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Japanese Kotowaza – Karasu no gyouzui-
I was on my bike and waiting for a traffic light. It was a cloudy day and was raining during the morning. So there were many puddles on the streets. And in one of those, there was a big grey and black...
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Kinkan Nisshoku in Japan – Annular solar eclipse
On the 21st of May, early in the morning, in many parts of Japan people were waiting for one thing. The annular solar eclipse (金環日食/kinkan nisshoku). It had been 932 years since the solar eclipse in...
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History of Japanese Tattoo
Tattoo is a part of fashion and is something I see daily in the street. Some have very impressive designs that tempt me to have one myself. I see some Kanji characters on people´s body and often they...
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Japanese Kaomoji – orz
The other day I received an email from a Japanese guy. He was looking for something and wasn´t so sure if he could find it eventually. Then I stopped at the end of his email. I saw the letter o-r-z....
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Japanese Saying – Saru mo Ki kara Ochiru
Recently I´ve started pottery class. This is my very first time in my life and every class is just new. Yesterday my first bowl came out of the first firing. It had some cracks but the teacher said...
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Kodomo no Hi in Japan
The 5th of May was Kodomo no Hi (the Boys´ Day/ こどもの日) in Japan. It´s said Kodomo, "child" in Japanese but it´s actually the day when people celebrate for male children. This year I like to present...
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The Concept of Kindness for Japanese
I happened to be in the discussion of a Japanese couple. They were expecting a guest. The guest phoned the Japanese wife and asked her if she wanted to meet him in the centre. She said yes and as she...
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Japanese Kids Learn counting in the Bath
I may have mentioned before but many Japanese children learn to count during the bath time, at least I did. It´s common the parents tell a child to dip himself until his chin and count up to ten. Mind...
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What Day is the 23rd of May in Japan? – Kiss Day
23rd of May was "Kiss Day" in Japan. Kiss in Japan? Are you surprised? Yes, Japanese people also kiss. In Japanese it´s called Seppun (接吻), the literal meaning is touching the lips. This Kiss Day...
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Japanese Kotowaza – Hito no furi mite waga furi naose
When I was little, my father put me a level of lazy. He even predicted that I´d be Spanish (sorry, no offence) when I grew up because I always said "later". In his theory, La Sagrada Familia never...
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Obon started in Japan
Yesterday my mum phoned me. At the end of the conversation, she told me that today everyone is coming to the grandma´s house. Any special occasion? It´s Obon (お盆) in Japan. Obon is a Japanese custom...
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Jugoya- the 15th Full Moon
by OsakayaToday, the 19th of September is Chuushuu no Meigetsu (中秋の名月) in Japan. It´s also called Jugoya (十五夜), the night of the 15th… of August. I know we are in September but this is in the lunar...
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Japanese Saying, Sumeba Miyako
The other night I was watching TED online. It was about happiness. At one point he was saying as an example about the people who believe they´d be happier if they moved to a warmer place like...
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Japanese Saying – Mizu ga awanai -
Good part of being a traveller is you can meet variety of people in different countries with different cultural backgrounds. It´s not always easy to adopt other culture and do like others. "When in...
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15th of November is Shichigosan
Those who were in Japan last week may have seen lots of Japanese kids in Kimono or Hakama. It was the day of Shichigosan when three, five and seven year-old children celebrate their healthy growth....
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The Kanji of the Year 2013
A few days ago, the kanji of the year 2013 was announced in Japan. It is "輪 (wa)", means ring, circle, hoop or round. It seems like becoming the Olympic host 2020 affected Japan a lot this year. This...
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22nd of December is TOUJI in Japan
The 22nd of December is Touji (冬至) in Japan. This day has the longest night in a year and is one of Shijuu-sekki. In my house we would eat pumpkin and after dinner, I always had a bath with Yuzu (柚子)...
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Happy New Year 2014 – Akemashite Omedetou
明けましておめでとうございます。(Akemashite Omedetougozaimasu/Happy New Year) How did you start the new year? Did you see Hatsu Hinode (初日の出/ the first sunrise)? Did you see fireworks? Did you party? Wherever you...
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Why Japanese people eat Nanakusa-Gayu?
On the 7th of January, Japanese people traditionally eat Nanakusa-gayu, rice porridge with seven spring herbs. Main reason is to rest the stomach after eating Osechi Ryouri during the new year and to...
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Hatsu Geiko – The First Training
Article by James Rodriguez Many traditional Japanese art practitioners observe Hatsu Geiko (初稽古) in and outside Japan. It started in olden samurai times around the 15th century and adopted in...
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