Uchikura & Co Blog
2026-08-01
Welcome Those Who Come, Let Go of Those Who Leave来る者は拒まず、去る者は追わず The Japanese saying 来る者は拒まず、去る者は追わず (kuru mono wa kobamazu, saru mono wa owazu) means: “Do not reject those who come, and do not c...
2026-08-01
奇想天外 (Kisō Tengai) — Thinking Beyond the Ordinary The Japanese expression 奇想天外 (kisō tengai) describes an idea so unusual, unexpected, or imaginative that it seems to come from somewhere beyond con...
2026-07-31
Revenge Is Also a Crime — Kenka Ryōseibai and Katakiuchi (aka Adauchi) There is an old Japanese expression, kenka ryōseibai (喧嘩両成敗), meaning that both parties in a fight may be punished. In medieva...
2026-07-31
神対応 (Kami-Taiō) — Service Beyond Expectations In Japan, you may sometimes hear the expression 神対応 (kami-taiō) used to describe exceptionally good service or an outstanding response to a situation. ...
2026-07-31
My Company, Your Company: 弊社, 御社, and 貴社 One of the interesting features of Japanese business language is that there are different words for "company" depending on whose company you are referring t...
2026-07-30
Kamikaze (神風) How the Meaning of One Word Changed Through HistoryThe Japanese word kamikaze (神風) literally means "divine wind." Today, many people associate it with the suicide pilots of World War ...
2026-07-30
同情 (Dōjō)Sharing Another Person's Feelings The Japanese word 同情 (dōjō) is often translated as sympathy, but the translation does not fully capture its meaning. The first character, 同 (dō), means ...
2026-07-30
The Kimono Shop That Never Had a Sale Long before department stores existed, a kimono merchant in Edo quietly changed the way people shopped. In 1673, the Mitsui family opened Echigoya (越後屋), a kim...
2026-07-30
The Foreigner Who Taught the West to Love Japan When people think of those who introduced Japan to the Western world, one name stands above all others: Lafcadio Hearn（1850–1904） better known in Jap...
2026-07-29
虎視眈々 (Koshi Tantan) Watching Like a Tiger: The Wisdom of Patience and TimingIn today's fast-paced world, we're often told that success belongs to those who move first. Yet one of Japan's most endurin...