文化の日 – Culture Day
The 3rd of November is a national holiday in Japan. It is called “Bunka No Hi” or “Culture Day”. This day is …
日本のお金 – Money
The official unit of Japanese currency is the yen. One dollar is equivalent to 112 yen as of 10/10/18. The idea of …
お月見 – Otsukimi 2018
Traditionally Otsukimi or the moon-viewing event is held on August 15th based on the old lunar calendar. But it actually falls on …
万華鏡 – Kaleidoscope
The kaleidoscope was invented by Scottish scientist David Brewster in 1817. By 1819, the kaleidoscope had already been imported to Japan and …
浴衣 – Yukata
The yukata is an ordinary summer kimono for both men and women of any age. It’s inexpensive and you can probably find …
着物 – Kimono
The kimono is the traditional native clothing of Japan. There are many different types of kimono. For women the most gorgeous and …
花火大会 – Fireworks
In Japan, fireworks are normally held in late July to August. In the Tokyo area, about eight different places annually hold big …
豆まき – Bean Throwing
People in ancient Japan believed that they got sick due to evil spirits when the season changed. The bean-throwing ceremony or mamemaki …
節分 – Setsubun
Setsubun literally means “dividing season” and it is the day before the beginning of spring according to the traditional East Asian calendar. …
鏡開き – Kagami Biraki
Kagami biraki means “to open the mirror” in Japanese. The mochi that was offered to Toshigami-sama as a Shōgatsu kazari is called …