Understanding more about Japan (from Hiragana Times articles)

This month selection

Yokai Culture: International Couple Publishes a Unique Book about Japanese Yokai Jul. 28
Did you know that the sushi roll called kappa maki takes its name from the kappa, one of the many legendary Japanese folk creatures known as yokai? Yokai-related phrases such as “Tengu ni naru,” an idiom that means “someone who is overly self-confident,” ...(From September Issue 2008)

Company Director Enjoys her Dream Job Jul. 28
“I’m enjoying my life doing a job I want to do,” announcer and director of SUCCEED Inc, ONO Keiko, says with a smile. You may not know ONO, but you have possibly heard her voice at places like vending machines and your bank’s automated telephone message system. ...(From August Issue 2008)

Kanji will Disappear from the Japanese Language Jul. 28
Prime Minister ASO’s frequent misreading of kanji at the Diet has made people laugh, but it seems the Japanese’s ability to read and write kanji is deteriorating recently. In the midst of this, the book “The Japanese Language in the Global Age” by YOKOGAKI Yuzo, a professor of the Japanese language who advocates the disuse of kanji, will be published soon. ...(From April Issue 2009)