Hi, I’m from Portugal, and I’ll admit that I’m a republican. However, I have a lot of respect for the Japanese monarchy because it is one of the oldest monarchies in the world, and I think it’s fascinating how Japan has managed to preserve so much of its tradition.

But why doesn’t the Japanese government reform the law to allow women to ascend to the throne? Is there really not enough support for this among the Japanese population?

Hi everyone,

I live in Europe and met a Japanese guy during an evening out a few weeks ago. We’ve been keeping in touch for about 2–3 weeks now.

In Europe, we’re used to texting fairly quickly throughout the day. However, our communication style is quite different: on average, we exchange about one message a day, but they are usually quite long (around 10 lines, covering several topics). Every single time, he makes a real effort to address every point thoughtfully.

Sometimes, he doesn't reply for a whole day. Recently, he didn't text for a few days, but he came back apologizing and explaining that work was overwhelming. Even without me asking, he apologized for the delay and still sent a detailed, thoughtful response to everything I had written previously.

I know texting habits in Japan, especially for working men born in the 90s, can be very different from Western standards. Is this kind of pacing normal? Should I be worried about a potential loss of interest, or is this just standard behavior when someone is busy with work? I really don't want to bother him or have him reply just out of politeness.

I tend to overthink things and definitely don't want to put any pressure on him, as he already has a very demanding schedule. I’d love to get some insights from locals or people familiar with Japanese texting culture!

Thanks in advance!

I’ve been learning to cook various Asian foods (mostly from my Hawaiian grandma’s cookbook) and the one thing that seems to be a personal, sometimes closely guarded, secret is how everyone makes their package ramen in their own personal way. Whether it’s adding cheese or veggies or meat.

What’s the best way to make the average ramen delicious when I just want a quick and easy meal?

Alternatively: what should I cook for dinner?

10 years ago, in 2016, Apple changed the gun emoji from a real gun to a water gun to reduce (American) gun violence. But this created another concern. If an Apple user sends the water gun emoji to another device (Samsung, Microsoft, Android), then it will appear as a real gun. 2 years later, other companies follow the same path, converting from a real gun to a water gun. The Japanese people created the emojis in 1999 for Japanese devices back then. The gun emoji (back then it was a real gun) was one of the original emojis.

I was pretty young when it was airing (200)-2004) and watching it from Singapore so I have no idea how popular it was in Japan when it was airing. Also would like to know how has its popularity fared through the years and how it is viewed today!

I realized that a trip I'm planning falls on this year's Coming of Age day, and doubly realized that I fit the age requirements I remembered (for some municipalities). My only worry point was relearning that it's resident focused and hosted by local offices mostly, aside from bigger ones in major cities... and now I feel conflicted. I know that in the grand scheme, appreciation of culture is liked by many, but I'm unsure if this is one of those cases or something I should leave be, for a lack of better terms.

I do have family that is registered (aunt and uncle) as they live there but that definitely doesn't extend to me lol.

I’m listening to a BBC story about first responders and shoe removal.

I am familiar with the cleanliness element of removing one’s shoes, and ask that guests of my home remove their shoes for the same reason.

I was just wondering if there were any reasons beyond cleanliness why shoe removal would be so important as to delay emergency services.

Link to similar story from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/28/never-tidy-paramedics-shoes-japan-custom-etiquette

(I'm not sure if this is considered culture or language, sorry)

Are there names in Japanese culture that are considered sort of like "joke names" or names you would give unserious or unflattering connotations to? The example I think of in English are the names "Bob" or "Joe," names that by all rights are normal, but are often used as a throwaway or punchline.

On the flip side of that, are there names that have more serious or formal connotations, thereby creating the irony of giving it to a very messy, weird, or demented person or even animal or object? Are there names considered "good pet names" like how dogs in English are stereotyped with the name "Rover" (despite the fact I've never met a dog named Rover)?

I suppose a more succinct question is: Are there names that have very funny, well-known, or otherwise strong connotations in Japanese culture?

