Nerikuyo-eshiki Ceremony May 14th Legend has it that Princess Chujo was born to Toyonari Fujiwara, a powerful minister in the 8th century...

Uchiwamaki Toshodai-ji Temple, May 19th Temple bells toll and a crowd of worshipers scramble to catch and pick up heart-shaped uchiwa...

Japan’s new fiscal year is not yet a month old, new company employees are in training, and many schools are not yet in their second week...

According to the oldest collection of Japanese historical documents, the Nihonshoki (or Chronicles of Japan), the first sumo match took...

Todaiji, The Great Eastern Temple, is famous for its enormous Buddha statue and the hall that houses it, but did you know that Todaiji...

So ends the traditional song sung during Japan’s Tanabata Star Festival every summer. Based on the Chinese Qixi Festival, the Tanabata...

Who was that priest? Upon exiting Kintetsu Nara station, we find our eye drawn immediately to a rather unique fountain, shaped like an...

Bushido (武士道) translates to, “the way of the warrior,” and “samurai” means “one who serves.” Bushido was the samurai’s equivalent of...

There are 8 million deities in Japanese tradition but only 7 of them are revered as “The Gods of Good Fortune” or Shichifukujin in...

Often found either side of the gateways to Buddhist temples, Niō statues are placed there to protect the temple from evil spirits and...

Kabuto battle helmets and figurines of a boy riding a carp are displayed in the homes of families with children and colorful koinobori...

Dance teams in shishi lion costumes show off their skills, falconers demonstrate the beauty and prowess of their raptors, and the Emperor...

The freshness of the air, the scent of the earth, flowers and other plants, the rushing of a clear river and the sight of forested hills...

The role of government and the effects it has on our day to day lives is immeasurably important. The second holiday of Japan’s April 29th...

Emperor Hirohito, the Showa Emperor, was the last man to rule Japan from the Chrysanthemum Throne. The 29th of April, the first day of...