Yamayaki: Setting A Mountain Ablaze

Every year, Mt. Mikasayama in has been set ablaze in a long deeply set Japanese tradition. This mountain was once a volcano, but is no longer active. The burning of this mountain may be experienced at the Nara Yamayaki festival, which is held each year to celebrate the new year on the fourth Saturday in […]

Fooding Tourism

In the article I read, I have discovered that tours that step away from the norm of tourism in Japan exist. While visiting Tokyo and Kyoto and the like remain on my list of places to visit, no matter where I might travel, I always want to see a less “tourist-y” side of a country. […]

Akihabara (秋葉原): Japan’s Otaku Central

Akihabara is the common name for the area around the Akihabara Station in the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo, Japan. It once served as a way between Edo and northwest Japan and was home to many craftsmen, tradesmen, and low class samurai. Nowadays, it is known as Tokyo’s famed electronics sector full of lovers of manga, anime, […]

Okunoshima “Rabbit Island”

This Is Real Life In Okunoshima Usagi Jima ウサギ島, “Rabbit Island” Okunoshima is a small island in the Japanese prefecture of Hiroshima. It is 173 acres, which I have calculated is roughly the size of 133 American football fields. This island is now highly populated by a growing bunny community, and is attracting many tourists. The […]

The History of Japanese Tattooing

The earliest indication of Japanese tattooing as a practice was markings and symbols on the face and body that date back to about 5.000 BC. However the first written record didn’t appear in Japan, but in China where it was described that young and old men would tattoo their faces in decorative ways. The Chinese […]

The Kanjozoku

The Kanjozoku is Osaka’s legendary street racers. There is alot of secrets behind Osaka’s underground street car culture. For the last 30 years, Honda car enthusiasts have been driving on a set of highways in Osaka called the Kanjo Loop. In the daytime, it is just like any other highway for everyone else. When night […]

Japanese Food Trends

When we think of food in Japan, we all probably tend to think of the same foods; ramen or sushi or drinks like sake. There is so much more to the Japanese food culture! I would like to discuss two of the hottest food trends currently taking Japan by storm. The first is a very […]

Happy to Meet You ^_^

Hey, everyone! I’m Ariellah, and I am thrilled to be learning more about Japanese culture! Thanks to my older brother, I grew up enamored by the Studio Ghibli films, which were my first introduction to Japanese culture. Since then, my love for mochi has grown, I have found my favorite ramen combo, and I want […]

Konnichiwa!

My name is Taylor. I’m a Japanese major. Japan has always been a country of interest to me because of my exposure to anime, manga, Japanese martial arts (mainly Kendo), and various Japanese products. What I already knew I had a passion for became even more prevalent during the summer of 2016 when I marched […]

Yo! What’s up!

My name is Stephen Faircloth, my major is Graphic Design and minor is Mass Communications. Anime, manga, and JDM car culture got me interested in Japanese stuff. I wanted to officially take classes and really get to know what Japan is all about.