Japan has a number of traditional fine arts that have been practiced for centuries and are still going strong today: flower arranging, tea ceremony, poetry and calligraphy, to name a few. This week I had the opportunity to attend a calligraphy demonstration and workshop at Tokyo's National Arts Center, conducted in English, sponsored by the … Continue reading Calligraphy – one of Japan’s “cultured” arts
A video produced by Miyagi Prefecture to promote tourism to the area has proven to be controversial. Late last year I posted about promotional videos for the Oita/Beppu area and what fun they were. The Miyagi promotional video is different. The video features Dan Mitsu, a Japanese actress known for trading on her sexuality, as … Continue reading Tourism promotion gone awry
This article is a combination movie review and travel piece, looking at both the new release movie "Sekigahara" and the Sekigahara battlefield in Gifu Prefecture. Both deserve attention. Readers in Tokyo, note especially the screenings of the movie with English subtitles during the first week of its release. (Archived article - Originally published by Japan … Continue reading Sekigahara: New movie brings the battle, and the battlefield, to life
A couple of weeks ago, I got an email from my friend Maki: "We're spending our vacation at our week-ender in Izu. Come down for a couple of days. We'll go eel fishing!" I love hanging out with Maki and readily accepted her invitation. I was especially intrigued by the suggestion of eel fishing. While … Continue reading Gone fishin’
It's easy to see where this rock formation near the southernmost tip of the Kii Peninsula gets its name: the Bridge Pier Rocks. The straight line of craggy points of rock heading offshore toward Kii Oshima island looks like the remnant piers of a long-lost bridge to the island. So much so that it's hardly … Continue reading Hashigui-iwa: rocks that are the stuff of legend
Japanese love their noodles! From steaming bowls of ramen or udon, to mounds of yakisoba fresh off the griddle and dripping with tangy sauce, to bamboo trays of buckwheat soba noodles for dipping into a salty soy sauce-based soup, noodles are a dietary staple here. Not as common or well-known is somen--long, thin, wheat-based noodles, … Continue reading Somen: Slippery summer noodles worthy of slurping
One of the best things about being in Japan in the summer is the various neighborhood festivals. Depending on the neighborhood and its guardian shrine, the festival can take place any time of the year, but summer seems to be the most popular season. Historically, Haneda, the neighborhood just north of the mouth of the … Continue reading Haneda Festival: traditional fishermen’s prayers in the shadow of jets
This article introduces the many fun summer outdoor activities available at Gunma's Minakami Onsen, a delightful place to spend a weekend, or even longer! (Archived article - Originally published by Japan Today)
On a hot summer afternoon, as I sit in my living room reading, with the windows wide open, I hear two distinctly "summer" sounds. The first is the cicadas, a somewhat irritating sound that just reminds me of how hot it is. The second, a far more welcome sound, is the soft tinkle of my … Continue reading Enjoying the sounds of summer
It all started in the middle of the 9th century. Summer was always the season for increased disasters: illness, floods, and devastating fires. So the emperor ordered people to offer prayers for relief at Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto's Gion district. Before long, the prayers were being offered with such regularity that the people made an … Continue reading Gion Matsuri – centuries-old purification rites (and a great summertime party)
Japan has a long history of various kinds of metallurgy beginning with swordmaking, but certainly not ending there. I have learned that Japan has an appreciation for cast iron cookware similar to what my mother instilled in me, although, like many things with Japan, they've taken it to a different level. When I was a … Continue reading A different kind of “Iron Man”
I first read about Tanabata back in the 1970s in James Michener's 1954 novel "Sayonara" and it's fascinated me ever since. Celebrated by the Japanese on the seventh day of the seventh month and also sometimes called "The Star Festival", the novel referred to it as "the most romantic night of the year". That is … Continue reading Tanabata – the most romantic night of the year
Jigsaw Japan 