傘 – Umbrella
From young to old, most people in Japan use an umbrella in even a light rain. There are lots of umbrella shops …
堀切の菖蒲 – Iris in Horikiri
In a section of Tokyo called Horikiri there is a famous garden of irises (堀切菖蒲園). The flowers in this garden were pictured …
てるてる坊主 – Teru Teru Bōzu
Teru Teru Bōzu is a doll made out of cloth or paper (I used to make it with tissue) to wish for a …
雨の日本 – Rainy Day in Japan
Traditional Japanese scenes (shrines, temples, old style houses, streets, gardens etc.) look particularly lovely in the rain. This is good because it …
Hydrangeas & Snails
Hydrangeas (紫陽花 / あじさい) & snails (かたつむり) are both familiar symbols of a rainy season for Japanese people.
梅雨 – Rainy Season
We have a rainy season every year in Japan. It arrives first in Okinawa (south) and moves up towards the north. It …
藤城清治 – Seiji Fujishiro
Seiji Fujishiro is one of my favorite Japanese artists. He is known for shadow play art. There is a Seiji Fujishiro Museum …
Koi Nobori Food
Kawaii Koi Nobori food to celebrate Children’s Day.
こどもの日 – Children’s Day
May 5th is an official holiday in Japan called Children’s Day. Often we raise carp-figure flags (こいのぼり – Koi Nobori) on the …
Scavenger Hunt (Sakura Matsuri)
Join this Scavenger Hunt & win a free 30-minute Skype session Capture as many as possible of the following items on camera …