Dream Yosacoy Festival 2021
Oct 19, 2021 By Jason Gatewood
Yosakoi dancing started in Kochi in Shikoku around 1954 as a way to celebrate postwar reconstruction, building spirit, and teamwork. Blending traditional Japanese dance and costume motif with modern music, thumping chants, contemporary fashion, hairstyles, it’s known throughout Japan as one of the most energetic sights to behold at any...[ Click to read more ]
Let’s Tour: Kamakura
By Jason Gatewood
Despite being one of the most densely populated parts of the world, containing the capital city and Japan's most significant urban area, Greater Tokyo is historically newer than many places in the country. It wasn't until the 1600s during the Edo Period that the area, then called Edo, became important;...[ Click to read more ]
Koyo, or Fall Colors in Hiroshima
Oct 15, 2021 By Bert Wishart
The Japanese are proud of the four distinct seasons that Japan offers and is very conscious of changing the seasons around them. They often celebrate little, or not so little, milestones between each to mark the occasion. Long sleeve or short sleeve shirts, for example, are there one day but...[ Click to read more ]
Saijo: The Home of Sake in Hiroshima Prefecture
Sep 29, 2021 By Admin
Hiroshima, or more precisely, Saijo, is known as one of the best sake brewing areas in the whole of Japan. Saijo is located approximately 40 minutes from Hiroshima Station, in the eastern area of Hiroshima Prefecture. Saijo serves as the administrative center of the larger Higashihiroshima City, but it is...[ Click to read more ]
Yokogawa: The Old Hiroshima Neighborhood
Jul 20, 2021 By Admin
Hiroshima is a very photogenic city and my favorite place to take my camera and just walk around here is Yokogawa. Yokogawa is in the in the western part of Hiroshima, just over the bridge from the Shin-Harushima area. The neighborhood is known for its arts scene and historic Showa...[ Click to read more ]
Buying Summer Yukata in Tokyo
Jun 20, 2021 By Bert Wishart
If you have ever been to a summer fireworks festival around Tokyo you may have noticed many people wearing traditional Japanese dress and wondered what was going on. Well, summer festivals are a time when Japanese and foreigners alike can wear yukata, a summer, and informal variant of the famous kimono. What is...[ Click to read more ]
Nagoya’s Magical Summer Fireflies
May 17, 2021 By Bert Wishart
With the rainy season and the humidity ramping up like an overly-confident Evil Knievel, June is perhaps one of the least favored months in Japan. However, with that said, this combination of conditions is precisely what is required for one of the more beautiful, natural sights: the glow of the...[ Click to read more ]
Flower Power! Getting Outdoors And Staying Safe
Apr 30, 2021 By Bert Wishart
It's frustrating. Every time it feels like Aichi has turned a corona corner, there's another spike, followed by tighter restrictions, and yet more events fall by the wayside. Of course, we want to be responsible and halt the spread, but there is a mental strain that results from spending so...[ Click to read more ]
Pretty in Pink – Finding Hiroshima’s Beautiful Plum Blossoms
Feb 26, 2021 By Bert Wishart
While the cherry blossom is the flower that tends to dominate the imagination of Japanese botanic appreciation, it is perhaps the plum (ume) blossom that should be the more celebrated. Reddish pink or white flowers distinguishable from the sakura by their split-ended petals and their strong sweet smell, before the...[ Click to read more ]
Setsubun Festivals in Japan
Jan 29, 2021 By Jason Gatewood
Each year, on the third of February, harried fathers across Japan put on paper demon masks and are pelted with roasted soybeans by their children, who cry, “Oni wa soto, Fuku wa uchi!” (Demon out, Fortune in!) until dad flees out the front door into the night air. Or turns...[ Click to read more ]
