“Osechi,” Traditional Japanese New Year’s Dishes
In Japan, we celebrate various events throughout the year. For each event, there is a custom to eat a particular food or dish. It is often a traditional dish that …
Traditional Culture
Japanese traditional culture
How to Predict the Gender of the Coming Baby: Old Wives’ Tales in Japan.
For most moms/dads-to-be, guessing the gender of the coming baby is very exciting. Of course, you will know it by a particular medical check up like a blood test or …
Let’s look into the inside stories of national holidays observed in Japan: Part 4
Here comes the seemingly endless sequel again! Are you excited to read part 4 or are you fed up with it? Ready to find trivia about national holidays observed in …
When You Wish upon the Stars ~七夕 ”Tanabata”~
There is a traditional star festival that takes place on July 7th in Japan. On that day, people put up a lot of decorations made from origami paper and colorful …
“Daruma” – A Familiar Item To Japanese People
Do you know what this is? It is called “daruma.” Daruma looks scary, but this red doll is very familiar to Japanese people, from little children to adults. Why is …
The unknown sites of Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto
It’s no secret that Fushimi Inari Shrine attracts a great number of tourists from around the world. Everyone knows the iconic vermilion torii gates called Senbon Torii (千本鳥居,thousands of torii …
Let’s look into the inside stories of national holidays observed in Japan: Part 3
I feel like some of the readers here aren’t particularly excited to see this series of the holidays observed in Japan every single month, but it is my responsibility to …
Let’s Enjoy the Cool Air ~Stay Cool in Japan’s Humid Summer~
Japanese people have lived with the heat in summer since the old days. Our ancestors have always thought about how to live close to nature, and in the summer, that …
The Japanese Guide to Gift-Giving
Just like in western countries, Japan also has a gift-giving culture. However, there are some complex customs and points of caution which I would like to introduce to you. Other …
Let’s look into the inside stories of national holidays observed in Japan: Part 2
This is the sequel to a previous article that introduced national holidays observed in Japan from January to April. Let’s continue our endeavor of finding the significant meanings behind Japanese …