culture
The traditions behind Japanese knife-making go back thousands of years. What began as powerful katana (swords) yielded by the fiercest samurai (warriors) evolved into kitchen knives and everyday cookware as Japan opened up to Western trade in the 1850s. Despite the move from swords, craftsmen applied the same techniques, materials and knowledge to make the best knives. To own a Japanese knife is to have a tangible piece of history. Musashi Japan is the perfect place to look if you want to invest in your first Japanese knife. As a brand, it strives to keep traditional knife-making techniques al...
GaijinPot
Hanabi (fireworks) are a feature of summer in Japan. Whether it’s the shelves stocked with fireworks big and small to use at your next barbecue or one of the many firework festivals held during the hottest months, fireworks are a quintessential part of the Japanese summer. The literal translation of hanabi (花火) is flower fire from the characters 花 (flower) and 火 (fire). Although its Japanese name conjures up the image of a fantastic flower burning in the sky, the word is a useful starting point to explore fireworks’ historical and cultural significance in Japan. In this post, we’ll discuss the...
GaijinPot
Summer is Japan’s spooky season when people enjoy sharing ghostly tales, superstitions and scary urban legends for chilling goosebumps. Obon, in August, is particularly spooky because it is when the spirits of the deceased return to the world of the living. But some tales are not just stories. The country has its fair share of unsolved mysteries, from cold murder cases to disappearances that seem almost supernatural. Here are seven of the creepiest real-life mysteries from Japan. 1. The Setagaya Family MurderOn the night of December 30, 2000, four members of the Miyazawa family were brutally m...
GaijinPot
One of Tokyo’s most important shrines, whose existence dates back to the Kamakura period, is located on a small hilltop of Nagatacho. Despite being at the heart of one of the world’s busiest cities, the surrounding greenery fills this Shinto shrine with peace and tranquility. It has a special connection to the Tokugawa clan. When Lord Ieyasu Tokugawa made Edo Castle his residence, Hie jinja (shrine) was revered as the “protector of the Tokugawa family.” Home to one of Tokyo’s biggest festivalsThe enshrined deity of Hie shrine is called Oyamakui no Kami (the guardian and protector of the city o...
GaijinPot
When you hear the word yokai(strange apparition), the first thing that might pop into your head is a turtle-looking kappa or the shapeshifting kitsune fox. Many of the creatures, ghosts and ghoulies you’ve heard of in Japan can fall under the umbrella term yokai. In Japanese (妖怪), yokai refers to something strange, mysterious or unexplained. Before contact with China, the Japanese yokai were formless and obtuse, much like Japanese gods, demons and assorted deities. However, yokai grew popular during the Edo period when Toriyama Sekien wrote his book Night Procession of One Hundred Demons, whic...
GaijinPot
Tucked away in the forests of Mount Koshio, Oharano Shrine is a green retreat less than an hour away from Kyoto Station. Also known as Kyoto Kasuga, the shrine is a small piece of Nara in a Kyoto mountain suburb. The 83,000 square meter forest property offers gentle walking trails and a peaceful respite from the regular Kyoto crowds. A Branch of Nara’s Famous Kasuga TaishaIn 784 AD the then Emperor, Kanmu, moved the capital from Nara to Nagaoka-kyo. There, his Empress consort, Fujiwara no Otomuro, established Oharano Shrine. It was a place to worship her clan’s deities, enshrined at Kasuga Tai...
GaijinPot
When thinking of Japanese art and artists, our minds tend to follow the usual suspects, such as Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, Hokusai’s views of Fuji, the writings of Haruki Murakami and collections of Haiku poetry. However, Japan’s artistic traditions have been shaped by many artists that have yet to receive as much international attention. Here are five Japanese artists you probably haven’t heard of and where to start if you want to know more. 1. Sion SonoSuicide Club, Love Exposure and Why Don’t you Play in Hell? are niche but successful movies made by the brashest auteur to ever come from Japa...
GaijinPot
Since Chinese immigrants first modified their noodles for Japanese locals in Yokohama Chinatown in the early 20th century, ramen has spread throughout Japan, with each area changing it to suit local tastes. This has given us the basic soups of shoyu (soy sauce), shio (salt), miso and tonkotsu (pork bones), plus all manner of variations, from toppings to the consistency of the noodles themselves, While local varieties have become popular nationwide, like Tokyo’s shoyu, Sapporo’s miso and Fukuoka’s tonkotsu “Hakata ramen,” there’s a lot more out there. And while you might find a shop serving reg...
GaijinPot
Despite being cute, relatively unassuming animals, rabbits and hares are found in the myths and tales of a surprising number of countries. From the ancient Greek tales of the foolish hare losing a race to a tortoise because of its arrogance to the cunning trickster rabbits of Native American culture, the carrot-munching creatures are found throughout the world’s cultures and lore. Of course, Japan is no exception; in these isles, the lovable furballs symbolize longevity, good luck and prosperity. In this, the year of the rabbit, GaijinPot goes down the rabbit hole and looks at five ways that t...
GaijinPot
At portent times such as the new year, Japanese people often wait in long lines at shrines to draw a special kind of fortune known as an omikuji (御神籤). In the past before significant events, lots would be drawn to determine whether the venture would be blessed by the spirits. The final part of the word, kuji meaning a lottery, is apt as omikuji involves drawing a numbered stick from a container. The number refers to the fortune you will be given and how much luck you will receive. These days, other styles also exist, ranging from the relatively common pulling a folded piece of paper from a con...
GaijinPot
閲覧を続けるには、ノアドット株式会社が「プライバシーポリシー」に定める「アクセスデータ」を取得することを含む「nor.利用規約」に同意する必要があります。
「これは何?」という方はこちら