Uchikura & Co Blog
2026-09-13
Lost in a Five-Li Fog — 五里霧中 The Japanese expression gori muchū (五里霧中) literally means “in the middle of a five-li fog.” A li was an ancient Chinese unit of distance. The expression comes from an a...
2026-09-13
Mononoke — The Unseen Presence The Japanese word mononoke (もののけ／物の怪) is often translated as “spirit,” “ghost,” or “supernatural creature.” However, none of these words fully captures its meaning. ...
2026-09-13
Kakugo — Being Ready to Accept the Consequences The Japanese word kakugo (覚悟) is often translated as “determination” or “resolve.” However, its meaning goes deeper. Kakugo does not simply mean deci...
2026-09-13
When the Curtain of Night Falls In Japanese, we sometimes say, “Yoru no tobari ga oriru” (夜のとばりが下りる), meaning “the curtain of night falls.” A tobari is an old-fashioned curtain or piece of cloth us...
2026-09-12
If Not Now, When? If Not Me, Who? “If it is not done now, when will it be done? If I do not do it, who will?” Thinking alone does not make anything happen. When we tell ourselves, “I will do it s...
2026-09-12
Noritake: Born from a Desire to Enrich Japan When Japan opened its ports in the nineteenth century, the country was poor and economically vulnerable. Because Japan’s gold-to-silver exchange ratio d...
2026-09-11
道 — The Way Has No End The Japanese character 道 can be read as michi, meaning “road,” or dō, meaning “the way.” We see 道 in many Japanese traditions: jūdō (柔道), kendō (剣道), sadō (茶道), shodō (書道),...
2026-09-11
The Emperor’s 150-Year Visit to Tokyo Tokyo is universally regarded as the capital of Japan—but was the capital ever officially moved from Kyoto? In 1868, Emperor Meiji traveled from Kyoto to Tok...
2026-09-11
Never Let Your Guard Down — 油断大敵 The Japanese expression “油断大敵” (yudan taiteki) means that carelessness is a powerful enemy. Problems often happen not when we are struggling, but when everything ...
2026-09-11
The World’s Slowest Olympic Marathon Took More Than 54 Years At the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, Japanese runner 金栗四三 (Shizō Kanakuri) entered the men’s marathon as one of Japan’s first Olympic athletes....