No Banner to display

All posts tagged "Culture"

  • The important life skills children learn in a Karate class.

    Karate is in itself both an art form and sport. Though the styles taught to students vary with philosophical, traditional, and technical aspects, karate remains Japan’s staple martial arts. Today, there are about twenty three million people...

    • Posted July 26, 2021
    • 0
  • “Polar Summer Night” builds a cultural bridge between Finland and Japan at the Puijo Tower

    Post-war Japanese artist Kaii Higashiyama (1908–1999), best known for his Nihonga style paintings, made a creatively fruitful trip to the Nordic countries in the spring and summer of 1962. While he was visiting Finland, the beautiful nature...

    • Posted December 23, 2020
    • 0
  • Japan grows trees without using much land.

    Did you know that Japan has been producing more trees for centuries using no land? In the 14th century, Japan invented a pruning technique called “Daisugi”, a process that requires hand pruning every two years. Such technique...

    • Posted December 7, 2020
    • 0
  • Japanese artist carves animals out of Tangerine peels.

    Japan has fascinated the world with different forms of art in which nature is always central to its philosophy. Everyone knows the metaphor of Kintsugi, the art of repairing and preserving a broken pottery with gold to...

    • Posted May 2, 2020
    • 0
  • A delicious rice dish bursting with deep flavors.

    Jambalaya, an original Louisiana rice-and-meat dish, is possibly one of the most go-to meals for families. It’s a practical one-pot hearty dish where you can just put about anything from shrimps to chicken. The only thing you...

    • Posted April 26, 2020
    • 0
  • Common sense habits that keep viruses out of Japanese homes.

    In this time of coronavirus threat, the Japanese case numbers seem to be lower than the rest of the G7 countries. This may be routinely connected to common sense habits practiced in Japan. When you’re welcomed to...

    • Posted March 30, 2020
    • 0
  • Award-winning author Suzanne Kamata has released a new book.

    If you’re exhausted from sifting through every news to get the latest coronavirus update, take a break and lose yourself in a newly released book by Suzanne Kamata. Suzanne Kamata is no stranger to the community in...

    • Posted March 14, 2020
    • 0
  • “Japan’s Cuisine, Nature, and Wisdom”- Exploring the Past and Future of Japanese Cuisine at the National Museum of Nature and Science

    In 2013, Washoku or traditional Japanese cuisine has been added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage raising the country’s global recognition. In a rare special exhibition, Ueno National Museum of Nature and Science puts the spotlight on 250...

    • Posted February 4, 2020
    • 0
  • Tea and the arts in Japan

    Tea was first brought to Japan by buddhist monks, back from studies in China. A first attempt occurred in the ninth century, but it was Eisai (1141-1215), the founder of zen, that really settled the culture of...

    • Posted October 1, 2019
    • 0
  • A quick guide to Japan’s festival of Dolls

    An in-depth look at this month's Hina Matsuri celebratingdaughters by way of traditional ornamental figurines.

    • Posted February 26, 2019
    • 0
  • Your guide to Onigiri, the sandwich of Japan

      Onigiri is Japan’s traditional finger food made up of sticky plain rice with various salty, sour flavored stuffing at the center and wrapped in a crispy “nori” (seaweed) sheet. Commercial onigiris found in convenience stores are...

    • Posted January 30, 2019
    • 0
  • Are you cooking your Tonjiru soup the wrong way? Japanese chef shares useful tips.

    Don’t we all love a steaming bowl of Tonjiru soup when it’s cold? My family does. Maesen, a famous tonkatsu restaurant in Omotesando, serves the best Tonjiru soup in Tokyo. But since we can’t always go, I...

    • Posted October 20, 2018
    • 0
  • The Kurotamago believed to add years to your life

    The locals claim that seven years are added to your lifespan for each kurotamago you eat - with some saying eating more than two is not recommended. The famous “kurotamago” or black spa chicken egg as the name...

    • Posted September 9, 2018
    • 0
  • Japan’s 5S

    No, it is not iPhone 5S I am referring to but the standard methodology adopted by Toyota Motors Corporation proven to make the workplace efficient. The same organization method can in fact be applied at home to...

    • Posted August 22, 2018
    • 0
  • You shouldn’t drink the tea you got served at a business meeting. It’s bad manners.

    Did you know that many of Japan’s long-held beliefs about good manners revolve around tea? Here’s one you probably didn’t know. When you visit a Japanese office on business, it is customary practice to be offered a...

