Category Archives: Japanese Culture & Traditions

Easiest Lecture of Kanji History – Only One Ancient Characters Existing Today

Kanji is a symbol in Japanese writing system.It has unique shapes completely different from alphabet, [...]

Easy Ways to Change Your Name in Japanese Kanji

Not small number of immigrants in Japan have Kanji names. Kanji is a symbol of [...]

Japanese Calligraphy As Form of Meditation: Scientifically Proven!

Years ago I took a class in Japanese calligraphy. Called either shodō or shūji, this [...]

Masamune and Muramasa: The Mysteries of Japan’s Two Greatest Katana Swordmakers (Part 1)

In this series, I will cover two of Japan’s most revered master swordmakers: Masamune (Gorou [...]

Relationship Between Wabi-Sabi and the Humble Beauty of Matcha Tea Bowl

A matcha tea bowl is an essential part of traditional Japanese tea ceremony. If you’re [...]

Is There a Right and Wrong to Tea Ceremony Utensils? – Teaism at Home

Tea ceremony isn’t just about sitting on a tatami with your legs folded under you [...]

What Would You Do For Nirvana? Japan’s Ultimate Buddhist Artwork: The Thousand-Armed Kannon

With a Buddhist tradition reaching back to the 6th century, Japanese artisans have been crafting [...]

Hand Crafted Elegance of Harp – Fukuyama Japanese Harp

The appearance of Japanese harp is quite different from that of Western harps. In fact, [...]

Most Important Item for Wabi-Sabi Tea Ceremony – Takayama Tea Whisks

What is a Tea Whisk? A Must-have Item for Tea Making (Image: macaro-ni.jp) Takayama Tea [...]

Secret Sake Manners that Make You Look Sophisticated

How do you drink sake? If you’re a sake lover, perhaps you know about the [...]