Japan Culture

The Cashless Paradox  For any global visitor, Japan has long been a land of fascinating contradictions: a nation of futuristic bullet trains and talking toilets that, until very recently, ran on physical cash. As UX researchers in Tokyo, we’ve had a front-row seat to the dramatic unraveling of this very paradox.  If we turn the clock back just seven […]

Words like emoji and otaku have entered the global business lexicon, each offering a unique window into Japanese culture. It’s time to add a new one to your list: Oshikatsu (推し活).  On the surface, Oshikatsu might look like simple fandom. It translates loosely to “supporting one’s fave,” with “oshi” (推し) being the favorite idol or […]

Fireworks as More Than a Spectacle  For many outside Japan, hanabi (花火) are simply a beautiful pyrotechnic show. But for the Japanese, they are a seasonal tradition that evokes a deep sense of summer, nostalgia, and community. What if we told you that a Japanese fireworks display is not just a cultural event, but one […]

Did you know that Rock, Paper, Scissors (yes, that universal game we all played as kids), actually comes from Japan?  In Japanese, it’s called jan-ken, and while the basic rules are the same, its role in everyday life is far more embedded in the culture than in most Western countries. In Japan, jan-ken isn’t just […]

Empty space, leaving things out, can speak more strongly than putting them in, and I think that’s very Japanese. — Hiroe Swen (Ceramic Artist) Ma (間), meaning gap, pause, or space, is a spiritual concept of emptiness deeply rooted in Japanese art and culture. It represents the beauty found in the space between things and […]

To many cultures, ringing in the new year is a time of utmost importance and celebration, and Japan is no different. In December, typical goodbyes are replaced with よいお年を! (yoi otoshi wo, “have a good year”) and my phone is abuzz right at the strike of midnight with messages saying 明けましておめでとうございます (akemashite omedetougozaimasu, “congratulations for […]

For me, the December holiday season is a time of merriment, exchanging of gifts, and spending time with family. Christmas, and the month or so leading up to it was heralded by the Black Friday (and Cyber Monday) sales, a scramble to find every gift on my family’s list, hanging decorations, singing carols, watching the […]

Gifts are often thought of as a sign of connection and appreciation. No place is that more clear than here in Japan. The culture around gift giving in Japan is very robust, and very unique. For businesses trying to succeed in Japan, it is best to understand the nuances behind the gift culture and the […]

In today’s fast-paced world, many of us seek ways to slow down, find peace, and appreciate the simple things in life. These themes—mindfulness, simplicity, and balance—not only resonate strongly in the field of UX design but are also deeply embedded in Japanese culture, especially in the tea ceremony, or sado/chado (we’ll use sado for the […]

When we talk about psychology, especially in the context of understanding human behavior and thought processes, Carl Jung, the father of Analytical Psychology, is a central figure. His theories, such as the collective unconscious and archetypes, offer valuable insights into the symbolic patterns that emerge across different cultures. Jung believed that these archetypes, universal symbols […]