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Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu! Happy New Year! And welcome to the year of the rat. If you were born in 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, you were born in the year of the rat on the Chinese calendar. The Japanese also use the Chinese animal zodiac, so right now in Japan, people are preparing for the year of the rat. What kind of a year will it be? Rats are known … [Read more...] about Japan and the Chinese Calendar

Christmas is celebrated in Japan with pretty decorations and sparkling lights. And lots of them. Large displays of lights, called "Illuminations" are found throughout Japan in small cities as well as the larger ones. The larger cities bring in well-known designers from around the world to create original displays. Don't pass up these displays if you are traveling Japan during … [Read more...] about Christmas Illuminations

The most common question I get about Japan during December is: Do the Japanese celebrate Christmas? The answer is "Yes and no." The Japanese, who love anything sparkly with lights, could not resist importing Christmas. But since Japan is a Buddhist country and Christmas has no religious meaning to them, they imported only the fun parts. Almost everyone has a small, desktop … [Read more...] about Japanese Christmas

When you think of Japan , many different images may arise: sushi, anime, manga, Zen, etc. When you visit Japan, however, don't just see these things, experience them! Over the past decade, Japan has become much more hands-on, offering visitors a much truer Japanese experience. You can now learn Zazen meditation at a Zen temple in Kyoto, as well as learn the secrets to Japanese … [Read more...] about Hands-on Japan

If you'd like to see a festival but want to stay away from the crowds, check out Japan's hundreds of smaller local town matsuri or festivals. Almost every town has its own spring, summer or fall festival to celebrate harvests or the local Shinto gods. The best thing about these festivals is that you can actually participate in them rather than just taking pictures from the … [Read more...] about Finding Local Festivals in Japan