Like this post? Help us by sharing it! If you’re hoping to find a unique souvenir to buy in Japan, look no further! A temple stamp book is a great way to remember your trip. It’s pretty much impossible to have a holiday in Japan without stumbling into a Buddhist temple at some point during […]
Culture & History
Nikko is Nippon
Like this post? Help us by sharing it! I remember a particular and inescapable JR promotional travel poster from years back. Unlike other advertisements, the deceptively simple message was actually more striking than the beautiful image. Three simple words: Nikko is Nippon. Beating like a drum as you marched through any and every train station […]
Tea with a Maiko
Like this post? Help us by sharing it! On my recent trip to Japan, I had the privilege of having tea with a trainee geisha, commonly known as a Maiko. Despite having lived in Japan for 3 years, my knowledge of this world was fairly limited. So it was with nervous excitement that I approached […]
Japanese Tea Ceremony Etiquette
Like this post? Help us by sharing it! A Japanese tea ceremony is about tea only on its surface. From the positioning of guests to the cleaning of the tools to the scooping of the loose-leaf tea, everything has significance. The deeper purpose of the tea ceremony is appreciation – of the items served, of […]
Temples and the Darkside
Like this post? Help us by sharing it! Travelling into the mountains of Nagano on the Japan Unmaksed trip, we stay at a great place – Zenkoji temple in Nagano. Zenkoji is a beautiful temple and one of the most important in the prefecture. It is also the only one in Japan run by two […]
Dr. Kanji – Japanese language master of mystery
Like this post? Help us by sharing it! After a long absence, the mysterious Dr. Kanji returns with musings about the Japanese language and comments on its use and evolution in the modern Japanese language that we can read, write and hear today ….but who is this doctor of the Chinese character? The mystery of […]
Like this post? Help us by sharing it! After a long absence, the mysterious Dr. Kanji returns with musings about the Japanese language and comments on its use and evolution in the modern Japanese language that we can read, write and hear today ….but who is this doctor of the Chinese character? The mystery of […]