Japanese Culture
Explore various aspects of Japanese culture, including traditional manners, customs, weddings, funerals, cross-cultural exchanges, history, recycling and reuse, sustainability, and cultural classes that shape life in Japan.
Wadaiko: The Summer Rhythm and Movements of Taiko in Japan
With a multitude of purposes, strong traditions, and dynamic rhythm, wadaiko, or traditional Japanese drums also known internationally as "taiko", is a unique and interesting part of Japanese culture.…
What is White Day in Japan?
This page contains affiliate links. White Day is the day on March 14 when men who received chocolates on Valentine's Day return the favor to the woman. On White Day, the most common sweets are candies…
Setsubun: Welcoming Spring with Ogres, Beans, and Sushi
This page contains affiliate links. Famous for bean-throwing antics and parents dressed in ogre costumes to scare children, Setsubun is celebrated in Japan on February 2 or 3 (depending on the year) t…
Japanese New Year Traditions
This article is contributed by Tokyo Central Japanese Language School. This page contains affiliate links. Hello everyone! I'm Eri, a Japanese language teacher. January 1st is the beginning of the new…
Eating Outside in Japan: Know the Rules, Avoid a Food Fight
Japan is one of the cleanest, most well-kept countries in the world and consistently tops charts of safest and best places to live on Earth. With that, however, comes a complicated system of social bo…
Restaurant Etiquette in Japan: How to Avoid Serious Mistakes
From grilled chicken skewers consumed standing in a smoky bar to the finest haute cuisine served course by course by a server clad in a traditional kimono, Japan offers an extensive range of food and…
Etiquette Guide: Why Do You Take Off Your Shoes in Japan?
If you have ever visited Japan, live in Japan, or even had some interaction with Japanese culture in your home country, you may be aware that taking off one’s shoes to go inside a residence is a commo…
Japanese Cleanliness: Japan’s Obsession with Tidying Up
This page contains affiliate links. Japanese cleanliness is one of the country's defining characteristics that is often remarked upon by tourists and new residents. Everywhere you go, whether it be an…
Japanese Personalities & Culture: Getting Along in Japan
Living in Japan, or even visiting, can be a significant shift from living in one’s home country and culture. Understanding new cultural norms, practices, and traditions can be difficult, and understan…
Embalming and Repatriation During the Pandemic in Japan
This article is contributed by Robert Hoey - Funeral Support Services Co. Ltd. Embalming is the specialized procedure of disinfecting, preserving and restoring the dead human body to a more natural an…
Funerals for the Expat Community in Japan
This article is contributed by Robert Hoey - Funeral Support Services Co. Ltd. My company specializes in embalming for local funeral homes and repatriations for foreigners who die in Japan; however, t…
Japanese Funeral Etiquette: Some Helpful Guidelines
This page contains affiliate links. Funerals are always a difficult time. Unfortunately, such occurrences are an inevitable part of life in Japan just like everywhere else. Nearly all Japanese funeral…
What to Expect When Attending a Japanese Funeral
This page contains affiliate links. Funerals are a difficult experience for many, but are often considered a necessary part of grieving. This has led to funerals being quite a ritualistic process in m…
A Complete History of Tokyo: Edo Period, Meiji Era, and Beyond
Tokyo is one of the largest cities in the world with a population of about 14 million people. Tokyo was once called Edo, and in the late 12th century, the Edo clan created the village of Edo (the Edo…
What is Mottainai? The Japanese Meanings and Expressions
The Japanese word "Mottainai" has been used in many countries around the world as a universal language. If you look up "mottainai" in a Japanese-English dictionary, you will find words like "waste" an…
Geisha Dinner Experience in Tokyo
The geisha is a world-famous Japanese symbol that is seldom understood outside of Japan. The geisha arts, a 250-year-old legacy, are fast fading, yet there are still sites in Japan where one may have…
Sustainable Lifestyles in Edo and Japanese History
In Japan, there has long been a 'mottainai spirit' of taking good care of things, and in the Edo era, people in various professions recycled things to reuse them. Sustainability, which has been attrac…
Japanese Wedding Etiquette: 7 Steps from RSVP to Afterparty
When you've been in Japan long enough and have a local circle of young working adult friends or others who are older with grown children, then the chances are that one fine day you may find yourself i…
How to Read Recycling Symbols on Products in Japan
Taking care of garbage is an everyday part of life that we often do without thinking too much about it, but when living in a different country like Japan, it becomes necessary to learn a new system fo…
How to Donate and Sell Used Clothing and Furniture in Japan
Whether learning a new language, doing your best to follow the local culture, or just trying to get from point A to point B, living in Japan never ceases to keep expats on their toes. But what to do w…
