
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!

Many people don’t know that tempura is actually not an original Japanese food and that it has a long history. Tempura was first made in Japan in the early Edo period when foreigners could barely enter Japan.

In Japanese culture, it is important not to waste any food, and the onigiri (rice ball) is a great example of how this goal is reached. Onigiri often features in home-made bento lunch boxes.

If you want to try something new in Japan that you can likely not find in your home country, you should give oden a try! It is not only delicious but also a healthy and low-calorie option.

In Japan, tofu has been a part of the menu for many centuries. The rest of the world is now also catching up, as there are great health benefits to eating tofu.

Kaiseki ryori is not just a meal, it is a quintessentially Japanese experience. Often served in ryokan as a part of your stay there, it is a multi-course high-end meal that tries to incorporate the locality and season as best as it can.

Udon and soba are two lesser-known types of noodles from Japan, even though they have deeper Japanese roots than the popular ramen noodles. What are udon and soba?

Just like most Japanese dishes based on meat, yakitori also doesn’t have a long history because Buddhism made eating meat a no-no. How did this locals’ favorite develop, and which variations are there?

Japanese cuisine is known for its mild but specific flavors, and miso (fermented soybeans) is one of its main components. Learn more about this versatile condiment!

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.

Ukiyo-e is a famous form of visual art from Japan. Ukiyo-e works are woodblock prints that depict scenes from Edo-period Japan. Learn more about these intriguing works of art!

The Japanese tea ceremony is called Chanoyu, Sado, or simply Ocha. It is a choreographed ritual of preparation and the serving of a type of Japanese green tea called matcha, along with traditional sweets to balance the bitter taste of the tea.

Bento is the Japanese word for a meal served in a box. Bentos form an integral part of Japanese food culture, which cannot be simply traced from a packed meal.

Kimono are traditional Japanese clothes that used to be worn on a daily basis until western-style fashion came to Japan. Today, the Japanese still wear kimono to official functions sometimes.

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.

The history of bonsai in Japan goes back to the 13th century, which was a time when Japan was very open to culture imported from China and bonsai was one of the imported art forms. Bonsai is a dwarf tree grown in a porcelain pot, and its purpose is to represent nature through the arrangement…

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.