Like this post? Help us by sharing it! Sometimes, the best way to get under the skin of Japanese culture is through something you never thought of as Japanese at all. Take baseball, for instance. It may not scream Japan to you, but seeing how Japanese fans throw their hearts and souls into this quintessentially […]
Culture & History
Insiders keep on moving
Like this post? Help us by sharing it! Our Insider Tour Leaders love to introduce people to their adopted home country, taking them to those great little places that no one has heard of, and explaining those bits of culture that people don’t quite understand. They enjoy sharing experiences and knowledge, and introducing us to […]
Four Characters: Yojijukugo and Kyoka Suigetsu
Like this post? Help us by sharing it! ‘Kyoka Suigetsu’ (鏡花水月 – literally 鏡 mirror, 花 flower, 水 water, 月 moon) is one of many ‘yojijukugo’ phrases that we could use right now to refer to our love of travel, Japan and the tantalising way in which it sits still, just a little out […]
Working from forests – National Parks set up Wifi workstations
Like this post? Help us by sharing it! Working from forests? Japan has recently shifted from traditional working culture with the pandemic forcing companies to encourage more staff to partake in ‘remote teleworking’. This shift is massive for the country – but the government is taking it one step further and encouraging people to work […]
Lucky Seven and the Seven Lucky Gods
Like this post? Help us by sharing it! There are seven wonders of the world, seven days of the week, early astronomers recgognised seven planets, we avoid the seven deadly sins, and we pray for sevens at slot machines. The world has always had a fascination with the number seven and Japan is no exception. […]
Cradle to the grave – birth, marriage and death in Japan
Like this post? Help us by sharing it! Every culture has rituals and ceremonies that mark the key stages of life – usually birth, marriage, and death. In many cases, these rituals have a religious significance. The baby of Catholic parents, for example, will probably be baptised in church. At a Jewish wedding the groom […]
Like this post? Help us by sharing it! Every culture has rituals and ceremonies that mark the key stages of life – usually birth, marriage, and death. In many cases, these rituals have a religious significance. The baby of Catholic parents, for example, will probably be baptised in church. At a Jewish wedding the groom […]