Fireworks, Deceased Spirits, and Teruteru-bōzu

In the UK, fireworks are associated with autumn/winter, specifically Bonfire Night/Guy Fawkes Night on November 5th as well as s…

Keeping Monster Mosquitoes at Bay: Katori-senkō and Katori Shingo

A mosquito coil 10 pack Back in the day when I spoke only broken Japanese - I arrived in Japan in 1992 knowing little more than k…

Extremely Hot Days and Tropical Nights: Keeping Cool during the Fierce Japanese Summer

Weather forecast from the July 9th Yomiuri Shimbun © The official end of the rainy season ( tsuyu ake =梅雨明け) has just been annou…

Unmanned Vegetable Stalls: Reflection of a Honest Society?

A mujin-hanbai - jō unmanned vegetable kiosk Central Tokyo may be a bustling concrete jungle but over in Western Tokyo we're…

Entry Prohibited! Remembering Kanji through Everyday Signs

Tachi-iri kinshi (no entry) Returning from a trip to the UK, I will never forget the moment I reached my one-room apartment in J…

Snake Road and the Last Shogun: Tokyo Nostalgia Part 2

Kannonji Temple's Tsuiji-bei old mud wall After visiting the Shitamachi Museum I was curious to see how much of the "ol…

The Japanese Character: Courteous or Short-tempered?

One of the most common images of the Japanese, both inside and outside Japan, is that they are courteous ( reigi-tadashii =礼儀正しい…

Torii Gates - Big and Small

Motoki no Ishi Torii (left) in Yamagata City Everyone is familiar with the traditional Japanese gate or torii (鳥居） most commonly …