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Story from a former Shinto priest: About the wedding ceremony.

Chouzuya is the area of a shrine where you wash your hands and rinse your mouth. It is an abbreviated act of Misogi; the practice of ritual purification by washing the entire body in the river, ocean or a waterfall.

13.08.2018

Culture

Fireworks

I guess everyone knows fireworks were invented in China and are said to have been meant to ward off evil spirits. They a...

08.08.2018

Culture

No Ninjas Needed

Like countries everywhere, there has long been a migration of people in Japan from the rural areas to the big cities. Es...

27.07.2018

Culture

Japanese Himono (salted, dried fish)

Nearly every country with a coastline has dried fish, most often salted and dried. For most of our history as humans sal...

26.07.2018

Food and Drinks

Things You Can Do In Japan

... that you wouldn't do in North America. There are things you can do in Japan that you can't do in North America. It n...

18.07.2018

Culture

Fukuoka’s Hakata Gion Yamakasa Festival

The Hakata Gion Yamakasa festival is held between the 1st and 15th of July in the district around Hakata station and cul...

09.07.2018

Amusements

crafted in Japan

If, like me, you were raised in North America during the sixties,someone in your gang of buddies probably had a cheap, J...

30.05.2018

Traditional Crafts

Aroma Bottle Lamps

A darkened room with mood lighting and a pleasant aroma is a good setting for many things, and this time it was perfect ...

09.05.2018

Arts

Fastidiously handmade Himono by Oshimaya in Omuta city, Fukuoka

Himono is a popular dish for Japanese.This time we visited Omuta city in Fukuoka where fresh fish are assembled from all around Kyushu, and interviewed Oshimaya which makes additive‐free Himono (dried fish) in an old-fashioned way.

09.03.2018

Food and Drinks

Fortune

It’s always hard to separate suspicion from religion and ritual and to know how seriously people take them. In Japan, it...

20.02.2018

Culture