Tomoko Parry
@tomokoparry.bsky.social
One thing I never gave in to while living here in the US for many years is to wear shoes inside the house.
22. Dare to be Barefoot【Column: Leap Before You Look】 - Japan Intercultural Consulting
One thing I never 屈服する (gave in to) while living here in the US for many years is to wear shoes inside the house. 正直言って (Frankly), I don’t understand why...
japanintercultural.com
December 20, 2025 at 5:48 PM
One thing I never gave in to while living here in the US for many years is to wear shoes inside the house.
The 26th of every month is designated as a “風呂の日 (furo day, or bath day)” in Japan.
21. Shower, Bath & Beyond【Column: Leap Before You Look】 - Japan Intercultural Consulting
The 26th of every month is designated as a “風呂の日 (furo day, or bath day)” in Japan. This comes from the fact that 2 can be pronounced as “fu” and...
japanintercultural.com
December 2, 2025 at 10:42 PM
The 26th of every month is designated as a “風呂の日 (furo day, or bath day)” in Japan.
When I was a young girl, my mom was hooked on Kombucha for a short period of time.
20. Cultured Culture【Column: Leap Before You Look】 - Japan Intercultural Consulting
When I was a young girl, my mom was ハマる (hooked on) コンブチャ (Kombucha) for a short period of time. In a large glass jar, she kept this tea with...
https://japanintercultural.com/free-resources/20-cultured-culture【column-leap-before-you-look】/
November 15, 2025 at 12:03 PM
When I was a young girl, my mom was hooked on Kombucha for a short period of time.
In the visible light spectrum, green is followed by blue. But from what point you call it blue instead of green seems to be different in different cultures.
19. Out of the Blue【Column: Leap Before You Look】 - Japan Intercultural Consulting
I just touched upon the color white in my previous article. Today, I’d like to talk about the color blue. In the 可視光スペクトル (visible light spectrum), green is followed by...
japanintercultural.com
November 2, 2025 at 11:15 PM
In the visible light spectrum, green is followed by blue. But from what point you call it blue instead of green seems to be different in different cultures.
Have you ever ぎこちなく感じる (felt awkward) because someone is praising something about your culture? Or am I being too Japanese to feel that way when I hear someone 夢中になる (going gaga) about something?
17. What’s Broken can be Mended 【Column: Leap Before You Look】 - Japan Intercultural Consulting
Have you ever ぎこちなく感じる (felt awkward) because someone is praising something about your culture? Or am I being too Japanese to feel that way when I hear someone 夢中になる (going...
japanintercultural.com
October 4, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Have you ever ぎこちなく感じる (felt awkward) because someone is praising something about your culture? Or am I being too Japanese to feel that way when I hear someone 夢中になる (going gaga) about something?
How people react to someone speaking English with an accent is an interesting social study.
16. Accentuate your Accent【Column: Leap Before You Look】 - Japan Intercultural Consulting
How people react to someone speaking English with an accent is an interesting social study. I have a Japanese accent. When I first moved to the US, I thought I...
https://japanintercultural.com/free-resources/articles/16-accentuate-your-accent【column-leap-before-you-look】/
September 20, 2025 at 8:02 PM
How people react to someone speaking English with an accent is an interesting social study.
A thin line between thanks and sorry.
15. Sorry About That【Column: Leap Before You Look】 - Japan Intercultural Consulting
Although we have borrowed many words from Portuguese, including カルタ (carta), テンプラ (tempera), and タバコ (tabaco), the etymology of ありがとう (arigato or thank you) is NOT the Portuguese “obrigado,” as...
japanintercultural.com
September 6, 2025 at 5:13 PM
A thin line between thanks and sorry.
Awkwardness hits its peak when two Japanese people living in the US meet...
14. To Hug or Not to Hug 【Column: Leap Before You Look】 - Japan Intercultural Consulting
Despite the fact that 通勤電車 (commuter trains) are often すし詰め (packed like sardines), we Japanese actually value greater 物理的な距離 (personal space between people) compared to many other cultures. As much.....
japanintercultural.com
August 24, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Awkwardness hits its peak when two Japanese people living in the US meet...
We call ourselves “not religious” even though we do observe rituals of both Shintoism and Buddhism.
13. Buddhaspeed to You 【Column: Leap Before You Look】 - Japan Intercultural Consulting
If you ask people in Japan what their religion is, they’ll probably say they don’t have one. But those people may have a small 神棚 (altar) in their kitchen, visit...
https://japanintercultural.com/free-resources/articles/13-buddhaspeed-to-you%E3%80%80【column-leap-before-you-look】/
August 10, 2025 at 4:25 AM
We call ourselves “not religious” even though we do observe rituals of both Shintoism and Buddhism.
