菱餅 – Hishi Mochi
For hina-matsuri we display beautiful dolls and offer food and drink. Normally the drink is shirozake or Japanese white wine, and the …
豆まき – Bean Throwing
According to the lunisolar calendar, Setsubun for spring 2019 is on February 3rd. People in ancient Japan believed that they got sick …
千羽鶴 – Senbazuru
Senbazuru literally means 1000 orizuru, but it does not have to be exactly 1000. It just means to make many of them as …
勤労感謝の日 – Labor Thanksgiving Day
This is the first time that I will talk about “勤労感謝の日” or “Labor Thanksgiving Day”. This day, November 23rd, is a national …
折鶴 – Orizuru
Crane is not the national bird of Japan, but it is often shown as an image of Japan together with cherry blossoms …
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 …