New Year Shrine Visits in Japan: A Tour of First Prayers for Good Luck
New Year is just around the corner! Ready to welcome it in an ultra-cool way? Join me on a journey to experience Japan’s Hatsumode (初詣), or the first shrine visit…
[Traditional Japanese Costume]What’s the Difference between Japanese Kimono and Yukata?
What do people typically associate with Japan? For some, it’s the world of anime and manga. Others envision the vibrant streets of Shinjuku and Shibuya. And then there are those…
Japanese Summer Tradition: Cooling Off with Ghost Stories and Courage Test
As scorching summer engulfs Japan, how are you keeping cool? Are you comfortably lounging in an air-conditioned room or finding solace with just a fan? Long before electric fans and…
Koinobori in Japan’s May : Children’s Day? Boys’ Day? Girl’s Day?
If you’ve been to Japan during Golden Week in late April/early May, you’ll have seen Koinobori(carp flags) hanging in the streets. Most of them are in groups of three or…
A Shrine For Breakups? Cutting Ties at an Engiri Jinja in Japan
There are times in life when past relationships weigh us down. For whatever reason, we just can’t seem to move forward and grow away from the people we need to.…
Do you know the story of the origin of Showa Day?
April 29 is “Showa no Ni(Showa Day)”, a national holiday of Japan. If you know anything about the Japanese era name, you must know that “Showa” was the era name…
Japanese Culture: What Should I Pay Attention to in Hatsumode?
Happy New Year! New Year’s Day is celebrated on January 1 in Japan, and usually between the end of December and the beginning of January, the entire country takes a…
Veganism is a Japanese Tradition Too! Shoujin Ryouri
A promise to make no use of animal products as a rejection of causing harm to other living things. Well, that’s how many people would describe veganism, right? When people…
The Secret Behind The Cherry Blossom: Blooms and Berries
In the fall every year, the sakura tree forms its little green buds, which recede into brown in the winter before emerging again in their full pink glory in the…
2019: The Year of the Pig in Japan
It’s 2019! Happy New Year! First, we’d like to say thank you to all our followers who have read our articles throughout 2018, and second, we’d like to say welcome…