The Yodo River
The Yodo River (淀川) originates in Lake Biwa (琵琶湖), the largest lake in Japan, and is called the Seta River (瀬田川) in its upper reaches and the Uji River (宇治川) …
Japanese Experiences in Temples
Welcome to my new blog post about Japanese experiences. Many HTJ writers have posted pictures of various shrines and temples and explanations of them in wonderful articles. I had the …
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, …
Unraveling the Unique Osaka-ben (Part 1)
Japan has many different dialects. One reason for this is that words originated in the capital or cultural centers and spread to the regions through transmission. This happened because the …
Weekend Trip to Kanazawa in Autumn
I’m ashamed to say that I haven’t known much about Kanazawa until recently. Thanks to new transportation, you can get there from Tokyo within three hours by Shinkansen now. So …
The Beauty of Miso’s Mix of Old and New ; Hatcho Miso (八丁味噌)
What’s miso? Miso is the traditional Japanese fermented condiment made of soybeans, water, and koji mold. The way of making it is not rocket science, so you can make it …
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 …
Sumimasen Culture in Japan
Have you often heard or been called “sumimasen すみません” in public places or stores? When you’ve heard the word “sumimasen” as an apology, did you wonder, “Why do Japanese people …
♪Japanese Phrase Having a Good Ring♪ 〜Ton〜
♪Ton, Ton, Ton♪ Welcome to the third edition of “Japanese language fun time!” Today’s sound is ”Ton(とん/トン)!“ First of all, it has nothing to do with a big amount of …
The Essence of Kyoto: Yasaka Shrine (八坂神社) and Its Surroundings
This is the West Gate of Yasaka Shrine. This beautiful gate stands at the east end of Shijo Street, which runs through the center of Kyoto. Actually, this West Gate …