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記 録The journal.
Two kinds of thing live here. The first is what our panel actually said — the findings from each research round, published once they stop being commercially sensitive. The second is writing about Japanese products and culture from the one angle nobody else takes: not how Japan explains itself, but how it lands on a Western kitchen table.
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Japanese green tea, explained for people who have only had the teabag version
Sencha, gyokuro, hojicha, genmaicha, matcha and bancha — what actually separates them, what each costs, and which one to start with.
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Japanese candy, sorted: what is worth your money and what is just packaging
The six real categories, why Japanese gummies outclass Western ones, which Kit Kat flavours are genuinely good, and what to skip entirely.
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Japanese whisky, explained — including the part the label does not tell you
The distilleries worth knowing, what mizunara oak actually does, why prices rose so sharply, and how to spot a bottle that is Japanese in name only.
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Japanese skincare, explained without the ten-step marketing
Double cleansing, hydration layering and sunscreen. The routine is five steps, not ten — and two of them are cleansing.
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Japanese fashion brands, sorted by what they are actually for
The avant-garde houses, the denim specialists, the workwear labels and the high street. Plus the sizing problem that causes most returns.
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Japanese konbini snacks: what is actually in the box, and why British palates split over it
The seven aisles of the convenience-store shelf, three textures with no Western reference point, and the four things that divide a British tasting group.
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Japanese kitchen tools: the six worth owning, and the ones that are decoration
Knives, whetstones, the suribachi, the benriner, the donabe and the rice cooker. What each costs and how to look after it.
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What to buy in Japan — and, more usefully, what to skip
The categories where Japanese quality genuinely beats what you can get at home, what is cheaper than you expect, and what to leave on the shelf.
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Japan souvenirs that survive the first month at home
What to bring back for other people, what to keep for yourself, the omiyage etiquette behind the whole category, and what customs will stop.
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Things to know before going to Japan — the ones that actually change your trip
Cash and payment, IC cards, luggage forwarding, the etiquette that genuinely matters, and the mistakes first-time visitors reliably make.
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Japanese vending machines: why there are millions of them, and what is actually inside
Roughly one machine per thirty people. The explanation is about labour costs, land, crime rates and coins — not novelty.
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Japanese slang that is genuinely used — and the ones that will get you a look
Everyday casual expressions, internet slang, what each one signals about you, and the register mistakes learners keep making.
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Japanese minimalism is not about owning less
Ma, wabi-sabi and danshari — what each actually means, how it differs from the Scandinavian version, and where it shows up in Japanese products.
In the queue: why Japanese sunscreen outperforms its Western price bracket, what our panel made of Japanese kitchen knives at three price points, the Japanese fashion brands quietly building British followings, and a piece on the Japanese words for things English has no word for. If you want them as they publish, there is a journal opt-in on the application form.
Want to be in the next one?
Panel members try the products before the article gets written. Some studies pay; some just send you the box.