Would you like to get handy travel tips for Japan and learn more about Japanese culture, food, history, subcultures, daily life, and more? This information guide will help you out!
The period between early November to early December is a great time to come to Japan. You will see gorgeous panoramas that the changing leaves bring, and the tourist crowds are decidedly less compared to summer.
Around the end of May to early June, some people in Japan become a bit restless, and you might wonder why that is. It is because ‘taue’, the rice planting season, has started again!
To Japanese people, Osaka is known as the capital of gastronomy. Some of Japan’s most popular dishes were born and bred in Osaka and spread out into the rest of the country from here.
The national bird of Japan is the green pheasant, named ‘Kiji’ in Japanese. It was declared the National Bird in 1947. The Kiji has been featured in many legends, mythology, poetry, and paintings.
The national flag of Japan is officially called ‘Nisshoki’, which means ‘Flag of the Sun symbol’, although colloquially it is known as ‘Hinomaru’ which means ‘Circle of the Sun’. It is the most important symbol of Japan.
Chrysanthemums first came to Japan from China in the fifth century. Chrysanthemum cultivation began in Japan during the Nara and Heian periods (710-1185) when the flower was planted throughout Japan.
Tectonic activity doesn’t just bring earthquakes and volcanic eruptions with it, it also brings great natural hot spring areas where we can relax and get rid of all kinds of physical ailments.
Japanese writing consists of three systems, kanji, hiragana, and katakana. Here’s a simple overview of how the Japanese writing system works.
Kabuki theater is a popular performance art that you can only see in Japan. It is performed by only male actors, and traditionally the trade has mainly been inherited by sons from their fathers.
Tanka is uniquely Japanese poetry that was perfected at the beginning of the seventh century.
Japan has the oldest continuous monarchy in the world. According to mythology, the first Emperor of Japan, Emperor Jimmu, is descended from the Goddess of the Sun Amaterasu and he was enthroned in 660 BC.
The Danjiri Matsuri (float festival) in Osaka started in 1703. The festival was created by the Lord of Kishiwada Castle to pray for an abundant harvest, and it is still going strong today.