Like this post? Help us by sharing it! So many wonderful books have been written to help us better understand the Japanese people. These books help us reconcile the contradiction of a culture that finds beauty in unrefined simplicity and yet feels infinitely bizarre and complex to most foreigners. Travellers, scholars, and Japanophiles have written volumes about […]
Culture & History
Culture Shock every day in Japan
Like this post? Help us by sharing it! If you’ve spent any time in Japan, you know it can be quite a bewitching place. The delicious food. The quiet shrines. The peaceful gardens. For some, that is enough. Their time in Nippon goes by in a flash and they leave with cherished memories. For others, they […]
Tiny torii of Kyoto
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Fushimi Inari Torii gates
Like this post? Help us by sharing it! As you’re strolling around the narrow streets of Kyoto, you might notice little red torii gates, affixed to the walls or tucked down on the ground. Usually, a torii gate is a sure sign there’s a shrine nearby, but here it’s just a blank wall. What’s up with that? There’s a […]
Tempura: the quintessential Japanese, Portuguese dish
Like this post? Help us by sharing it! Tempura is a light, crispy, and delectable Japanese classic that you can make at home with just a few ingredients! But first, a quick lesson on its origins. This culinary staple originated in Japan’s famed Edo period. The Tokugawa Shogunate had the country in Sakoku lockdown for, give or take, 220 years. However, Japan wasn’t completely closed off. Among the Portuguese, Dutch and […]
Sakoku: 220 years of self isolation
Like this post? Help us by sharing it! To prevent the spread of Coronavirus, around 20% of the global population are in lockdown with even more social-distancing from others. The last time the world saw an isolation of this scale it was very different in nature: welcome to 17th century Japan, where 30 million people […]
Like this post? Help us by sharing it! To prevent the spread of Coronavirus, around 20% of the global population are in lockdown with even more social-distancing from others. The last time the world saw an isolation of this scale it was very different in nature: welcome to 17th century Japan, where 30 million people […]