Birthdays in Japan
Did you know that Japanese people didn't celebrate birthdays traditionally? New Year's Day was believed to be the time when everyone aged another year so the importance of individual birthdays was introduced into the culture as the nation became more westernized.
Now in modern Japan though, birthdays are often celebrated with cake and presents. Many people go out to eat at res...
Spring in Japan
Japan is often said to be a land of four seasons. But there are actually a lot stages of the seasons including early, mid and late seasons.
With early spring in the air, there are a lot of indications of the changing of the season, apart from the gradually warming days. There are special fruits and vegetables that become edible at this time, and there are plants and animal reacti...
Japanese knives
Japanese knives have a cult following by chefs all over the world. There are many brands and famous artisans that have a long history of cutlery making.
Many people travel to Japan to purchase the perfect knife, and they also do the rounds of international fairs too. If they are well-maintained they can last a lifetime, as Osaka resident and Japanese teacher Emi Sakude finds out....
Hokkaido wildlife
Hokkaido in the northern Japan is one of the places in the country with the most national parks. You can find various animals and plant life much of which is native only to this island.
In this blog, Japanese teacher Sayuri Itaya introduces one of the smallest and cutest animals in Hokkaido. It is so cute, it is featured in many Hokkaido products recently.
Listen to Itaya sens...
Japanese school lunches
There is a lot written about Japanese school lunches. It is one way in which this country’s systems are being emulated around the world The nutritional content is well-balanced and the portions are equal.
Yet during the pandemic, there have been some interesting changes to the meals. In this blog for Japanese language learners, Japanese teacher Chie Eguchi tells us of som...
