Japanese Culture

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.

There are 20 world heritage sites in Japan as of November 2019.

Introducing popular Japanese dishes such as "YAKI-TORI"(means 'grilled chicken') and "SUSHI", as well as "IZAKAYA" menus.

An ingredient that is always used in making dishes like clear soup, broths for soba and udon, and in cooking vegetables and fish is dashi.

The Nebuta Matsuri in Aomori Prefecture is one of the summer festivals that represents Japan's Tohoku region.

November 23rd is a public holiday in Japan called "Labor Thanksgiving Day".

Compared to cherry blossom viewing in spring, observing autumn leaves is referred to as momijigari "hunting for autumn leaves".

The festival that brightens up autumn in Takayama City in Gifu Prefecture is the Takayama Festival, which happens every 9th and 10th of October.

There is an event in Ota Ward, Tokyo, called "Shicchy's Charity Fair," which occurs twice a year in June and November, each spanning three days.

Nakano Broadway in Tokyo's Nakano Ward is known as an "otaku building" or "subculture haven"

Known as "Japan's kitchen," Tsukiji Market is split into the inner market and the outer market.

In the summer of 2020, both the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held in Tokyo.