君が代は 【Kimiga-yo-ha(wa)】千代に、八千代に 【Chiyo-ni Ya-chiyo-ni】さざれ石の 【Sazare-ishi-no】巌となりて 【iwao-to-narite】苔のむすまで 【kokeno-musu-made】 These are the all lyrics of our national anthem 君が代 (kimigayo).It was writ…

In a Japanese garden, you happen to see small trees planted in pots or on trays and placed on a shelf.These trees must know a lot of history of this place because some of them have been living for more than 500 years. One has a sign that s…

What happens when the emperor passes away? Forgive me for my impudent remark.However, it is actually important for people in Japan. That's because the passing of our emperor has huge impact on our lives. You ask me how? How the passing of …

Everything that starts has an end. At the end of お盆 (obon ) we hold an event called 灯籠流し ( To-ro-nagashi ).This is to send back ancestral spirits to the other world. 灯籠 ( To-ro or 'Candle-lit lantern') is written on with a name of …

For my biggest LOVE.We've opened the gate to welcome you back.Miss you...From the bottom of my heart <3 Above was a comment on Facebook that I posted with a picture the other day.It was for my beloved grandfather who passed away two years …

I have a place I often recommend foreign friends visit.It's called 八芳園 ( Happouen ), a luxury hotel in Tokyo. It has a very beautiful Japanese garden with a Bonsai exhibition and a 茶室 ( chashitsu or 'house for the green tea ceremony')…

Bang, bang, bang...I wake up in the morning to the high pitch sounds of hammers hitting...It seems neighbors are building a long gutter made of split bamboo for 流しそうめん ( nagashi-soumen ). そうめん ( soumen ) are very thin noodles mad…

One day, I was in abroad with non-Japanese friends...One of my friends jokingly asked me, " Have you ever seen harakiri?" " Ah...yeah...my dad did it..." I answered it with a small voice and a grief-stricken face.An awkward silence filled …

Are you wondering what to bring for friends as souvenirs from Japan? だるま ( daruma ) can be an option. A daruma is a doll, without arms or legs, with a round body and a predominating face painted on it. It has strong features; bold eyebr…

Don't forget to pray when you visit a Shinto shrine! There are tablets hanging on boards or strings and spread on a frame. Those are called 絵馬 (ema). We write a wish on one side of the tablet, and if you turn it over, you see a picture.T…

Do you know what Hashi means? Perhaps it's written as 橋 ( bridge ) or 箸 ( chopsticks ).Nowadays it has different characters and accents. The sound of Hashi originally meant "connection". 橋ーBridge is a connection from one bank to anothe…