Fine arts are deeply ingrained part of the Japanese culture. While I lived in Japan I saw Bunraku, Noh, and Kabuki theatre performances. My favourite was kabuki. What is Kabuki? Kabuki is one of the traditional performing arts in Japan. It's a stylized production that can be loud, over-the-top at times, but always good drama. Imagine watching your favourite drama acted out in front of you in person with enthusiasm. Kabuki has a long history, and the performers are revered as movie ... read more
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J Is For J-Pop: A-Z of Japan
When I went to Japan I did not know that J-Pop was a thing, but since leaving Japan it has become more mainstream around the world. I was there from 2001-2003 and I must say, 2002 was an exceptionally great year for many Japanese musicians and you can still find several in the charts today. In Japan it is more expensive to buy Japanese music than it is to buy imported music, which is a real shame because I wanted to stock up but I couldn't realistically spend so much on CDs. However I do ... read more
I Is For Iya Valley: A-Z of Japan
After I had been teaching in Japan for five months it was time for a little retraining in Okayama. Following this time I had a couple of days off so I took full advantage of being nearby, so I headed off to the island of Shikoku. In particular, the Iya Valley, which I had seen in my trusty Lonely Planet. Takamatsu I had my base in Takamatsu for my first night I wondered about the city, watched the sailboats as the sunset near the iconic red lighthouse. I love Takamatsu as it's so ... read more
H is For Hi-Watari (Firewalking): A-Z of Japan
I have many "most memorable" moments from my time in Japan and hi-watari was one of them. I found out that there would be a fire walking event on one of my weekdays off work, so of course I just had to go watch...and never did I imagine I would take part! Hi-watari isn't something that everyone does, but since I had the opportunity to travel to the town it was something that I really wanted to see. Fire walking has been done for hundreds of years to burn out wickedness and purify ... read more
Teru Teru Bozu: a Japanese Good Weather Doll
June in Japan is known as the rainy season, and I can attest first-hand that it is true. The rain in June was incessant and it honestly seemed to rain 24 hours a day, which when mixed with warm to hot temperatures day and night, led to such high humidity that it was a difficult month for me...the warning of a possible typhoon approaching should have been bad; but for me the increased winds meant a reprieve of the heat. But one can't control the weather...or can they...? With a Teru teru bōzu ... read more
Modern Japanese Short Stories
I began to read Modern Japanese Short Stories a wee while ago, but as life tends to do, I became busy and the holidays came and went, but now I am beginning to get things better organised and am finding a little time once again to set aside for my own personal reading - yay! I've really missed reading for pleasure, and I'm slowly but surely working my way through my stack of books in my bedside shelves. I'm sure I've already read more this year than the previous year (or more). That makes me a ... read more
A-Z of Japan: G is for Gaijin
Next up in my A-Z of Japan (Fuji-san was last), is G is for Gaijin. In Japan the word gaijin means , outsider, as in a foreigner, usually from the Western world. It was introduced to me in Japan on the first morning of my training there. Sometimes it's rather derogatory in manner and sometimes it can be a badge of honour, depending on the context. Gaijin Stand Out I was very obviously a gaijin when I lived in Japan; from my skin colour, my hair colour, and my eye colour, there was ... read more
Learn Japanese Nursery Rhymes
Japanese and English Nursery Rhymes: Carp Streamers, Falling Rain, and Other Favorite Songs and Rhymes by Danielle Wright and illustrated by Hellen Acraman is a cute and fun book (with free audio CD included) for young children. This post may contain affiliate links through which I may receive a small commission. Thank you to Tuttle Publishing for sending us a copy of Japanese and English Nursery Rhymes to enjoy and review. In addition to the book and audio CD, it also includes ... read more
Cute and Elegant Japanese Note Cards
It's always great to have a stack of blank cards around as they can be used for any occasion at all from birthdays to thank yous, to "Hi, how are you?" This has been a very busy year for us, and I've had so many thank yous to write, so I was very happy to receive these Japanese note cards and be able to share them with you. For the more mature recipient, Geisha photographs are elegant and for the younger crowd, Japanese Cats are adorable. This post may contain affiliate links through ... read more
Japanese Picture Dictionary Review
Since meeting up with a high school friend recently, we've decided to try to do some long-distance learning of Japanese Kanji together, and although we're still working out the finer details of how to do this, I thought this would be a good time to review the Japanese Picture Dictionary that we currently have on our bookshelf. This post may contain affiliate links through which I may receive a small commission. Tuttle Publishing kindly sent us a copy of Japanese Picture Dictionary, written ... read more
Japanese Cranes And Hokusai Prints Note Cards
Note cards are so handy to have around as you never know when something will come up that you may need one, and right now I'm loving these two Japanese sets that have just been published: Hokusai Prints and Japanese Cranes. They're pretty and versatile so that you can use them for just about every occasion. This post may contain affiliate links through which I may receive a small commission. Tuttle Publishing kindly sent us a set of Hokusai Prints and Japanese Cranes note cards to ... read more
A Geek in Japan: A Great Book For Japanophiles
If you'd like to know more about Japan, A Geek In Japan: Discovering The Land of Manga, Anime, Zen, and The Tea Ceremony, written by a foreigner who has lived there for 15 years, is the book for you! It's packed full of just about every question about modern Japan that you could think of. This post may contain affiliate links through which I may receive a small commission. Tuttle Publishing kindly sent us a copy of A Geek In Japan to review. This is the revised and expanded edition ... read more
