Kawai Masahiro, an infielder for the Yomiuri Giants and later the Chunichi Dragons, became known as bunto no kamisama, the god of the bunt. He has said that in 1989 he gave up his own hitting to concentrate on defense and bunting: “From that year, I threw away batting.”
On August 20, 2003, against Yokohama, he made his 512th sacrifice bunt and passed the world record of Eddie Collins of the Athletics and other teams. By 2006, his total had reached 533.
Okagesama de (お陰様で): thanks to you. A Japanese explainer notes that it carries the meaning: “I could not have done it alone, but I was able to do it thanks to you.”
Ichigan (一丸): one lump. The Daijisen dictionary defines it as a single mass with one heart. Its example: zen’in ichigan to natte nankyoku o kirinukeru, everyone becomes one to get through a crisis.
On the evening of October 6, 2015, Kajita Takaaki of the University of Tokyo spoke to the press after being named for the Nobel Prize in Physics. He said: Watashi no namae wa dashite itadaita ga, Sūpā Kamiokande, soshite Kamiokande no kenkyū gurūpu ga mitomerareta no da to omou. “My name was put forward, but I think it is the research groups of Super-Kamiokande and Kamiokande that were recognized.”
Japanese management advice repeats one rule for scolding: not in front of others. An article in President Online says that scolding is basically one-on-one. A career guide by Mynavi Agent says that being scolded in front of others hurts a person’s pride, even when there is a reason for it, and suggests a private room where voices do not carry.
Deru kui wa utareru (出る杭は打たれる): the stake that sticks out gets hammered. An article on the dictionary site JapanKnowledge explains it: a person with talent who stands out, or a person who acts presumptuously, tends to be resented or criticized by others.
The proverb appears in the Hōjō godaiki of 1641, in older spelling. A later form, deru kugi wa utareru, uses kugi, nail, in place of kui, stake.
The official record that Japanese elementary and junior high schools keep for each pupil includes a section called kōdō no kiroku, the record of conduct. The reference form lists ten items.
Among them are omoiyari, kyōryoku (consideration and cooperation), kōsei, kōhei (fairness and impartiality) and kōkyōshin, kōtokushin (public spirit and public morality).
In the group discussions of Japanese job hunting, students sometimes meet a kurasshā, a crusher, who wrecks the discussion. A job guide for students notes that interviewers watch for cooperation and the ability to respond flexibly.
A career column on the site All About is blunter: “There are often students who try to push their own opinion through. Count on that student failing.” It adds that what the group discussion assesses is teamwork.
The Seventeen-Article Constitution, which the Nihon Shoki dates to 604 and credits to Prince Shōtoku, ends with this rule: Sore koto wa hitori sadamu bekarazu. Kanarazu shū to agetsurau beshi. Matters should not be decided by one person alone. They must always be discussed with others.
Its first article opens with a related idea. Harmony is to be valued, and avoiding opposition is to be the principle. Other early sources date the text to 602 or 605.
On August 10, 2025, Kōryō High School of Hiroshima withdrew from the national summer high school baseball tournament at Kōshien. The team had won its first game, 3 to 1. It gave up its second-round game.
In January of that year, several members of the school’s baseball club had committed violent acts against younger members. In March, the Japan High School Baseball Federation had given the school a formal warning.
On December 2, 2019, the grand prize of Japan’s annual New Words and Buzzwords Awards went to ONE TEAM. It was the slogan of the national rugby team at the Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan, coached by Jamie Joseph.
Under captain Michael Leitch, the squad of 31 players included 15 players from seven other countries. The team won all four of its pool matches and reached the knockout stage for the first time.