2010 February | Japanese Politics & Culture

February 14, 2010

Japan to Ignore Any Bluefin Tuna Bans

Filed under: Japanese Animals,Japanese Politics,Japanese Wildlife,News from Japan — Tags: bluefin tuna, dolphins, endangered species, environment, japanese national parks, oscars, taiji, the cove, wakayama — admin @ 8:16 pm

Just last year, The Cove, a documentary about dolphin slaughter in Japan, had environmentalists (as well as non-environmentalists) in an uproar. Nominated for an Oscar, the film discussed the annual killings of dolphins at a Japanese National Park in Taiji, Wakayama. Shocking numbers of dolphins killed were reported–with the total body count at 23,000, higher than the number of whales killed in the Antarctic annually.

Now friends of sea animals will have something new to be outraged about: Japan’s refusal to ban bluefin tuna. (more…)

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February 1, 2010

Japanese Women Opt to Treat Friends, Not Lovers, for Valentine’s Day

Filed under: Japanese Holidays,japanese life — Tags: friendship chocolate, holidays in Japan, Japanese customs, tomo choco, valentine's day — admin @ 4:44 pm

While women in the Western world wait expectantly to receive chocolates, flowers, and other trinkets of affection for Valentine’s Day, Japanese women do no such thing. In fact, traditionally women in Japan bestow the gift of chocolate upon the men in their lives for the lover’s holiday.

But like many traditions, this one seems to be dying out. Today, more and more Japanese women are instead opting to exchange delectable gifts with their friends instead, leaving their their husbands and boyfriends to purchase their own candy. (more…)

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