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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Once you have familiarized yourself with with the variety of options for getting around in Japan the next issue that you will need to tackle is how to find everything.  While finding English maps online is not impossible, it can be a challenge especially if you are nowt following a predetermined route from a guidebook [...]

No arms, no legs, but a well know symbol of good luck in Japan, Daruma dolls were first made over 300 years ago at a temple in Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture in the likeness of Daruma, the Japanese name for Bodhidharma and the founder of Zen Buddhism who achieved enlightenment by staring at a blank [...]

A variety or rituals and rites are performed at Shinto shrine throughout Japan each year.  Many are associated with good luck, good health, prosperity and longevity.  Two such rites can be witnessed in Tokyo at the Torigoe Shrine on June 30th and July 1st.

Chinowa Kuguri
This tradition of passing through a straw or reed ring, Chinowa [...]

Got bad breath?  Get Gummi Mints!

Save your love life, don’t gross out your date with your gaseous expulsions - she just might pass out from the egregious odors emanating from your mouth!  The inset cartoon on this ad speaks volumes and I can’t even read Japanese well enough to translate it for myself or you…
I [...]

Planning a trip to Japan or even travel within Japan is an exciting proposition that can easily get thrown into disarray once you are on the ground.  One of the most common questions that we are asked in the Japan Discovered! weekly tweetchat goes something like this:  “I have X days in Japan, can I [...]

The bright red Togetsu Bridge connects Oshima Island (sometimes referred to as Ojima Island) to the town of Matsushima in Miyagi Prefecture.  After crossing the short but stunning red bridge take some time explore the small island’s rocky terrain along winding paths that take you past more than fifty caves carved into the rock containing [...]