When I speak in Japanese, my personality is much less assertive and more apologetic.
12. Double Personality Wellbeing 【Column: Leap Before You Look】 - Japan Intercultural Consulting
“何かお手伝いできることはございますか (Is there anything I can assist you with)?” As soon as I stood at the end of a queue at the monorail station at the Haneda Airport, clearly non-Japanese...
japanintercultural.com
July 31, 2025 at 2:03 PM
When I speak in Japanese, my personality is much less assertive and more apologetic.
“What do you miss the most about Japan?” Here's my answer:
11. Bon Appétit 【Column: Leap Before You Look】 - Japan Intercultural Consulting
“What do you miss the most about Japan?” My answer to this よくある質問 (frequently asked question) should be “my family” (my mom, sister and her family are all living in...
japanintercultural.com
July 14, 2025 at 11:16 PM
“What do you miss the most about Japan?” Here's my answer:
Have you noticed when posing for photos, Japanese people often strike the “peace” sign, also known as a V-sign? Read the rest here:
10. What a Difference a Vowel Makes 【Column: Leap Before You Look】 - Japan Intercultural Consulting
Have you noticed when posing for photos, Japanese people often strike the “peace” sign, also known as a V-sign? There are various theories to why they do this: “it conforms...
japanintercultural.com
June 29, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Have you noticed when posing for photos, Japanese people often strike the “peace” sign, also known as a V-sign? Read the rest here:
外国語を学ぶことは終わりのない探求です。ようやく言語を十分に習得できたと思っても、多彩な慣用句（idiom）で煙に巻かれることが多々あります... 続きはこちらから
9. Bamboozled by Gobblydygook 【Column: Leap Before You Look】 - Japan Intercultural Consulting
Learning another language is a 終わりのない探求 (never-ending quest). Colorful idioms can often 煙に巻く (bamboozle) you when you thought you finally learned the language well enough. I just recently stumbled i...
japanintercultural.com
June 14, 2025 at 1:17 PM
外国語を学ぶことは終わりのない探求です。ようやく言語を十分に習得できたと思っても、多彩な慣用句（idiom）で煙に巻かれることが多々あります... 続きはこちらから
I admit. I am guilty of surrounding myself with Hello Kitty...
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Read the rest here:
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8. You Had Me at Hello【Column: Leap Before You Look】 - Japan Intercultural Consulting
I admit. I am guilty of surrounding myself with ハローキティ (Hello Kitty). I drink tea out of my Hello Kitty mug. My cello case has a Hello Kitty sticker (I...
japanintercultural.com
May 29, 2025 at 4:24 PM
I admit. I am guilty of surrounding myself with Hello Kitty...
Read the rest here:
japanintercultural.com/free-resourc...
Read the rest here:
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The other day, my colleague was saying “first you sell yourself, then your company, and your product last.” This is probably how it works in the US...
7. Going with the Flow【Column: Leap Before You Look】 - Japan Intercultural Consulting
The other day, my colleague was saying “first you sell yourself, then your company, and your product last.” This is probably how it works in the US. But if you’re...
japanintercultural.com
May 14, 2025 at 7:09 PM
The other day, my colleague was saying “first you sell yourself, then your company, and your product last.” This is probably how it works in the US...
"What kind of work do you do?” – people often asked me, and I would reply “I can tell you but then I have to kill you”...
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Read the rest here:
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6. Dreamer 【Column: Leap Before You Look】 - Japan Intercultural Consulting
“どんなお仕事をされていますか (What kind of work do you do)?” – people often asked me, and I would reply “I can tell you but then I have to kill you,” and then...
japanintercultural.com
May 8, 2025 at 3:01 AM
"What kind of work do you do?” – people often asked me, and I would reply “I can tell you but then I have to kill you”...
Read the rest here:
japanintercultural.com/free-resourc...
Read the rest here:
japanintercultural.com/free-resourc...
Reposted by Tomoko Parry
Looking for some good reading & language study on a rainy afternoon? Check out "Leap Before You Look," a new column written by Tomoko of our team, chronicling her life as a Japanese woman living in the U.S. In both English and Japanese, with voice track. japanintercultural.com/about-us/new...
【 Column: Leap Before You Look 】 - Japan Intercultural Consulting
I decided to write my column, Leap Before You Look, as an audacious attempt to put my experience as a Japanese woman living and working in the US in words...
japanintercultural.com
May 2, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Looking for some good reading & language study on a rainy afternoon? Check out "Leap Before You Look," a new column written by Tomoko of our team, chronicling her life as a Japanese woman living in the U.S. In both English and Japanese, with voice track. japanintercultural.com/about-us/new...