Gion Festival (祇園祭 – Gion Matsuri) is the biggest and most famous festival in Japan. This annual event is held in Kyoto for the entire month of July, the highlight of the festival is on July 17th. The parade on July 17th, consists of two kinds of floats, there are 25 yama floats and 7…

Ikukunitama Shrine Ikutama shrine is located at Ikutamamachi, Tennoji-ku, Osaka. The shrine burnt in the 8th year of the Tensho Period (1580) during the Ishiyama battle. It was moved to the current location when Hideyoshi built the Osaka Castle in the 11th year of the Tensho Period. Ikutama shrine has an annual summer festival on…

Japanese have many kinds of games, such as board games, card games and word games. Today, I want to talk about some word games that can usually be found in anime or manga. Japanese use kana to play with words or phrases, and pronunciation. There are some Japanese word games that you should get to…

Tenjin Matsuri (天神祭) is one of the three popular festivals alongside the Sanno Festival in Tokyo and Gion Festival in Kyoto. It is also the biggest summer festival in Osaka and is an annual event held on 24-25 of July. Tenjin Matsuri is an ancient event that first took place in 951 as purification rites…

There are many reasons why people love kittens. Be it their fluffy ears, cute voice, a sleepy face or a habit of rolling on the floor. Though taking care of cats is necessary, it is not easy. Feeding, bathing and giving them medicine takes a lot of time. If you don’t have time for that…

Bamboo Groves blogs.c.yimg.jp/ Bamboo is the fastest-growing plant on Earth (Based on reports, it can grow 250 cm in 24 hours), used as a building material and considered to be a forestry product. Moreover, bamboo is used as a product for handicraft by the creative people. Bamboo can reach 30 metres in height and a…

Aoi Matsuri Aoi Matsuri (葵祭) is one of the three most famous and graceful festivals in Kyoto, held by two Kamo shrines in the north of city- Shimogamo Shrine and Kamogamo Shrine. This festival is held each year on 15th of May. There are about 500 people dressed in elegant ancient costumes wearing traditional make-up.…

One day when I watched the anime “Clannad”, so I listened to a cute song as it was the ending of the first season. The name of the song is “Dango Daikazoku” (literally it mean the great Dango family) sung by Chata. I liked it so much and it remembers me how much Japanese love…

Talking about a refreshing atmosphere, there is a popular place in Shinjuku you can escape to while getting stressed from the routine of the city. It is Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden (新宿御苑 – Shinjuku Gyoen). This is one of the largest parks in Tokyo located just a short walk from Shinjuku Station. Until the end…

“Tori no Ichi” Fair is an annual event on the day of Tori (Rooster) that was established in November in Chinese calendar. This event has begun in the Edo Era and you can still see it to our days. The day of Tori comes every 12 days. And ordinally, the first day of the Tori…