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 more…

Best Japanese Snacks and Candies There’s no denying the global popularity of Japanese snacks, led primarily by a combination of quirkiness and unusual flavor pairings. With an dizzingying assortment of Japanese candy, chips, chocolate, and other more…

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 more…

Labor Thanksgiving Day Labor Thanksgiving Day (勤労感謝の日, Kinrō Kansha no Hi) is a national holiday in Japan celebrated on November 23 of each year. The law establishing the holiday cites it as an occasion to commemorate labor and production and give one other thanks more…

New Year In Japan New Year’s is celebrated in numerous ways by people living in different countries all around the world, and Japan is no exception. Within Japan itself, there are traditional and modern ways to ring in the new year, with everything from special decorations and more…

Culture Day in Japan Culture Day (文化の日, Bunka no Hi) is a national holiday held annually in Japan on November 3 for the purpose of promoting culture, the arts, and academic endeavor. Festivities typically include art exhibitions, parades, and award ceremonies more…

Shichi-Go-San (Seven-Five-Three Day) Shichi-Go-San (七五三, lit. “Seven-Five-Three”) is a traditional rite of passage and festival day in Japan for three- and seven-year-old girls and five-year-old (and less commonly three-year-old) boys, held annually on November 15 to celebrate the growth and more…

Respect for the Aged Day in Japan Respect for the Aged Day (敬老の日, Keirō no Hi) is a Japanese designated public holiday celebrated annually to honor elderly citizens. It started in 1966 as a national holiday and was held on every September 15. Since 2003, Respect for the Aged Day is held on more…

Autumnal Equinox Day Autumnal Equinox Day (秋分の日, Shūbun no Hi) is a public holiday in Japan that usually occurs on September 22 or 23, the date of Southward equinox in Japan Standard Time (autumnal equinox can occur on different dates for different time zones) more…

Hiroshima Memorial Day Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony is an annual Japanese vigil. Every August 6, “A-Bomb Day”, the city of Hiroshima holds the Peace Memorial Ceremony to console the victims of the atomic bombs and to pray for the realization of lasting world peace more…

Mountain Day in Japan In May 2014, it was announced that Mountain Day will be celebrated as a public holiday every August 11, beginning in 2016. Supporters of the holiday included legislator Seishiro Eto and the Japanese Alpine Club. They honor the mountains every August. The legislation states that the holiday is to provide “opportunities to get familiar with mountains and appreciate more…

Japan Sports Day Health and Sports Day (体育の日, Taiiku no hi), also known as Health-Sports Day or Sports Day, is a national holiday in Japan held annually on the second Monday in October. It commemorates the opening of the more…

Sea Day (Umi No Hi) Marine Day (海の日, Umi no Hi), also known as “Ocean Day” or “Sea Day”, is a Japanese national holiday usually celebrated on the third Monday in July. In 2020, the holiday will be observed on Thursday, July 23 more…

Torigoe Matsuri The Torigoe Matsuri is an annual festival in Tokyo known for being loud, lively, and intense. The main event that most people look forward to is when the largest omikoshi, portable shrine, is carried and paraded through the street. Occasionally fights to break more…

Star Festival (Tanabata) Tanabata (Japanese: たなばた or 七夕, meaning “Evening of the seventh”), also known as the Star Festival (星祭り Hoshi matsuri), is a Japanese festival originating from the Chinese Qixi Festival. It celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi more…

June Weather in Japan June is the start of summer in Japan. Average temperatures are high, and so are humidity levels, although not as intense as they’ll become in July and August. Average highs across most of Honshu more…

Yosakoi Soran Festival Started in 1992, the Yosako Soran Festival in Sapporo is a popular event filled with dancing. The event originally featured 10 teams of dancers, but now attracts 30,000 dancers on top of 200 million visitors! People more…

Takayama Festival (高山祭) Takayama Festival (高山祭) is held at the popular historic town in Japan Alps, Takayama city, Gifu Prefecture. It’s considered one of the three most beautiful festivals in Japan along with Kyoto’s Gion Matsuri and the Saitama’s Chichibu Yomatsuri. Takayama Festival is held more…

Hakata Dontaku Festival Hakata Dontaku Festival (博多どんたく) is one of the largest citizens’ festivals in Japan, held in the biggest city of Kushu region, Fukuoka City since 1962. The festival takes 2 days on 3rd and 4th May, during Golden Week holiday every year, attracting over 2 million more..

Cherry Blossom in Japan The cherry blossom (sakura) has been celebrated in Japan for many centuries and holds a very particular place in Japanese culture. Although there are many varieties of cherry trees in Japan, most bloom for just a couple of days in spring. The Japanese celebrate more…

Inuyama Matsuri (犬山祭り) Inuyama Festival (犬山祭) is held on the first weekend of April every year since 1635 at Inuyama city, Aichi prefecture. The highlight of this festival is the parade across the city by 13 gigantic, three-storied floats with the sound of Japanese flutes and drums. At night more…

Japan National Foundation Day National Foundation Day is a national holiday in Japan celebrated annually on February 11, celebrating the mythological foundation of Japan and the accession of its first emperor, Emperor Jimmu at Kashihara gū on 11 February 660 BC more…

Japanese Winter Foods Shabu-Shabu Shabu-shabu is a Japanese nabemono hotpot dish of thinly sliced meat and vegetables boiled in water and served with dipping sauces. The term is onomatopoeic, derived from the sound emitted when the ingredients are stirred more…

Start of Winter Season in Japan Japan’s winter season is December through February. Depending on what part of Japan you are traveling to, winter in Japan can be vastly different. Big cities such as Tokyo and Osaka generally experience short winters with cold but sunny days and an occasional more…

Best Places in Hokkaido Hokkaido is the second largest main island of Japan and the largest and northernmost prefecture. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu. It was formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso. The two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan more…

Famous Japanese Food You Must Try When most of us think about Japanese food, we automatically think about sushi or ramen. However, the truth is that Japan has an amazing, unique and varied cuisine that goes beyond just fish and rice. With this blog we will help you to have a more elaborated more…

November is the Best Time to Visit Tokyo November is a turning point in the autumn season when the trees are stunning shades of orange, yellow, and red. The weather has a slight chill, making it the perfect temperature for outdoor activities. During this month, the tourist season has died down just enough to more…

Seasons in Japan As Japan is a long collection of islands stretching out over thousands of kilometers, the climate varies considerably from the northern island of Hokkaido (summer mild and short; winters long with heavy snowfall) to the southern subtropical island of more…

Autumn in Japan (September to November) The tradition of momijigari has been popular since the Heian period (794-1195) and it has had a profound influence on Japanese culture. For Buddhists, it’s a moment that is important both spiritually and more…

PH-Japan labor cooperation pact signed The governments of the Philippines and Japan on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) providing better protection on the recruitment and deployment of Filipino workers to be hired under a new specified skills residency in Japan more…

Japanese Culture The culture of Japan has changed greatly over the millennia, from the country’s prehistoric Jōmon period to its contemporary modern culture, which absorbs influences from Asia, Europe, and North America. Strong 9,000-year-old ancient more…