Umbrella Stories
Do you like rainy days?I guess most people don’t really like rain. Particularly in Japan, since it rains a lot throughout the year. It’s common to commute to work or …
Life
life in Japan
“Don’ts” You Should Know in Japan
It doesn’t need to be said, but each country has a unique culture that you should respect. When you travel abroad, you have to be aware of the cultural differences. …
Wonderful FudePen 筆ペン (Brush Pens)
When I was thinking about another cultural item to introduce to the world, one thing came to my mind! It is fudepen 筆ペン, a Japanese brush pen! Of course, Japanese …
Auspicious Plants ー Pine, Bamboo, and Japanese Plum
Are you familiar with these three Japanese plants 松 (matsu), 竹 (take), and 梅 (ume)? These are pine, bamboo, and Japanese plum respectively. Japanese people often refer to them altogether …
How To Enjoy Nebuta Festival, Summer Festival in Aomori
Have you ever participated in a summer festival in Japan? I will introduce one of Japan’s most passionate summer festivals, which you can even participate in, Aomori Nebuta Festival. What …
Why do Japanese people…?”Putting your palms together: 手を合わせる＝合掌”What does it mean in Japan?
In situations where we Japanese say “Itadakimasu: いただきます,” “arigatou: ありがとう,” and “gomennasai: ごめんなさい,” we put our hands together. That is a custom not only in Japan, but also over Asia. …
How to Enjoy New Year’s Holiday (お正月) in Japan
Starting the day after Christmas, there is going to be Kadomatsu (門松) and Shimenawa ( しめ縄) here and there. You can see many stuff for New Year’s at convinis and …
Ryu 龍 (Dragons)
Hello. Do you know what the zodiac animal will be in 2024? 2024 is the year of Ryu 龍 (dragons). In Japan, the twelve Chinese zodiac signs are called Junishi, …
Japanese seasonal beautiful words ~Autumn~
Do you know what the shortest form of poetry in the world is? It is the haiku, a three-line poem of only 17 syllables (5-7-5) that describes a natural scene …
Japanese Traditions in November
Welcome to my new blog post about Japanese lifestyle and traditions in November. Speaking of November, shichi-go-san”七五三” is a famous event in Japan. It is the ceremony for 7-year-old girls, …