Language Culture

Now from Peter Funk, the Reader's Digest word columnist and the bestselling author of Word Power, comesUpsize Your Word Power, teaching you the fastest and easiest way to expand your vocabulary: the use of synonyms. Synonyms are a sound and often overlooked way to build vocabulary. With...

Nagashi-bina is a tradition of floating paper dolls downriver to pray for the health of young childr

The Aoi Matsuri (Hollyhock Festival) held every year on May 15th is one of the three major festivals

Among the many types of egg cuisines, tamagoyaki is said to be one of Japan's unique household dishes. It is also known as atsuyaki tamago.

Umeboshi are a type of pickle made from ume (plums) fruits that are dried in the sun after being salted and soaked in ume vinegar.

Tsukemono is a kind of food, mostly vegetables, that has been pickled in salt, rice bran, miso, or something else.

The Shirakami Mountain Range is spread across Aomori and Akita Prefectures and spans over 1,000 mete

Tori-no-Ichi (day of the rooster), held at Otori shrines across Japan every November, is a festival where people wish for good fortune and thriving business for the coming year.

In addition to sashimi and sushi, there are various ways of eating and preparing fish, such as grilling, boiling, salting, fermenting, drying, smoking, and pulping into a paste.

Ryoanji Temple, Tenryuji Temple, and Saihoji Temple are Zen temples in the area called Rakusai in Ky

Kamakura in Kanagawa Prefecture is a popular tourist destination where you can feel the charm of the

Hiraizumi in Iwate Prefecture was the political, economic, and cultural center of the Tohoku region

Hokkaido is Japan’s northernmost and largest prefecture. 北海道は日本最北、最大の都道府県です。広さは日本一ですが、人口密度の低さも日本一。そ

The Gion Matsuri, held over one month in July every year in Kyoto, is one of the three biggest festi

Along with the Gion Matsuri, one of the events representing the summer in Kyoto is Gozan Okuribi (th

Yakisoba is a noodle dish created by frying steamed Chinese noodles with meat and vegetables.

The onigiri (rice ball) is a simple dish consisting of a compacted ball of rice with some ingredients placed inside.

The Golden Gai area in Tokyo's Kabukicho, in Shinjuku Ward, is home to many restaurants and bars. ゴ

Jutting out into the Sea of Okhotsk, Shiretoko is the southernmost place in the world where drift ice can be seen.

The Genbaku Dome is an atomic-bomb-damaged building in the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima City.