Q.

At the end of the year, Japanese workers gather for year-end celebrations that they call “Bounenkai”. What is the meaning of Bounenkai?

a) Year-end drinking party

b) Year-forgetting party

c) Year reflection party

A.

The answer is b) Year-forgetting party! “Bou” translates as to forget and “nen” means year. Coworkers and friends gather to reflect on the year and forget about the bad memories they had throughout the year by drinking. We also have...

Q.

What should you do if you’re the first person to get into an elevator?

a) Stand in the back of the elevator to avoid blocking the doors and allow more people to flow in

b) Hit the “close” button rapidly to prevent more people from entering the elevator.

c) Bow to all new passengers entering the elevator to welcome them.

d) Become the elevator operator who opens and closes the doors and selects floors.

A.

The answer is d) Become the elevator operator who opens and...

Q.

Halloween in Tokyo can be crazy with thousands of costume-clad partygoers gathering in the streets of Shibuya. In 2018, which of the following news headlines was TRUE?

a) Overcrowding in Shibuya blocks access for ambulances to reach unconscious drunk partygoers

b) Four men arrested for allegedly overturning truck in Shibuya during Halloween event

c) Man arrested for setting fire to restaurant in Shibuya’s crowded district

d) All of the above

A.

The answer is b) Four men arrested...

Q.

What is the difference between a point card and a stamp card?

A.

A point is a card where you can rack up points for purchases at convenience stores and partner venues. You can redeem your points to get discounts on goods. In most cases, 1 yen is equal to 1 point.

A stamp card is a card unique to that particular shop. Each time you make a purchase, they stamp your card. Once you have reached a certain amount of stamps, you can receive a benefit such as a free product/service or a discount.

Q.

When you hand your credit card to a cashier at a store to purchase goods, most of the time you’ll see them raise one pointer finger and ask you a question. What are they asking? What does it mean?

A.

The cashier is asking you if you’d like to charge your card one time for the full amount of the payment.

To understand what’s happening, first you need to know about credit cards in Japan. Credit card payments are auto-deducted from your bank account in full the following...