Culture Koishikawa Korakuen Plum Festival 2026 Early Feb - Early Mar The Koishikawa Korakuen Plum Festival is held when the garden's plum trees are looking their best, and along with the floral..
Historical A Day in Hakata, Fukuoka City Nicole Bauer It is definitely about atmosphere in Fukuoka City, about open-minded people full of energy, but the city has some great sights to..
Culture The Language of Sumo Sleiman Azizi A simple guide to sumo vocabulary including wrestler terms, ring information, refereeing pronouncements and judges decisions.
Culture Yabusame Horse Archery Tsuwano 2026 Early Apr Yabusame is a horse archery festival in Tsuwano, held on the second Sunday of April every year. The horse archery ground in Tsuwano..
Culture Japanese Temple Guardians Elena Lisina Nio are the two warrior guardians often found standing outside the entrance to Buddhist temples. Their open and closed mouths represent..
Historical Nene and Kodaiji Temple, Kyoto Takako Sakamoto After Hideyoshi's death, Nene had Kodaiji Temple built in Kyoto, retiring there as a nun. Not many people know Tokugawa Ie..
Culture Hachioji Festival 2026 Early Aug Regarded as one of the best float festivals in the Kanto region, the Hachioji Festival is a multi-day summer event which has s..
Culture Hashigo-nori 2027 Mid Jan Hashigo-nori is a traditional performance that attempts to pass on the techniques and methods of fireman in the Edo period.