What do you have for breakfast every morning? Personally, I’m not interested in big breakfast; for me its usually just a cereal bar and a cup of coffee….

  Have you seen the latest Studio Ghibli film, “The Wind Rises” (the Japanese title: Kaze Tachinu) yet? It was released last year in Japan, but here in America it…

Franchise restaurants can be very convenient to pop in as they gives you the same quality and taste you expect wherever you go, but I have an impression that they…

As all of you are probably well aware of, manga is not just popular in Japan, but deep rooted in the modern Japanese life. If you get on train on…

  As you may know, Rilakkuma is one of the most popular characters in Japan. Today I would like to share a recipe for kawaii Relakkuma omu-rice (=omelette made w/…

  Do you like onsen, the Japanese style hot springs? How about traveling on a shinkansen bullet train? A lot of foreign tourists would love to experience both, adding them…

Kewpie is an American-born character, but it has been loved by Japanese since its Japanese production started in 1913.  Like Hello Kitty, Kewpie has a wide variety of regional specific…

After simple meal with long prayer of the day, visiting priests throw rice wrapped with paper toward the roof of Akaiya to share rice with birds and other animals.Taken during…

  Do you like Japanese rice crackers, known as “senbei”? If you are indeed a senbei lover, you might have heard about “Soka senbei”,which is one of the most well…

Straw festoon used during Shunie ritual has Nusa or plated paper streamers, which is deeply associated with Shintoism and Shikimi or Japanese star anise which is deeply linked to Buddhism.Taken…

As some of you may know, 3rd March was Dolls’ festival day in Japan!  It is a day for girls, and parents wish for girls’ healthy growth. Traditionally, households with…