The Expat's Guide to Japan
Everything you need to know about living and working in Tokyo & Yokohama
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Retro Japanese Junk Food, DAGASHI
You may know wa-gashi (和菓子, Japanese sweets) but do you know da-gashi (駄菓子)? Though best known for its traditional, refined confectioneries, Japan has its own unique selection of cheap and novelty candy that is as terrible, weird, wonderful, and cavity-inducing…
Tanabata Matsuri
Perhaps the most evocative of Japan’s annual matsuri (祭り, festivals) , tanabata (七夕) marks the beginning of the summer festival season. Closely linked with the stars, tanabata is celebrated by the writing of wishes on strips of paper, which are…
Hatsumōde
Despite the ubiquity of temples and shrines all over the country, the Japanese people tend to hold rather casual spiritual beliefs. However, there is one spiritual event that virtually everyone takes part in at the start of the year, and…
“Made in Japan: 400 Years of Nambu Tekki Ironware”
Japanese handmade crafts have always received international acclaim for their fine quality and simple beauty. Japan’s long tradition of crafting everything from swords, cutting knives, and ceramics to fabrics and woodwork has had a tremendous influence on the world in…
If you’re asked to a Japanese wedding
June in Japan is a month with a lot of weddings. Though the image of a sunny wedding may be at odds with a season of perpetual rain and clouds due to the ‘plum rains’, as you might expect many…
Satokagura: Folk Stage Performance Comes Alive at Saitama Kaikan
If represents Buddhism and high art, and the secular theatre, , and specifically , is the theatre of Shinto and of the countryside. Because of this, it seems fitting that tonight’s performance, while although not held at a shrine, is…
