Cuisine What is Osechi Ryōri, the Symbol of Japanese New Year?
What is Osechi Ryōri, the Symbol of Japanese New Year?On New Year’s morning in Japan, a set of tiered lacquered boxes is...
Cuisine 
Festivals & Traditions Joya no Kane – The Bell that Marks an Ending and a Beginning
Joya no Kane – The Bell that Marks an Ending and a BeginningOn New Year’s Eve in Japan, if you listen closely as the nig...
Cuisine Exploring the Flavors of Home – Hokkaido Edition
This article explores Hokkaido, one of Japan’s richest “food treasure houses,” through its local dishes – from Ishikari salmon hot pot and Jingisukan grilled lamb to soup curry, sweet corn, dairy products, zangi fried chicken and chanchan-yaki. It traces how climate, landscape and history are reflected in these everyday hometown flavors.
Philosophy What Is Japanese Mountain Worship? – Sacred Peaks and the Prayer of Yaoyorozu no Kami
Why have the Japanese long seen gods dwelling in mountains? From Jomon-era nature worship and Shugendo practice to the sacred presence of Mount Fuji, Dewa Sanzan, Hakusan, and the Kumano shrines, this article explores Japan’s tradition of mountain worship and its enduring culture of reverence for nature.
Festivals & Traditions Dancing Spirits: 400 Years of Memory in Awa Odori
Dancing Spirits: 400 Years of Memory in Awa OdoriEvery August, the heart of Tokushima City comes alive with a unique, el...
Philosophy Mindfulness in Zen｜Letting Go of Attachment and Returning to Mu
The state of mu (nothingness).It refers to a calm and tranquil state of mind in which attachment and selfish desires are...