Blogs edited and submitted by Chiho Kamioka

Hina Matsuri Hina Matsuri (or Girls' day or Doll's festival) is a celebration of the daughters of a house which falls on March 3rd in the Japanese cultural calendar. There are many traditions surrounding the festival including special types of food and drinks and some superstitions or beliefs that vary from area to area around Japan. But the most well-known point of the season is the decoration ...

Brain training There are many ways to increase brain power and concentration abilities. There was a fad a few years ago in Japan of using the Ninentendo DS game consol to train brain power, but this seems to have quickly died down now (as many quick fads do in Japan). Getting a good night's sleep, eating nuts, blue berries, and fish are well known and long established methods of keeping the bra...

World Expos in Japan World Expositions or World fairs are always exciting events. They vary in themes and styles depending on their aims and the countries they are held in. The 'first World Expo' was the “Great exhibition” held in The Crystal Palace in London in 1851 and this year the Expo 2015 will be held in Milan. Japan has held several expositions. In Osaka in 1970, Naha in 1975, Tsukuba in...

Reviving Japanese traditions There are so many old goods and past traditions in Japan that have long gone out fashion. Their uses have been replaced with modern gadgets and practices, and they are no longer practical. But the craftsmanship of the old goods is really a Japanese cultural treasure, and many people have started to recognize the value of these customs and have started to revive these...

Learning Japanese through TV Japanese TV has some gems among some of the ridiculous and seemingly repetitive products. These often end up running for generations with dedicated fans. Yokozuka sensei seems to be one of these fans ( and I admit to having a special place in my heart for the program she introduces below too !) Watching TV can be a great way to learn Japanese. There are many shows th...