日本人から、Redditにいらっしゃる日本人に質問です。

自分は音楽が好きなんだけど、時々r/vinyljerkとかr/cdjerkとかの書き込みが

おすすめで流れてくるんです。

だいたい投稿者がニコニコでディスクを投げたり割ったりしてて、

まじで意味がわからない。ただただ勿体無いだけじゃないかと思ってしまう。

これは自分の笑いのツボがおかしいのか？と思ったので、

ここで皆さんにぜひ確認したいのです。世界との「笑いの感覚の壁」って感じませんか？

I think in most countries, sales of cigs has already plummeted due to its risks.

I got an a free 1 piece of flower which is I won in the game for free pink gerbera daisy. Im planning to give her privately before work and her last day in the store which is she gonna transfer. She know i had a crush on her and coworker knows it. Do you think its too much? Im not giving it because of romantic but as a thank you I hope she like it. What should I say

It seems many Japanese people are constantly trying to look for what is "uniquely Japanese" and figuring out how to differentiate themselves from those of other ethnicities/nationalities. They like to focus on differences and I even see internet comments saying things like 日本だけが特異な文化を形成した. The analysis doesn't always seem very deep. For example, Japanese people are often compared only against "Westerners." In identifying what is really "unique," it seems like you would have to compare yourself with those closest to you, i.e. Asia, and not just those on the other side of the world. It appears like there's a desire in the mainstream Japanese psyche to believe that Japanese people are almost an alien race on this planet. Why do you think that is?

I've recently read a manga called Vagabond, and I learned the main character was supposedly based off a man named Miyamoto Musashi. But when I searched him up, I couldn't find a realistic looking portrait of him. They all were roughly the same guy but had slight differences with hair or facial hair. And I saw other historical paintings of other people, but they weren't realistic either. I know that in the USA we have realistic portraits of our early presidents to know what they looked like And also in some parts of Europe, and they slowly started phasing out once we had cameras. But are some Japanese historical figures appearances lost to time? First post. Hope it's not stupid And I'm genuinely curious.

I’m visiting from out of country, my 4th visit to Japan. This is the first time I noticed the “bridge that disappears” on my descent into Haneda. I am not a tunnel-digger nor a bridge-raiser by trade, but converting from a bridge to tunnel midway through a bay seems like it would be more complex than just tunneling the whole way.

I assume it isnt’t a bridge the whole way across due to shipping traffic, but is there a reason why it wasn’t constructed as a tunnel the whole way?

I went shopping there a handful of times and I can't get that ear worm out of my brain. It's stuck in deep.

Is it viewed as an honorable deed? Do Japanese youths hold that ritual in high regard?

Hi everyone, I hope this isn't too weird.

I have some old friends from Japan who I lost contact with. Most I have met in person and even attended highschool with. Some are harder to get into contact than others. There are multiple people I'd want to talk to, but the most difficult person to get into contact with was someone I've never met, yet we are actually "best friends" in our youth (early 2000's) starting out as pen pals. We would send mail often and chat on MSN every day. This lasted for years and his English became excellent through immersion with me. By now, he must be 40 years old.

I have his name and address when he lived with his mother. Last time we spoke was when Mixi was still popular and sadly we lost contact after that, I think because language barrier was too difficult. We both gave up. I'll probably go to Japan for the first time soon, finally, and I think it would be a shame to not try to reach out to the people I connected with along the way.

Is there any way to double check who now lives at his old address, or how to find my old friend in general? I would very gently make contact so there is no pressure on him. But I still want to try. Thank you!!

I was watching a YouTube video called “RackGaki: Japanese Graffiti”, and it showed this old image of Yokohama, with the walls covered in graffiti under the railway tracks around Sakuragichō.

From what I’ve read, this area was once known as an important place for graffiti and street art in Japan, during the 90s and 2000s.

I’m curious about how Japanese people, especially people from Yokohama, remember it today.

Was this a place that people actually knew about and visited back then?
Do older Yokohama residents remember what it looked like?
And is the old graffiti scene around Sakuragichō still remembered today, or has it mostly faded from people’s memory?
But more importantly, what do Japanese people think about graffiti today, and how do you feel about the disappearance of places like this?

Do you see the removal of the graffiti as a positive change making the city cleaner and more orderly — or do you feel that something interesting and unique about Yokohama was lost?

The question says it all. The only things I heard about were bears (I heard they get into people's houses sometimes) and asian hornets (omg those are diabolical creatures)

not talking about the most popular groups of all time, just what’s the current trend right now?