Tsukiji Market, or Tsukiji Fish Market as we know and love it, is scheduled to close up and move to a new location in Toyosu by November 2016. While this decision will most probably have a beneficial impact on the business itself, it is on the other hand sad news for anyone who loved the […]
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It was in the 12th Century, that Kamakura quickly became a city of both Japanese politics and culture, as influential as Kyoto, with the iconic Tsurugaoka Hachimangu temple at its center. Because of its influence, Kamakura gathered a powerful army and as such had to train its troops and samurais in the latest combat techniques […]
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Japanese lacquer is one of the most famous and amazing craftworks that one can enjoy or, better still, own. Most often delivered in a simple form like a bowl or a cup, Japanese lacquer is one of the most complex forms of craft, or shall we say art, that you can imagine. While Japan offers […]
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Hiroshima Okonomiyaki, also known as Hiroshimayaki, are among the most famous types of okonomiyaki you can find. While staying in Hiroshima, we decided to stop at the first okonomiyaki we found around the Okonomimura area and start shooting a short video for you, while our “chef’ cooked our “Japanese Pancake” in front of us. Now […]
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Located just 40 minutes away from Tokyo in Saitama City, the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum is the world’s first publicly run museum dedicated to bonsai art. With a collection boasting 100 bonsai masterpieces and bonsai-related artifacts such as bonsai pots, miniature landscape stones (called suiseki), books and woodblock prints, etc., tourists as well as bonsai […]
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Once a year in December, the famous Hikawa shrine in Saitama (north of Tokyo) holds the Toka Machi Market, the ‘10th day market’. This event coincides with the Daitosai, a ritual ceremony held at the Musashi Ichi-no-miya Hikawa Shrine on the 10th of December. It also plays host to over 1,300 street booths selling food […]
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Another very interesting attraction in Wajima is its Kiriko Hall exhibition. Kirikos are huge illuminated festival floats that light up the Noto peninsula city during the summer festival period from July to September, and then exhibited year-round in a dedicated museum located in Wajima city. If you are not fortunate enough to enjoy one of […]
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Mikoshi Parades are the gathering and demonstration of divine palanquins carried by Shinto followers. Extremely popular in Japan, every single little parish or ward hosts their own little matsuri (festival) each year, including these Mikoshi Parades. Like the rest of Japan, Shibuya is no exception and every third Saturday and Sunday of September, since 1092, […]
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Despite being one of Japan’s most famous martial arts, Aikido in its actual current form is a rather new sport that was founded in the 1930s at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo by Ueshiba Morihei (1883 – 1969). It wasn’t until after the second world war however, that Aikido really boomed and started to spread across […]
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English Shirakawa-Go would be just another pretty Japanese village if it was not for its world famous Gassho-zukuri farmhouses. True to their original design and nature, most Gassho-zukuri farmhouses in Shirakawa-Go are not more than 200 years old and are often renovated to make sure that their unique thatched roofs keep the farmhouse owners safe […]
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English Like any culture, dolls or ningyō, have been and are still very popular in Japan. Today we had the chance to share with you some of these gorgeous creations made by Fukuda-sensei, a Japanese doll master we had the chance to meet while exploring their creations and private collection in Tokyo. Unlike Europe for […]
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