culture smash

The World Of Japanese Husband Salaries

In Japan, there’s the salary you get from your company. And if you are a married man, there’s the salary you get from your wife. It’s called “okozukai” (お小遣い), which is sometimes translated as “pocket money”. Think of it as a husband salary. That’s what it is.


Chinese Employees Made To Crawl In Public

You are looking at what appears to be a publicity stunt. An awful, humiliating publicity stunt in which company employees in China had to crawl in public.


Japan’s Leader Appeals To Geeks With A Military Tank

Last week, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ticked off people in South Korea and China. This weekend, he hung out with nerds and got in a tank.


You’ll Never Forget Japan’s Tomato Hairdo

Japan loves hair salons and fancy hair. For centuries, the country has been obsessed with various coiffures. Today is no different. This hairstyle, however, is.


Blame Photoshop For Korea’s Beauty Queen ‘Clones’

This week, photos of Korean contestants surfaced online. The photos all seemed eerily similar. Plastic surgery was blamed for these “clone contestants”. If only it were that simple.


Another Japanese Schoolgirl Photo Meme To Sweep The Internet

It all started with Japanese schoolgirls doing Dragon Ball attacks. That spread to people doing Street Fighter and Star Wars moves. And Japanese schoolboys playing fake Quidditch. Where to go from here?


How A Bill Gates Handshake Caused Controversy In South Korea

Bill Gates is dedicating his life to helping others. But let’s not judge him on that. Let’s judge him on how he shakes hands. Because that’s important. The above photo is all over the South Korean press. Gates is shaking hands with President Geun Hye Park. He has one hand in his pocket. That’s a no-no. A huge no-no.


Foreign Names Can Be Funny In Japanese

You might think your name is normal in your family’s native tongue. Maybe it is. But put it in a different language and all hell can break loose.


What ‘Nerd Fashion’ Will Make You Look Unpopular In Japan

Earlier this week, Yahoo Japanposted a poll that revealed how Japanese females thought they could pick out unpopular guys. The take away? Apparently, if you are wearing pretty much anything, you’re so not cool.


When English Textbooks Are Trolls

English is a hard language, especially for some Japanese people. The grammar is different. The pronunciation is different. And, sometimes, the textbooks are strange.


World of Servers