    • Posted August 19, 2018
    • 0
  • All You Need to Know about Harajuku Omotesando Super Yosakoi

    Every year in August, Harajuku is taken over for a weekend by thousands of people dressed head to toe in colourful costumes. Music blares out from enormous speakers and giant flags sway through the crowds as teams...

    • Posted August 18, 2018
    • 0
  • The Tokyo restaurant where you can catch your fish and eat it too

    Fishing Restaurant Zauo is one of those only-in-Japan experiences that make a welcome change to the increasingly globalized fare that we find in Tokyo. Simply put, Zauo is a seafood restaurant that lets you catch your dinner...

    • Posted August 11, 2018
    • 0
  • How to Origami

    Before Origami became world famous as a form of Japanese edutainment, this art of paper folding once filled a need in ancient Japan. During the Edo era, gifts did not come with greeting cards like the western...

    • Posted May 23, 2018
    • 0
  • Awkward Language Faux Pas You Didn’t Know

    There are many things Japan does accurately better than anywhere else from train arrival and departure times to timepiece precision. Ironically, language translation is not one of them. Loan words derived from the English language have found...

    • Posted May 13, 2018
    • 0
  • Japan puts the spotlight on the works of Hayao Miyazaki at a new theme park

    Aichi prefecture has announced the opening in 2022 of a new theme park in Nagoya dedicated to the anime films of Japan’s famous celebrity Hayao Miyazaki. 77-year old Hayao Miyazaki is the prominent director and artist behind...

    • Posted April 25, 2018
    • 0
  • Hatsumode: Shrines that bring you good luck in the New Year

    Just as Christians go to midnight mass on Christmas eve, the Japanese ring in the new year with a first visit to a Shinto shrine, an age-old tradition called Hatsumode. The visit happens on the first 3...

    • Posted December 27, 2017
    • 0
  • Japanese couples sleep in separate beds, seldom kiss each other but many are happy in their marriages, says new survey.

    One in three marriages in Japan leads to divorce. Many have cast doubt on the notion that unhappy marriage is likely the result of the absence of intimacy in Japanese couples. A recent survey shows that the...

    • Posted November 21, 2017
    • 0
  • How people count with fingers in other countries

    It’s indeed fascinating to know that although we all have a thumb, index, middle, ring finger, and the pinkie on both hands, many of us are so different when it comes to counting with the fingers. People...

    • Posted November 2, 2017
    • 0
  • Kagurazaka, a charming mix of French and Japanese culture

    Head for the slopes and alleys of Kagurazaka for a French-flavoured outing. The little enclave of narrow streets and bistros nestled on the slope might not quite be Montmartre but with its narrow alleyways from old Edo...

    • Posted October 26, 2017
    • 0
  • Ninja wannabes take a certification test in Japan

    In Japan, if you want to be a certified NINJA, you need to take a test.   On October 22, Sunday, 200 Ninja wannabes will be taking a certification test at the Koga Ryu School of Ninjutsu...

    • Posted October 19, 2017
    • 0
  • MR. SUPERFLAT: Takashi Murakami

    Takashi Murakami is arguably one of the most prominent Japanese modern artists. The leader and driving force behind the artists’ collective Kai Kiki Co, Ltd., Murakami and the artists of the collective are known for their mass...

    • Posted October 18, 2017
    • 0
  • Gearing up for the Natsu Matsuri

    Gearing up for the natsu matsuri.

    • Posted June 2, 2017
    • 0
  • Vintage photos of Samurai in the 19th century

    These are beautiful vintage photographs of Samurais taken between 1863 and 1900 in Japan. In the 19th century, people who took photos were called camera artists, not photographers as we know today. Camera artists believed that a...

    • Posted May 23, 2017
    • 0
  • Cultural immersion: Japan’s flowing somen noodles

    Eating nagashi or flowing somen noodles in summer from a long bamboo gutter is a popular outdoor activity for Japanese kids. Somen noodles made from wheat flour are thin and have a girth of 1.3 mm. Customarily...

    • Posted May 20, 2017
    • 0
  • What these foreign words actually mean in Japanese

    Since Japanese speakers have a tendency to shorten words by means of contractions and use many ‘false friends’ (words that look similar to a word in another language but have a significantly different meaning), understanding the correct...

    • Posted April 9, 2017
    • 0