Harajuku: Street Fashion Capital
Tokyo is Japan’s most populous city, so it’s no surprise that there are almost as many different sides to the city as there are people. For instance, there are 23 special wards in the city of Tokyo–just in the most…
Category About Japan
When You Gotta Go: Japanese Bathrooms
Japanese bathrooms may seem like a strange topic for this blog, but it’s essential that Westerners who hope to visit or live in Japan familiarize themselves with what to expect in Japanese bathrooms. The news about overly-mechanized Japanese toilets usually…
Playing Pachinko: How Illegal Gambling Is Legal in Japan
In Japan, gambling for money is illegal nationwide. Nevertheless, somewhere between 40 to 50 million people gamble on occasion–and 30 million of those people are regular gamblers. They gamble in large groups in licensed parlors that together employ roughly 300,000…
Geisha
“Geisha” means “artist” in Japanese. The geisha of Japan are cultural icons who preserve the Japanese custom of putting the guest on a pedestal through their hostessing, conversational dexterity, poetry recitation skills, dance and/or music talent, and attire. Dressed in…
Japanese Weddings
Dressed entirely in white, the bride gazes at her groom and tells him how she vows to build a life together with him based on mutual respect and understanding. The groom, dressed in black, repeats her vow, promising like she…
Japanese Holidays
One of the most effective ways to learn more about a culture is to study its celebrations. By studying a country’s national holidays and country-wide celebrations, you learn more about what the culture values. Below is just a sample of…
Ikebana
In the West, florists create flower arrangements that bring out patterns of color and showcase the blooms at their peak. The art has a long history and a certain amount of respect from those who enjoy flowers, but general appreciation…
Types Of Japanese Noodles
How would your mother, who always told you to mind your manners at the dinner table, feel about you noisily slurping a bowl of noodles? If she were a Japanese chef, she’d be flattered! In Japan, noodles are everywhere you…
Aidoru: The Japanese “Idol”
American Idol may have gotten North American audiences used to the idea of putting a person plucked from obscurity on a pedestal for his or her singing talent for a year or so before the idol (usually) fades back into…
Osaka: The Home of Cuisine and Comedy, Part 1
About 325 miles west of Tokyo in the Kansai south central region of the main island of Japan is Osaka, Japan’s second most populated city and third most popular city for entertainment after dark. Osaka, which is also the name…