Category Archives: Japan

Can I Travel To Japan Now? February 2023

Japan is finally open! Travelers from most countries can now enter Japan without applying for a visa in advance. Here are all the details on visa-free travel, vaccination and Covid test requirements. Situation Summary Last Update: January 23, 2023 (this page will be updated as needed) On January 20, Prime Minister Kishida announced that Japan will downgrade Covid to the

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Most Beautiful Places in Japan

Japan is easily one of the most stunning places in the world. The country offers a full range of nature and culture, from subtropical beaches to snowy mountains, futuristic skylines to ancient temples. And while you could spend a lifetime exploring all of the splendidly whimsical islands and cities, we suggest you start with this list. Ask anyone who has visited, and they’ll

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Kawaii Influence On Other Cultures

In recent years, Kawaii products have gained popularity beyond the borders of Japan in other East and Southeast Asian countries, and are additionally becoming more popular in the US among anime and manga fans as well as others influenced by Japanese culture. Cute merchandise and products are especially popular in other parts of East Asia, such as mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and South Korea, as well as Southeast Asian countries including the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

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KAWAII Aesthetics

Soichi Masubuchi (増淵宗一, Masubuchi Sōichi), in his work Kawaii Syndrome, claims “cute” and “neat” have taken precedence over the former Japanese aesthetics of “beautiful” and “refined”. As a cultural phenomenon, cuteness is increasingly accepted in Japan as a part of Japanese culture and national identity. Tomoyuki Sugiyama (杉山奉文, Sugiyama Tomoyuki), author of Cool Japan, believes that “cuteness” is rooted in Japan’s harmony-loving culture, and Nobuyoshi Kurita (栗田経惟, Kurita Nobuyoshi), a sociology professor at Musashi

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Kawaii Culture of Japan

Kawaii is the culture of cuteness in Japan. It can refer to items, humans and non-humans that are charming, vulnerable, shy, and childlike. Examples include cute handwriting, certain genres of manga, and characters including Hello Kitty and Pikachu. The cuteness culture, or kawaii aesthetic, has become a prominent aspect of Japanese popular culture, entertainment, clothing, food, toys, personal appearance, and mannerisms. Etymology The word kawaii originally derives from the phrase  kao hayushi, which literally

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Japan Golf Tour

The Japan Golf Tour is a prominent golf tour. It was founded in 1973 and as of 2006 it offers the third-highest annual prize fund out of the regular (that is not for seniors) men’s professional tours after the PGA Tour and the European Tour. However, since the early 1990s, the growth in prize money has not kept pace with that on the two larger tours. Official

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Japanese Martial Arts

Japanese martial arts refer to the variety of martial arts native to the country of Japan. At least three Japanese terms are used interchangeably with the English phrase Japanese martial arts. The usage of term budō to mean martial arts is a modern one and historically the term meant a way of life encompassing physical, spiritual and moral dimensions with a focus of self-improvement, fulfillment or personal growth. The terms bujutsu and bugei have different meanings from budo, at least

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