Not long ago a Japanese friend was telling me about a book he was reading that detailed how Japan historically observed seasons in two week increments. Japan's love of the seasons is undeniable and when I reflected on what my friend was explaining to me, in some ways, I could see it. In particular, it … Continue reading The last celebrations of the new year’s season
Old Edo was a firetrap. One and two-story structures, made mostly of wood, straw and paper, standing cheek-by-jowl with the neighbors, with everyone cooking and heating with open fires or charcoal braziers. Any little fire quickly got out of control and equally quickly spread to neighboring structures. Major fires were so common in the Edo … Continue reading Hashigo-nori (ladder-top acrobatics) at Ikegami Honmonji
Jigsaw Japan 