It’s a worldwide reality: facemasks are a scarce commodity these days. In places where masks are a prerequisite to venturing outside, people have even been...
In a time of COVID-19, when many feel helpless towards the invisible enemy, it can be tempting to just throw caution to the winds....
“Locals of Tottori Prefecture are eating pink curry.” This is the rumor that’s been going around, especially in Thailand. It all started from a...
It was March 3 at Awashima Shrine, just off the coast in Wakayama Prefecture. Hundreds of delicate female-shaped dolls, in typical Heian costume, were hoisted...
It’s important to look for the latest trends and most fashionable events. But sometimes we forget to appreciate those things which are just under...
We are entering March, which for students means only one thing: exam season. We all remember it, don’t we? The sleepless nights, the...
“Strawberry fields forever,” as the Beatles once wrote. Certainly in Japan, considering how little land there is to grow fruit and vegetables, there seems to...
The fire crackles in the chilly winter air and they gather around the warm embers of the flame. Who are “they,” you ask? Monkeys! ...
It was cold and sunny on February 3, but many braved the chilly weather anyway for a very specific event: Setsubun. Setsubun, which is...
As January draws to a close, the preparations for the Hina Matsuri on the third of March are underway, even though it may be in...
Sometimes, traditions have hidden histories to uncover. Other times, the origins can be surprisingly obvious and yet reveal how a traditional celebration has survived...
In Western culture, we normally think of the New Year as being the one big “hurrah” between the last day of the year and the...
