A Virtual Visit to a Japanese Shrine
Have you ever visited a Shinto shrine in Japan? If not, this article will make you feel as if you just did! A torii of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu in Kamakura I distinctly remember one of the first shrines I visited in Japan. South of Tokyo, in an area known as Kamakura,...
Japan’s Foreign Direct Investment into Africa’s Digital Economy is Rising
Photo by Micheile Henderson. In recent years, Japanese Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has been rising in African countries. A new development has been that Japanese FDI has been flowing to information and communications technology (ICT) & Digital Technologies....
The video game industry has many opportunities Africa should seize
The value of the international video game industry is projected to reach $366bn this year, with mobile games comprising a significant chunk of that. About one in three people worldwide play games in some shape or form. While much of the industry is focused on the US,...
MSc in Japanese Studies student Emma Ruiters publishes another article on Japan-Africa
Former MSc in Japanese Studies student Emma Ruiters publishes another article on Japan-Africa. My strange and sometimes wholly disparate loves. Trying to bridge South Africa and Japan, and increasingly looking at other African countries, has been my strange...
Japan offers nearly $60bn chance to Africa’s start-ups amid fierce competition
There has been renewed global interest in the continent, with large, young populations as potential consumer markets A Japanese flag flutters atop the Bank of Japan building in Tokyo, Japan, September 21, 2016. REUTERS/Toru Hanai While China is experiencing a...
Why Kanji is the Backbone of Japanese & How to Learn It
When I first started learning Japanese, I read a few ‘hot take’ articles by casual learners who had advised that one should not or need not learn kanji to become fluent in Japanese. At the time, I scoffed; and, to be honest, now that I have been learning Japanese for...
Why is learning Japanese so hard for English speakers? And how can I make it easier?
Special mention and thank you to Mandla, Ciara, Freddie, Tich, Jacky and Carla for allowing me to interview them. Your thoughts and ideas were a great contribution. To understand why the Japanese language is so difficult for English speakers, it's helpful to look at...
SA needs to use its noodle to boost Japanese ties
African countries and Japan have a natural synergy, and South Africa is no exception. The African continent boasts the youngest population in the world with an average age of 17. The world’s fastest growing economies and fastest urbanising cities are all...