In the 1980s, computer games were invented. The term “e-sports” has been in use since 2000. The e-sports market has grown since then, reaching 7,842 million yen in 2021, and it is expected to reach 17,968 million yen in 2025.

E-sports development is not just about selling games; it also involves a variety of markets and industries, such as tournaments, clothing, gaming PCs and other related goods, professional player training, and community businesses. It has the potential to result in significant economic benefits. The e-gaming industry has been active both in Japan and abroad. Large-scale tournaments and league games have been held in Japan, and the government has taken the lead in developing an e-gaming environment.

One of the appeals of e-sports is that anyone of any gender or age can participate. Furthermore, unlike traditional sports, e-sports do not require you to travel to a venue or court to compete. E-sports, as a game competition, can be played anywhere there is a monitor, a game console, and a controller. This is one of the reasons why so many people enjoy e-sports.

Japanese is sometimes said to be a difficult language to learn. This is because it uses three different types of characters: kanji, hiragana, and katakana. Kanji are Chinese ideographs that were introduced around the 5th century. Hiragana was developed from kanji during the Heian period in the 9th century. Hiragana was originally a female-only character.

The Japanese language’s unique sensibility is also a feature of Japanese culture. For example, “wabi-sabi” is frequently introduced as a beautiful Japanese term. It means the beauty of simplicity, but it is a very abstract concept that is difficult to explain in concrete terms.

With its four seasons, Japan has many other words for seasons and weather. Rain, in particular, has over 400 different terms. This reflects a common feeling in Japan, where it rains a lot.

In this way, we can learn a lot about a country’s culture from its language.

Do you have trouble falling asleep or waking up in the middle of the night?
According to a survey conducted by the OECD in 2019, the average sleeping time of Japanese is 7 hours and 22 minutes, which is more than one hour shorter than other developed countries.

For a good night’s sleep, “rhythm” is important. At night, the brain produces more melatonin, a sleep-related hormone, to help people fall asleep. Sunlight in the morning resets the body’s internal clock. However, if people stay up late, oversleep, and are not exposed to light at the correct time, their body rhythms can become disrupted. The rhythm can also be disrupted if there is a large difference between going to bed and waking up on weekdays and weekends. The following are three things you can do to regulate your body’s rhythm and get a good night’s sleep.
(1) Drink hot water in the morning to raise your body temperature and wake up.
(2) Take a 15-minute nap when you feel sleepy.
(3) Before going to bed, raise your body temperature.
All of these are easy to adopt, so let’s all try them.

When the proportion of people 65 and older exceeds 7% of the total population, a society is considered to be “aging.” Japan entered the “aging society” in 1970, when the population exceeded 7%. The aging rate has been continuously increasing since then, reaching 14% in 2007.The ratio of elderly people is expected to continue to increase. By 2060, it is expected to reach about 40%. The aging of the population is caused by two factors. The rising average life expectancy is the first, and the falling birthrate is the second.

What issues will we face if the aging of society continues? For example, disease structure is changing, and the number of people requiring nursing care is rapidly increasing. It is worried that the current healthcare system won’t be able to handle these changes. As the labor force shrinks, it is also expected that Japan’s economic activity will slow down.

The community should work together to support the elderly in order to deal with these issues in an aging society. At the same time, it is important to take drastic measures to handle the declining birthrate.