Unique Japan

After enduring a slew of hot summer nights with sleep so hard to come by, it was refreshing to wake up to a cool autumn breeze this morning. The end of summer is approaching. Kids at the park are enjoying their last week of summer vacation and soaking up the late summer sun.

Read more»

August is a matusri (festival) season in Japan, with numerous Bon-odori festivals and fireworks throughout the country. Though it may seem smarter to stay in an air-conditioned room and avoid the insanely packed crowds, there is something special about being at the festivals. Strolling around, eating shaved ice under the hot summer sun, watching people going by, playing some silly games, and of course sampling the festival food from the street vendors. This is something that I cannot pass up. So I would like to introduce some of the Japanese festival foods you might like to try.

Read more»

The days are getting longer and everybody seems to be enjoying these summer days and nights. You’ll see salary-men heading off to nearby Beer Gardens after work, where they can enjoy a few cold beers outside with their colleagues. Or you’ll see kids playing with sparklers with their friends（under adults’ supervision, of course) or you might happen to see girls wearing a Yukata. When I see this it makes me really feel like summer is finally here. For those who don’t know what a Yukata is, simply put, it’s a summer Kimono.

Read more»

It’s quite a recent occurrence to see people briskly walking about with a cup of morning Joe in their hands. Starbucks started its Japanese operations a little over a decade ago, and since then numerous Seattle style cafés opened up everywhere in Japan. Their signature style of comfortable sofas, open spaces, friendly staff, and endless combinable drink menus became an instant hit. You often see students, young professionals, dressed-up OLs (office ladies), design-minded people, and executive types in these spacious cafés. But where are the good ol’ salarymen? Well, they have their own favorite caffeine fix.

Read more»

This past Friday, one of my closest friends from high school had a wedding. Even though western style weddings (Meaning wearing the white wedding gown and having a ceremony at a cute chapel or hotel, etc. It has nothing to do with the Wild West.) is extremely popular among our generation, my friend decided to wear a kimono and a wig at her Japanese style wedding. Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures of the ceremony, but for those of you who are not familiar with Japanese style weddings, the following is how a typical ceremony proceeds.

Read more»

For many women, finding Mr. Right and living happily ever after is a life-long dream. Japanese ladies are no exception. However, thanks to increasing opportunities for women to enjoy success in their chosen careers, many have been focusing solely on their professions rather than on their love lives. This has led some of them to put their private lives on hold. In fact, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the average age of marriage for women is now 29.4 years old, which is 4.2 years older than 30 years ago.

Read more»

Socrates said, “The more I learn, the more I learn how little I know”. This is how I feel when it comes to learning Kanji. Though I’m Japanese and have been using Kanji for the past few decades, every now and then I make new discoveries and fascinating finds in the world of Kanji. We’ve been talking about children on this blog, so I thought it would be appropriate to share what I found recently.

Read more»

The masterful art of Japanese calligraphy turns stiff letters into swift brush strokes, creating powerful movement and revealing an elusive energy. Unfortunately for those of you who use the English alphabet, the Japanese writing system can be rather complicated. That’s why I’d like to share a few secrets about Japanese writing.

Read more»

Many of you might have seen the Disney movie Mulan, which depicts a young Chinese maiden, Mulan, courageously disguising herself as a Chinese warrior in order to protect her father. It’s very exciting to see a female character such as Mulan aspiring to be her best in a male-dominated world. I’m not sure if Mulan is based on a true story, but here in Japan, there was a story of a female samurai who outsmarted many of her opponents and was known for her legendry archery skills. Her name was Tomoe.

Read more»

The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear the word Ninja is not TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - heroes in a half shell), but Ninja Hattori-kun. He’s a silly Ninja boy created by a beloved Japanese cartoonist, Fujio Fujiko (A). As a child, I learned a lot about the ways of the Ninja from this cartoon and secretly practiced at becoming stealthier.

Read more»