Japanese sweets
There are many kinds of sweets to be found in Japan. From the traditional Wagashi which use local and unique ingredients, to sweets that were imported to Japan at various points of the Japanese history.
In this interesting blog about interesting sweets, Kaori Ishibashi, a Japanese teacher at JOI, introduces one type of sweets that sounds fun to make and delicious to eat.
Ishibas...
Rail transport in Japan
There are a very large number of train companies in Japan. The rail system in Japan was privatized in 1987 and the Japan Railways (JR Group) was established as a result.
There are 6 regional JR railway companies, JR Hokkaido, JR East, JR Central, JR West, JR Shikoku, and JR Kyushu, and also a freight railway company. And then there are many private rail companies that run...
Japanese pottery
Japanese pottery and porcelain are one of the oldest crafts and art forms in Japan. There are many kilns and famous districts for pottery which are distinguished by the differences in local clay and traditional techniques.
Since ceramics are held in high esteem due to their connection to the tea ceremony, the artistic traditions are well-funded and popular even among modern Japa...
Temples in Japan
There are many temples and shrines in Japan. Temples are part of the Buddhist religion and Shrines are part of the Shinto religion.
Some of these places of worship are very famous and have a lot of daily visitors for sight-seeing and praying. But others are less well-known but often have some interesting back story as to their origin or specialize in one aspect of life (like chi...
Japan's Working Style Reform' initiative
Japan has had a long tradition of lifetime employment policies and time-based wages. But with the Abe government's initiative to reform the work-life balance of the labour force, there have been some changes in the market.
In this blog for Japanese learners, Japanese teacher Ayako Suzuki talks about how these reforms could affect how people take their new...
