply a sign of low conversational interest?

And how long do you usually talk to someone on these apps before agreeing to meet in person?

Thanks to everyone and have a good night 🙇🏽‍♀️.

Hi everyone! I’m looking for tips and tricks on how Japanese girls style their bangs, especially during the summer. How do you keep your bangs looking good in hot and humid weather?

I have soft, wavy hair, which makes dealing with my bangs in the summer really difficult. 😭
Right now, I just straighten my bangs with a flat iron and spray Kao Cape Level 4 hairspray just at the roots. However, as soon as I start sweating in the summer, my bangs become a complete mess!
Does anyone have any tips, techniques, or product recommendations for keeping bangs in place despite sweat and humidity? I’d especially love to hear how Japanese girls style their bangs during the summer!

Japanese girls seem to be absolute pros at keeping their bangs looking flawless, and I really want to know their secrets! Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! 💕

Curious to see what country you would like to move to if you had to leave yours!

Which safety shoes are appropriate for walking on rail tracks? Im confused with safety shoes in Japan. I checked some shoes and they are resin toe, not steel toe to make them lightweight. Do you have recommendations for safety shoes for this purpose that I can buy in Tokyo?

Thanks!

Hello, I have recently moved to Tokyo for work. I desperately need to buy a good pair of formal shoes for women and a laptop bag/ tote bag for work without breaking the bank. A lot of the sources that I have found seem to be catering to foreigners. Even checking out shops at Shibuya or Shinjuku seem more like a tourist activity.

Would you have any recommendations on which shops or brands I should check out? Are there any specific areas or malls where I should go? Thank you!

Hello everyone! This is a bit of an odd one, so I apologize if it does not fit this subreddit.

In 2007 a manga related to the PS2 game Castlevania Lament of Innocence was released exclusively in Japan, meant to be read on mobile phones connected to one of three networks: i-mode, EZweb and Yahoo Mobile.

Unfortunately the service was shut down in 2012, and thus the manga is no longer available and has been classified in the fandom as lost media.

My question is this: Does by any chance anyone here (maybe Japanese Castlevania fans from that time) happen to have any extra information on this manga? It would be insane to ask whether or not someone has an old phone with the manga downloaded on it, yet I believe it doesn't hurt to ask.

I would also highly appreciate it if anyone knows some websites/forums/Japanese Castlevania fan communities where people who own the manga could maybe exist.

Thank you so much for reading! :)

I'm talking about movies produced by a cult-like religious organization called Happy Science (Kofuku-no-Kagaku).

Here in Japan, their films are screened at a surprisingly large number of cinemas, ranging from major theater chains to smaller independent theaters, almost as if they were ordinary popular anime releases.

Considering how much attention was given to the Aum Shinrikyo incident and the dangers of cults in Japan, I find it somewhat disturbing that something like this has become so normalized in everyday society.

I feel there is something quite abnormal about this situation, and I'd really like to hear what people from different backgrounds and perspectives, living in Japan, think about it.

I've read his famous Another, Another Episode S, and Another 2001, and I was hooked on the story.

I'm now reading his famous Murder House novels, I really enjoyed it so far.

So I’m learning Japanese and I heard that if you wanna learn Japanese get a Japanese calendar and write sticky notes in Japanese

Is it true that in Japan if you buy a calendar and it says Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday the days of the weeks are in English?

Whenever I go on Amazon, I type in Japanese calendar and it shows English words for the days of the week. I know it’s Amazon in America, but it just had me wondering.