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
After a 10 month absence, I recently returned to Japan. The entry into Japan during the COVID pandemic was much, much different than in the past. The trip actually started in February, two months prior to my travels. Immediately after getting my vaccinations and purchasing my airfare, the next stop was Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs...Read More
March 11 marks the 10th anniversary of the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake. Just like I will always remember where I was on 11/22/1963 (JFK assassination), 9/11/2001 and 1/6/2021, I will always remember where I was on 3/11/2011. I was with a tour group on the southern island of Kyushu, which is about as far away...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
Curry and rice (カレライス – curry rice) is Japan’s most popular “mom’s home cooking” soul or comfort food. Ease of preparation, and the wide variety and availability of instant curry mixes, has made curry rice very popular. It can be found anywhere and everywhere in Japan, and it is very popular at home as well...Read More
Natto is unknown in the west, but very popular in Japan. Natto is a traditional food made from fermenting soybeans. It is commonly mixed with karashi (mustard), soy sauce and sometimes chopped onions, and served over white rice at breakfast. It is an acquired taste because of the powerful smell, strong flavor and sticky, slimy...Read More
Miso Ramen – A Taste of Sapporo Miso Ramen is Sapporo’s most popular soul food. Other food specialties of Sapporo include soup curry, Genghis Kkan (grilled lamb) and crab. During the cold winter months, nothing is better than a hot bowl of miso ramen. And during the world-famous winter festival held every year in early...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
We get asked often by people who have tattoos as to whether they will be able to use the Japanese baths , and it is a difficult question to answer. Just like everything else in Japan, acceptance of tattoos is evolving. But like it or not, tattoos have a negative connotation in Japan. It is...Read More
