Like this post? Help us by sharing it! Seasons and cycles Living in Japan, I’ve been flabbergasted a number of times when someone has asked, in all seriousness, if my home country of England has the same cycle of four seasons as Japan. It’s something the Japanese hold as unique and prized. While politely pointing […]
Culture & History
There’s a festival for that: Japan and its matsuri
Like this post? Help us by sharing it! A trip to Japan at any time is a cultural adventure, with plenty of very ‘Japanese’ experiences to try on your travels through the country. Staying in a traditional ryokan guest house, heading to a local izakaya, riding the Shinkansen, tucking into a bowl of good ramen and […]
The Rituals of Childhood
Like this post? Help us by sharing it! You are struck by ritual and tradition everywhere in Japan – from the moment you step off the plane to the ground crew bowing your arrival. What may seem quite different, or even quaint at the time, is actually just a continuation of values and traditions instilled […]
A grain of truth: Japanese rice
Like this post? Help us by sharing it! There’s one foodstuff that’s so intrinsic to Japan that word for it cooked (gohan ご飯, also meshi) is also the general meaning of “meal”. It’s part of the fabric of life. You guessed it, we’re talking about the humble grain: rice Rice has been cultivated in Japan […]
The societal pressures that shape Japan
Like this post? Help us by sharing it! People see Japan as a country where there’s a great deal of pressure to conform to social norms. Although it’s something of a tired trope, the phrase ‘the nail that sticks up gets hammered down’ does have a degree of truth to it here. In my eleven […]