Randoseru is the iconic Japanese school bag which can often be seen sported by elementary school children. The bags are sturdy and large, and they are used to store books and stationery to bring to school. You may even see them sported in comic books such as Doraemon. Just recently, Lexus released this new and…

Japan produces many premium variants of strawberries such as the white strawberries, Aiberry and Skyberry. As of March 2015, there are now about 253 luxury variants of strawberries in Japan! 1. Hatsukoi no Kaori View this post on Instagram White strawberry♡ I will have this every spring in Japan but this year I don't get…

The konnyaku (konjac) plant is also known as the Devil’s Tongue plant. Konnyaku is made from the core of this plant. Even though it is barely eaten in the West, it has been eaten for about 1500 years in Japan. Not too surprising, as it is proven to be beneficial to your health and although…

‘Seppuku’ (widely known as ‘Harakiri’ by foreigners) is a Japanese highly ritualized suicide by disembowelment. This ritual is specifically reserved for the samurai, by which they can regain the honour for his family that are left alive, and for him to die in an honourable way. The act of Seppuku itself is not technically a…

In Japan, the beautiful and enigmatic Geisha represents one of the most iconic cultural images in the country. They have been around since as early as 600 A.D. where they served as entertainers and companions, but the look we can easily recognize today became prominent in the 17th century. Trained in fine arts such as…

The Shimada Cigarette Shop used to be a small cigarette shop in Tokyo which became somewhat of a tourist attraction due to the popularity it gained from its cute and friendly canine shopkeeper, Shiba-chan. Shiba, the Shiba Inu dog, manned the store window every day where he had been trained to greet customers by opening…

Everybody loves snacks, and it’s no secret that there is a huge variety to choose from when it comes to sweets, potato chips, fruit, and more. Japan is not only famous for its mouth-watering savory food such as sushi, tempura, ramen, soba noodles, yakitori, and okonomiyaki, but also for its unique and fancy snacks that…

Hatsuyume (初夢) means the first dream of the New Year. It is traditionally believed to foretell the kind of year and luck you will receive for the year ahead. As New Year’s Day (1st of January) is a quiet celebration and people start resuming their regular routines the following day, hatsuyume is the dream you…

Sugoroku is a Japanese board game which has become a tradition for kids to play during the New Year’s Day. Usually children’s magazines would include additions to the game in their January issues. The history of Sugoroku can be traced back to the 12th century. In the 17th century, e-sugoroku (“e” meaning picture) which is…

When someone mentions Japan, what do you initially think of? Think about what first comes to mind when you think about this country. Most people’s reactions seem to be divided into four categories when they hear this word. The first category is “interesting, rich culture”, where people think about things like samurai and ninja culture,…