Japanese culture

From コンビニ (konbini, convenience stores) to スマホ (sumaho, smartphones) to エアコン (eakon, air conditioners), abbreviated words are hard to avoid in Japan. After all, who has the time to write out コンビニエンスストア (konbiniensu sutoa), スマートフォン…

Thatched houses have existed in Japan for at least 5,000 years, but today they’re found only in a handful of villages across the country. As a young man, Haruo Nishio, now 51, moved to rural Miyama in the mountains north of Kyoto…