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Contributor

Matthew Coslett

After his 6 month stay got extended to 6 years, Matthew decided just to stay. As well as writing about his beloved Kansai, he spends hours in the middle of nowhere looking for wildlife and searching for the parts of the city most people ignore.

Articles

Explore

GaijinPot on Location: A Quest for Kurosawa

Discover the real-life locations seen in some of the acclaimed director Akira Kurosawa's most iconic movies.

By 4 min read

Explore

GaijinPot on Location: ‘The Karate Kid’ and ‘Cobra Kai’ in Okinawa

Okinawa is a big part of the Karate Kid franchise, but where are the real-life locations that inspired it?

By 4 min read

Culture

A Survival Guide to Japan’s Winter Monsters

Guaranteed to chill your blood more than the cold weather, let’s look at Japan’s wicked side of winter.

By 5 min read

Culture

The Convenience of Casting Curses and Charms in Japan

From its ancient origins to its modern face, Japan has a world of hexes, malevolent magic and spells waiting to be discovered.

By 5 min read

Learn

How Difficult is the JLPT N1 for Japanese People?

We tested native speakers to see if they would struggle with the infamous highest level of the Japanese proficiency test.

By 7 min read 1

Live

Japanese Vocabulary for Buying a Home in Japan

How to properly purchase property.

By 4 min read

Learn

Kanji Cheat Sheet: Filling in the Work History Section of Your Japanese Resume

Make applying for a job in Japanese less intimidating with this guide.

By 1 min read

Culture

Kanji Cheat Sheet: Getting a Commuter Pass in Japan

Get a shiny new commuter pass all by yourself with this kanji guide.

By 2 min read

Learn

Kanji Cheat Sheet: Buying Cleaning Products in Japan

Get things spick and span as quick as you can.

By 2 min read

Learn

Kanji Cheat Sheet: Filing Taxes in Japan

Make filing taxes a little less of a headache.

By 1 min read

Learn

Japanese Vocabulary for Talking about the Coronavirus

From how to understand the news in Japanese to words for seeing a doctor.

By 3 min read 1

Learn

Kanji Cheat Sheet: Using the ATM in Japan

Bank better have my money.

By 2 min read