Japanese Culture

Christmas is an event that has been celebrated in countries worldwide in a variety of different ways. This has even expanded in recent times to countries that are not connected to the origins of the holiday, such as Japan. Although Christmas is seen as a Christian religious holiday in other countries, Christmas in Japan is a different kind of celebration entirely! Even … [Read more...] about KFC and Christmas Cake?! How to Spend a Japanese Christmas

When thinking of the best way to give a gift to those you care about, there are many styles to choose from! In Japan, the art of gift wrapping has developed an especially deep culture. Using traditional furoshiki wrapping cloth is recommended as a way to reuse the same material many times. There are various ways to wrap things depending on their shape and size, or their … [Read more...] about Could Furoshiki Be Your New Gift Wrapping Hack?

What springs to mind when you think of Japanese ukiyo-e paintings? The famous image of huge, powerful waves crashing against Mt. Fuji? Kabuki actors captured in expressive poses? Perhaps you think more of the images of traditional Japanese spirits, skeletons, or other more shocking or explicit ukiyo-e subjects (and there are lots of these too!)? The art of ukiyo-e seems to … [Read more...] about All About Japanese Ukiyo-e Art!

The city of Kyoto was the power center of Japan until around 150 years ago. It has a long history as Japan's capital city, lasting from when the capital was relocated there in the year 794 for approximately 1200 years. The original name for Kyoto when it was established was Heiankyo. The grid-pattern streets of the city of Kyoto were created when the town of Heiankyo was … [Read more...] about How to Experience the Kyoto of 1200 Years Ago!

Horyu-ji, the oldest wooden structure in the world, is said to have been built in Japan around 1,300 years ago. It is still common to find wooden structures like Horyu-ji across the country that had been built in the distant past. Many people find it hard to understand how so much wood-based architecture has survived to the present day in a country like Japan, which faces a … [Read more...] about Japanese Woodworking Tools and The History Behind Them

Among Okinawan sake, awamori is particularly popular. It is a traditional drink with a 600 year history that is said to have been the first distilled liquor produced in Japan! One special feature of awamori is the Thai rice used for its distillation, which has a uniquely sweet scent that is different from Japanese rice. One of the main points of awamori that make it so popular … [Read more...] about Awamori, the Refreshing Liquor of Okinawa

In an average year, what season do you think has the highest rate of new relationships being formed? Cold and lonely winter? Spring, with such romantic holidays as Valentine's Day or White Day? Try again! From our experience, we believe that summer is the season that sees the most new couples being formed especially in Japan! Stick with us and read on, and we will tell you our … [Read more...] about Is Every Summer in Japan a ′Summer of Love’?

When people think about Japan's Kagoshima Prefecture, what usually comes to mind are the world heritage site of Yakushima, Tanegashima Space Center, Mt. Kirishima, Sakurajima, and more! However, you may want to learn about more than just natural landmarks! To give you something new to talk about, we will give you a crash course on famous celebrities from Kagoshima! Women from … [Read more...] about People You Might Not Know from Kagoshima!