Entertaining, Thought-Provoking, Never Mean
gaijin.co.jp is an evergreen cultural journal. We study the “outside” in Japan as a boundary system: how it is drawn, maintained, negotiated, and sometimes redesigned.
Core rules
1) Systems over people. We critique structures gently: institutions, incentives, boundary mechanisms. We do not mock individuals.
2) No grievance tone. If a paragraph sounds like a complaint, it’s rewritten until it sounds like analysis.
3) No culture war. We avoid hot-take framing. The goal is clarity, not victory.
4) Humor is allowed—cruelty is not. Satire must punch at abstractions and mechanisms, not at vulnerable people.
5) Readers should feel smarter, not scolded. We treat the reader like an intelligent adult who may be unfamiliar with the system.
What “sexy” means here
We aim for premium calm: precise writing, clean structure, and tasteful design. Not loud. Not flashy. Elegant.
If a reader feels mocked, the writing failed. If a reader feels bitterness, the writing failed. If a reader feels surprised—and a little more compassionate—the writing succeeded.