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Tanabata - Festival of Star Crossed Lovers
Separated by the milky way, two star crossed lovers are only able to meet once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month based on the lunisolar calendar. The legend of Hikoboshi (the star known as Alter) and Orihime (the star known as Vega) has roots in China but has been associated [...]
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The Nihon Sun
Japan is often portrayed as simply a destination for sightseeing but there is a lot more to this county than temples, shrines, sumo and sushi. While there are, without a doubt, beautiful and breathtaking sights to behold, the centuries of history and the culture that they are built upon runs much deeper than any snapshot can portray.
The Nihon Sun will delve into this unique culture and present some of the country's great travel destinations and local events all while striving to provide you with additional information that will enrich your experience of Japan, whether you are visiting in person, virtually, or whether you make the county your home.
Please join The Nihon Sun on an exploration of Japan - read along, comment on the articles, don't forget to subscribe to the feed or get The Nihon Sun posts by email.
If you have any questions feel free to contact The Nihon Sun.
MORE GREAT ARTICLES
Travel
Fishing Tokyo’s Tama River It isn’t always necessary to travel far to have an outdoor adventure, even in the world’s most populated metropolis. For Tokyo area fisherman a unique angling opportunity can be just a couple of train stops or a short bicycle ride away. Tokyo’s Tama River spring run of Far Eastern dace is one of those opportunities.
The [...]
Food
Japanese Food - Great Choices & Questions of Sustainability In the past week there has been some great food news for travelers to Japan and other developments that could be confusing for those concerned about the impact of their food choices on the environment.
The good news is that for those travelers wanting to taste all of the great regional specialties in Japan a new [...]
Photo Gallery
1000 Paper Cranes & Colorful Ema Shrines in Japan offer up beautiful vignettes for visitors to enjoy at every turn. The torii (entrance gate) can be impressive, large and wooden like that at Meiji Jingu, multiple smaller ones in a distinctive red, or a single simple torii that humbly announces the presence of the shrine.
The path to the shrine itself is [...]
Reading Room
Zen Buddhism Explained in EnglishThe Linji lu, The Record of Linji, has been the essential text of Zen Buddhism for nearly a thousand years. This work is the first complete English translation of the Linji lu and will surely be a valuable resource to practitioners of Zen Buddhism and those interested in learning more about the history of [...]
Events
Bullfighting in Okinawa A bullfight in Okinawa is quite the spectacle - unlike bullfighting in Spanish speaking cultures, there is no Matador to face the bull; it is one bull challenging another and neither will be seriously injured or die in the event.
The bullfighting arena is a dome-shaped structure with open sides providing air circulation. A circular area [...]
History & Culture
Japanese Folk Art: Etegami Etegami is a Japanese folk art consisting of simple hand-painted drawings accompanied by a few apt words, and they are almost always done on postcards for quick and easy mailing. The basic concept has been around for a long time; the tradition of handmade New Years cards testifies to this. But the present day surge [...]
Lifestyle
Giving Thanks Japanese Style Giving thanks in Japan is an art form and one that can be hard to understand from a western perspective. There are a number of times each year when the Japanese show their thanks by giving gifts. They visit temples and shrines year round to say prayers and give thanks for their blessings and those [...]
