Kabuki
Kabuki (歌舞伎) is one of the primary forms of Japanese theatre, allegedly created by a dancer by the name of Izumo no Okuni (出雲の阿国) of the Izumo Grand Shrine (出雲大社 Izumo-Taisha) around 1603, when she...
View ArticleSake Glossary
A Akiagari (秋あがり): sake brewed in early spring and stored during summer; around September, when the outside temperature and the temperature of the sake are about the same, the sake is released without...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Jindaiji Motomachi
Jindaiji Motomachi (深大寺元町) is a peaceful neighbourhood in western Tōkyō: tranquil, lush with greenery and trickling streams, and rich in local history, it lends itself to those who want to escape the...
View ArticleMukai-Haguroyama Castle
Mukai-Haguroyama Castle (向羽黒山城 Mukaihaguroyamajō) was a mountain castle (山城 yamashiro) in Aizumisato Town, Onuma District, Fukushima. In 2001, the castle was designated a National Historic Site (国指定史跡...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Funehiki Castle
Funehiki Castle (船引城 Funehiki-jō) was a small fort located in Funehiki-chō, Tamura, Fukushima. It is a virtually unknown castle in history and would generally be rarely visited. However, I saw this...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Kinugasa Castle
Kinugasa Castle (衣笠城 Kinugasa-jō) is a mountain castle located in the hilly area of the southern part of the Miura Peninsula, approximately four kilometres south of the centre of Yokosuka City. As a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Shikoku Travel Guide
The Shikoku Region (四国地方 Shikoku-chihō) consists of Shikoku (lit. "four provinces"), the smallest of Japan's four main islands, and numerous surrounding islands. It comprises the following prefectures:...
View ArticleKanda Myojin Shrine
Kanda Shrine (神田神社 Kanda-jinja), officially known as Kanda Myōjin (神田明神), is located in Chiyoda Ward, Tōkyō, and ranks among the oldest shrines in the Kantō region. It was the main tutelary shrine of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tōkeiji Temple
Tōkei-ji (東慶寺), officially known as Shōkozan Tōkei-ji (松岡山東慶寺), is a temple of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism, located in Kita-Kamakura in Kanagawa Prefecture. It used to be part of a system of...
View ArticleŌshōgatsu (お正月) - Japanese New Year
New Year's or ō-shōgatsu (お正月) is one of the most important and most elaborate of Japan's annual observances. There are regional differences in customs, but what is in common is that homes are...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Namioka Castle
Namioka Castle (浪岡城 Namioka-jō) was a flatland castle (平城 hirajiro) located in the former town of Namioka, southwest of Aomori City. The castle ruins were designated a National Historic Site in 1940....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery
The Meiji Memorial Gallery (聖徳記念絵画館 Seitoku kinen kaiga-kan) is a picture gallery in Meiji-jingū-gaien Park in the Shinjuku district of Tōkyō. It displays paintings made in honour of the late...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Fundoshi - Japanese loincloths
Fundoshi is the traditional Japanese loincloth worn by sumo-tori and by men on special occasions, such as in Japanese festivals (matsuri). It was the principal form of Japanese undergarment until World...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Setsubun
Setsubun is a traditional ceremony to dispel demons, usually observed on 3 February. The practice of scattering beans (豆撒き mamemaki) to drive away demons is one of some magical rites performed to ward...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Konodai Castle
You see a vast plateau on the opposite bank when you cross the Edo River on the Keisei Line toward Chiba. This is the Kōnodai (国府台) plateau with its long history that not only encompasses a Sengoku-era...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Hitoyoshi Castle
Hitoyoshi Castle (人吉城) is located in Hitoyoshi City, Kumamoto Prefecture, on the banks of the Kuma River (球磨川). It was constructed in the late 12th century by Sagara Nagayori (相良長頼, 1177-1254), a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Nakasato Castle
Nakasato Castle (中里城 Nakasato-jō) is a mountain castle (山城 Yamashiro) built in Nakadomari Town in the western part of the Tsugaru Peninsula. The site seems to have already been used in the Jomon...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Akechi Mitsuhide (1528-1582)
Akechi Mitsuhide (明智光秀, 1528-1582), also known under the title Koretō Hyūga no Kami (惟任日向守), was one of the principal captains of hegemon Oda Nobunaga and his assassin. A man of obscure origins,...
View ArticleHonorific Suffixes
The Japanese language uses a broad array of honorific suffixes for addressing or referring to people, for example, -san, as in Davey-san. These honorifics are gender-neutral (can be used for males and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Fukushima Castle (Aomori)
Fukushima Castle (福島城 Fukushima-jō) is a medieval castle built on a hill at an altitude of 20 to 30 meters facing the north shore of Lake Jūsan (十三湖 Jūsanko) in the western part of the Tsugaru...
View Article