Just like everything else, the pandemic has changed the way temple and shrine visits in Japan are done. Touching anything with your hands at religious places is not advised at this time in Japan. Some rituals at shrines and temples all over Japan have been discontinued at least for a while, just as the custom of...Read More
There are recent studies that indicate Japan’s mask culture is learned at an early age. According to a survey, at this time 98% of Japanese people say they always wear a mask, even when outdoors. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, most Japanese had no problem wearing a mask unlike the resistance found in the United...Read More
Kurashiki is a city facing the Inland Sea in western Japan and it’s between Okayama and Hiroshima. It’s famous for its beauty of 300-year-old white warehouses lined along a canal. The walls are plastered with white clay. Green willow trees are planted along with the canal which runs through the sightseeing spots. It’s relaxing to walk along the...Read More
You may be familiar with Hachiko as his story was made into a Hollywood movie in 2009 called ‘Hachi: A Dog’s Tale’ which starred Richard Gere. Hachi was a stray dog. A professor of Tokyo University found this abandoned dog and took him home. Over a period of time, he formed an unbreakable bond with Hachi....Read More
The Japanese are known as some of the hardest working people in the world. Japan has very few natural resources. The best resources we have are human resources. Many office workers are willing to work overtime and work even during the weekends. Some of the small-sized companies were not able to allow their employees to take consecutive holidays...Read More
Obon is a Buddhist ritual held from Aug 13 to 16. Salaried workers will take a week-off because most of the companies are closed during the Obon season. We believe during this period the spirits of our ancestors return so we go to the graveyard and clean family graves before then. This belief is based on the...Read More
The plum season and the rainy season come at the same time in Japan. So, the rainy season is also called “plum rain.” In Japanese, “plum rain” translates to “tsuyu 梅雨”. The “tsuyu” rainy season normally begins in mid June and ends in mid July. Since the plums are normally ready for picking in early...Read More
During the month of May you will find hundreds of young students in uniform at historic spots in Kyoto, Nara and Hiroshima. You may think they are skipping classes in a group but actually they are enjoying a field trip. School trips are a part of the school education in Japan and it’s compulsory for most of...Read More
The imperial system in Japan can be traced back almost 2,000 years and is very different from any other king-and-queen system anywhere else in the world. The first-born son of the current emperor is always the next-in-line to the throne. Among the many duties of the emperor, the most important is to set an example...Read More
In Japan, we are so in love with cherry blossom flowers that we have used scientific technology to accurately determine what exact day these flowers will blossom in what area and what exact their petals will fall in what area. We are crazy about cherry blossoms! There are researchers and meteorologists who monitor the temperature...Read More
