Richard Simmonds
Originally from Sussex in the UK, Richard came to Japan for the first time in 2011 to teach English. Deciding that only one stint as a student wasn’t enough he returned to go to university in Osaka where he still lives, working slowly towards his inevitable destiny of being killed in an avalanche of manga and textbooks, surrounded by the discarded wrappers of assorted matcha-flavour sweets and biscuits. Whilst continuing his love-hate- hate relationship with the Japanese language he works as a translator, writer and sometime bar pet gaijin.
Posted by Richard Simmonds (Page 2)
In our quest to find a cheese-laden pizza we can eat guilt-free, we’ve come across a Japanese-style concoction that’s surprisingly delicious.
Monkeys with typewriters can write Shakespeare but can machines create anime as well as humans?
If you wanna know, if he loves you so, it’s in his… political engagement, that’s where it is.
Japanese Twitter user’s methods work just as well (or not) with Hi-Chew as with any other kind of recalcitrant sweet or candy.
Loincloths make a comeback with the popularity of fundoshi dance videos and the oppressive heat of Japanese summer rearing its ugly head.
Remember the time we hired a lookalike and reenacted a classic Jackie Chan fight? Of course we do, we still have the video evidence!
Is Japan Lilliput? Chair company appealing to ‘short-legged and short-bodied’ Japanese seems to think so.
One parent and Twitter user experiences the joy of catching Pikachu in Pokémon GO, but it’s all too short-lived.
Like automotive magpies, we fall in love with something shiny. Now just to find a(nother) car to put it in.
Perplexing perspectives: when left is right, and right is right, our brains melt but we’re impressed nonetheless.
Model/celebrity finds confusing sign telling us to do, or not do, something involving small cats and big shoes.
The story of the man who brought us Pikachu and countless other fantastical creatures to feature in an educational manga next month.
Steak, dollars and men with guns (somewhere probably); we have a Las Vegas-lite experience at a U.S. military casino in Okinawa.
Thieves used machinery to steal flowering cherry blossom branches and tree trunks from a park in Osaka Prefecture.
Nothing makes for a cosier interior than a lizard spitting out radioactive heat rays over you and your house guests.
Japanese social media users fall in love as dog chases down Google Street View car many times its size.
It seems putting on rose-tinted spectacles not only makes you feel nostalgic, it also makes the ephemeral beauty of cherry blossoms even better.
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Is the all-you-can-eat KFC buffet in Tokyo really as good as they say it is?
Sumo Sanrio! Hello Kitty and pals team up with Japan Sumo Association for new merch【Pics】
Japanese Twitter can’t stop laughing at this JLPT listening question straight out of Evangelion
We try the sweets, soups, pastas, and fried chicken of KFC’s all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant
7-Eleven Japan’s ramen-cooking robot whipped us up a bowl of noodles【Taste test】
Lacquerware supplier to emperor of Japan and Pokémon team up for new tableware
More people in Japan quit sending New Year’s cards and many have started to regret it
Three amazing things about Yonaguni Island, the westernmost point of Japan
Studio Ghibli umbrellas bring anime joy to Japan’s rainy season
Can a dirty butthole make you filthy rich in Japan? We’re starting a New Year’s lottery experiment
Weekly
Disillusionment at Tsukiji’s tourist-target prices led us to a great ramen restaurant in Tokyo
Japan may add Japanese language proficiency, lifestyle classes to permanent foreign resident requirements- Lacquerware supplier to emperor of Japan and Pokémon team up for new tableware
Starbucks Japan releases new zodiac chilled cup drink for 2026
7-Eleven Japan starts new temporary luggage storage service in over 300 branches- 7-Eleven Japan’s ramen-cooking robot whipped us up a bowl of noodles【Taste test】
Starbucks on a Shinkansen bullet train platform: 6 tips for using the automated store in Japan
Large amount of supposed human organs left in Osaka marketplace
Japan’s otoshidama tradition of giving kids money at New Year’s gets a social welfare upgrade
A Japanese dating app matched our bachelorette with a Buddhist monk, and she learned some things
Monthly
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Japanese train company is letting fans buy its actual ticket gates for their homes- 7-Eleven Japan starts new temporary luggage storage service in over 300 branches
- Disillusionment at Tsukiji’s tourist-target prices led us to a great ramen restaurant in Tokyo
Starbucks teams up with 166-year-old Kyoto doll maker for Year of the Horse decorations【Photos】
Tokyo considering law requiring more trash cans following litter increase in heavily touristed area
Tokyo’s Tsukiji sushi neighborhood asks tour groups to stay away for the rest of the month
Nintendo’s Kirby now delivering orders at Kura Sushi restaurants, but not in Japan
Tokyo event lets you travel back in time, for free, to celebrate 100 years since Showa era start
Sanrio theme park in Japan announces plans to expand into a Sanrio resort
Yearly
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer- Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Japan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
The top 10 annoying foreign tourist behaviors on trains, as chosen by Japanese people【Survey】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Starbucks Japan reveals new sakura drinkware collection, inspired by evening cherry blossoms
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Lacquerware supplier to emperor of Japan and Pokémon team up for new tableware
More people in Japan quit sending New Year’s cards and many have started to regret it
Three amazing things about Yonaguni Island, the westernmost point of Japan
Studio Ghibli umbrellas bring anime joy to Japan’s rainy season
Can a dirty butthole make you filthy rich in Japan? We’re starting a New Year’s lottery experiment
Howl and Sophie ring set gives you Ghibli style on your fingers for a very affordable price
Japanese convenience store Family Mart adding crane games to thousands of branches
Cyberpunk anime meets traditional culture in Ghost in the Shell gold leaf Japanese changing screens
All-you-can-eat lunch buffet for just 850 yen right next to Shinjuku Station
What time is evening? People in Japan rocked by official answer
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