Blog discontinued

Hey guys!I'm sorry to have to inform that I will not be continuing this blog page...On the bright side, however, I am happy to tell you that I have made a contract with publisher Shidzu.I will be writing a different genre of articles for them but it is go

The principle of inevitability (as seen in Buddhism)

Hi everyone.Recently, the world was enveloped in deep sorrow as the cathedral of Notre Dame collapsed in flames.While I myself found this event a sad thing, I also had a different feeling; a sense of Mujyo (=無常観).This is not something unique to Japan,

A start of a new era

Hi everyone!Recently (on April 1st), the name for a new era in Japan has been announced.Reiwa (=令和) means "Order and Harmony" and is hoped to bring a pleasant era.In this article, I would like to write about Japanese calendar years.1. The Japanese eraIn

Spring equinox

Hi everyone!March 20th is the spring equinox (in Japan, it is actually March 21st due to time difference).While equinox is viewed as the first day of spring in western culture, the first day of spring is on Setsubun in Japan and other countries that used

Ceremonial Cultures in Japan

Hi everyone!!In Japan, March is the end of the school year (and consequently in many companies), and April is the beginning.There are many ceremonies going on around this season and I will like to share some about it.Spring is the season where you part yo

Hinamatsuri

Hi everyone!!It's almost March, and March 3rd is one of the important days; it's my birthday!! (it actually is lol)March 3rd is also the day of Hinamatsuri (=ひな祭り). Here are some things to do on Japanese Hinamatsuri. 1. HistoryHinamaturi was origina

The 4 warriors that ruled Japan part 2

Hey guys!!This is the second part of the story of Japanese warriors so if you haven't read the first part I highly recommend you do; The 4 warriors that ruled Japan part 1For those who did, welcome back!3. Tokugawa IeyasuThe Tokugawa (=徳川) possessed a l

The 4 warriors that ruled Japan part1

Hi everyone!In my last-last article, I talked about the differences in Western and Eastern Japan and talked a little about how Tokugawa moved the capital to Edo (Tokyo).Today I would like to talk more about him and some other Samurai warriors that ruled J

3 things to eat on Setsubun

Hey guys!It is still like the middle of the winter (especially due to the abnormally strong polar front this year), but it is almost spring on the Japanese calendar.In Japan, we have the beginning of 'calendar seasons' for each of the four seasons (立春=b

The differences in western and eastern Japan

Hello everyone!Recently, I found an interesting article about "fast lanes" in shopping malls. By fast lane, I don't mean a priority line for check-outs, but a lane for fast walkers to go past slow walkers.This reminded me a lot of western Japan (where I

Kagami-biraki

Hi everyone!!In Japan, January 11th is considered as the day of "Kagami-biraki =鏡開き" and I would like to talk about it here. It is greatly related to the previous article about Japanese New Years so if you are unfamiliar with it, I recommend reading i

A Guide to Japanese New Year

Happy New Year everyone!!There are so many things I want to talk about in Japanese New Years, but today I will focus on rituals.First of all New Year is called Shogatsu (=正月) and is usually referred to the first three days, but some say it can be extend

How to spend New Years Eve in Japan

Hey guys!Since it's New Year's Eve, I would like to write about how we spend them back in Japan. First of all, the New Year's Eve is called Omisoka (=大晦日) back in Japan.The wording basically means "the Great end of the Month" and has the same pronu

The best of Banff

Hi again!Since I wrote about Calgary last time, I will be focusing on Banff in this article.Calgary was more like a city of modern arts, but Banff is a place surrounded by nature.When entering Canadian national parksNational parks in Canada (including Ban

The best of Calgary

Hey guys!I've recently had a trip to Calgary and Banff during winter break.I know there are many non-Canadian readers as well, so I've decided to take a break on Japanese culture and talk about what I've found.Since there are many things I want to talk ab