Japanese Culture

The ukiyo-e that were developed in the Edo period were the advertising posters, postcards, and book illustrations of their time.

Rakugo is an art of humorous storytelling that has been around for 400 years, since the Edo period. It is performed in an entertainment hall known as a "yose".

Buddha statues are objects worshipped in Buddhism.

The tea ceremony is a traditional way of serving tea and entertaining guests.

The gourmet floor tends to be underground, and is known as a "depachika". It is almost always the m

Founded in 1904, Itoya is a long-established stationery shop and a landmark in Ginza.

Kimonos are Japan's traditional national dress.

At first, castles were defensive bases, but later shoguns and samurai started living in them.

When sumo wrestling first became popular in Japan 1500 years ago, it was a ritual used to predict the outcome of crop harvests.

Kabuki is a traditional Japanese performing art that features music, dance, and drama.

Zazen is a practice found in Zen, one kind of Buddhism.

The Ninjas that often appear in Japanese period dramas were undercover fighters who were active from the Sengoku period to the Edo period.

Ameyoko is the name of a popular shopping street. It's about 400 meters long from JR Ueno Station to Okachimachi Station.

Prisons and Patriots provides a detailed account of 41 Nisei (second-generation Japanese Americans), known as the Tucsonians, who were imprisoned for resisting the draft during WWII. Cherstin Lyon parallels their courage as resisters with that of civil rights hero Gordon Hirabayashi, well known for his legal battle against curfew and internment, who also resisted the draft. These dual stories highlight the intrinsic relationship between the rights and the obligations of citizenship, particularly salient in times of war.

For shops, kanban (signboards) are an important landmark. Other objects that serve the same purpose that Japanese people are familiar with are noren (shop curtains with emblems), nobori (flags), and chochin (lanterns).

Japanese summer is not only hot but humid. For this reason, Japan has long had various tools and methods for cooling off in order to find comfort in the severe heat.

At one time in Japan, people ate nuts, fruit, and berries as snacks. It is said that this gave rise to what we now call confectionery.

Traditional Japanese houses are made of wood and their roofs are covered with tiles.

Tea leaves are made into green tea, black tea, oolong tea, and other types of tea by different processing methods. However, "tea" in Japan usually refers to green tea.

There are no specific rules for enjoying Japanese gardens.