- Did you know that straw is made from a rice plant?
- Nothing is wasted and very eco-friendly Rice is harvested during the fall in Japan. You can see people drying rice plants after harvesting the rice f
- 【WINTER】Japanese Customs for January: Happy New Year!
- 1st January to 7th January: the first visit to a shrine Hatsumode, or the first visit to a shrine, is a custom for New Year in Japan. Before, peop
- Trying Ikebana for the first time
- Here we go! This time, I visited the Ichiyo School of Ikebana. They often participate abroad in exhibitions and demonstrations for Ikebana. Ichiyo
- 【WINTER】Keep your body warm during the winter solstice
- Winter solstice is a day when sun the is reborn. The 22nd of December is the winter solstice. It is the shortest day of the year in Japan, and aft
- 【WINTER】Japanese Customs for December
- We refer to December as “Shiwasu”. In Japan, we usually ‘tie up loose ends’ in the old year to have a more refreshing New Year. We visit people who
- If you want to know more about festivals in Japan, The Machikado Exhbition Hall in Kabuto-cho/Kayabacho is for you!
- You can take a closer look at traditional mikoshi, dashi and costumes! Tokyo is a very interesting city where modern and traditional culture mix to
- 【AUTUMN】Shichi-Go-San, the celebration for children
- It’s a day to celebrate children’s growth. If you visit Japanese Shinto shrines in November, you'll be luck as you will probably see children dress
- 【AUTUMN】Customs for November
- Discover the traditions you can't miss if you're in Japan in November!
- Make your own Japanese pottery at “The Takara Pottery Studio Experience”
- It’s easy enough, even for a beginner! Let’s drop by a pottery class while sightseeing in Kamakura. Takara Pottery Studio is about a 10-minute walk f
- (Oct 10-11th)A must-see event for Busho buffs! The Battle of Sekigahara festival will be held at Sekigahara, Gifu.
- The most popular event in Sekigahara town, Gifu Prefecture is the Battle of Sekigahara festival! This event makes you feel as if you were back in time
- 【AUTUMN】Autumn is the season for Athletics! “Athletics day” is held in local areas and at schools.
- The season for “Athletics day” has arrived! We have a saying in Japan, “Autumn is the season for Athletics.” It suggests that autumn’s climate is s
- “Substitute monkey”, the amulet that’s hung in front of houses in Nara.
- The monkey came to Japan via a silk road!? When you walk around the town of Nara, you’ll notice that there are several stuffed toy monkeys hanging
- Have you ever heard of Kannazuki? It’s the month when all Japanese gods go to one place in Japan!
- What’s Kannazuki? Most Japanese people have heard about “Kannazuki”, but they seldom know what it actually means and what it’s derived from. Kannaz
- 【AUTUMN】Customs for October
- Learn about the Japanese holidays and traditions for the month of October. Did you know you're supposed to change your wardrobe on October first?
- 【AUTUMN】Ohigan, the little know tradition of visiting the graves
- Read about this typical celebration for the dead, a unique mix of Buddhism and Japanese Shintosim.