One surprise was sakura jelly, consisting of pale pink jelly with a whole, open sakura flower inside. It caught my eye for being one of the...
Diversity is a starting point, not a goal. As long as we have respect for one another we can discuss our differences, find common ground, and...
~Mishima’s “coup d'état” left a tremendous impact on the Japanese people~ 50 years ago, writer Tatsuro Dekune worked at a used bookstore in downtown...
The initiative, involving more than 4,500 poems, needs several hundred million yen to accomplish. It offers unequaled access to the spirit of the Japanese people in...
~Human life is limited, but I want to live forever~ Bookmark is a JAPAN Forward feature that gives you long reads for the weekend. Each edition...
In Japan, each season has its own distinct set of dishes and individual flavors. Largely influenced by the fresh ingredients available at specific times...
It’s September again! Perched on the southern tip of Japan’s main Honshu island, Taiji has long been a whaling base. But it is best...
Bookmark is a JAPAN Forward feature that gives you long reads for the weekend. Each edition introduces one overarching thought that branches off to a...
In my youth, my introduction to Japanese swords (as with many other people) was via martial arts, Akira Kurosawa movies, and my discovery...
Throughout Japan, the ever-popular festivals and summer traditions have continued to be limited in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic. This is exactly the time...
Flower petals fall, but the flower endures. The form perishes, but the being endures ー a saying of Buddhist philosopher Kaneko Daiei. Originally written...
For a half-century, Japanese whalers have been stalked by controversy. The target of an endless assortment of anti-whaling protests, groups, campaigns, lawsuits, boycotts, and dramatic...
