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5 days ago
Inspired by Kyoto: How to Make Origami Camellias and Furoshiki Flower Baskets
Inspired by Kyoto, let's gather camellias using furoshiki, and make origami camellias following our easy how-to-guide.


Mar 4
Kyoto in Winter - a Travel Journal
Fall again, fair snow, onto the lingering drifts, and spread your cloak wide. We will see little of you when spring haze stands in the...


Feb 24
A Day in Jimbocho, and our JanuaryInJapan Bookclub Read: Days at the Morisaki Bookshop
We had a wonderful gathering at our online JanuaryInJapan Book Club this January. Our topic was the fascinating short novel by Satoshi...


Feb 11
Kyoto's Jidai Matsuri: an Illustrated Guide by Paul Moss
Discover Kyoto's Jidai Matsuri with our stunning illustrated guide by professional photographer Paul Moss.


Feb 2
Kyoto Temple Stays
Discover what it's like staying in a temple in Kyoto!


Jan 29
Rikugien: A Japanese Garden in Tokyo
Walk with Cathy around beautiful Rikugien garden in Tokyo, in the footsteps of the samurai and his concubine who once lived there.

Dec 6, 2024
JanuaryInJapan 2025: Days At the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
This January, join us for our cosiest JanuaryInJapan Book Club yet! Join us as we gather together online to chat about the heart-warming...


Nov 29, 2024
Kokoro by Lafcadio Hearn
This month let's take a look at the writing of Lafcadio Hearn in his essay collection of 1895, called Kokoro . In his essays, we discover...


Sep 8, 2024
Machiya Building Returns to Kyoto
…and that ideal vision was that Kyoto would once again be a beautiful wooden city… Steve Beimel of JapanCraft21 in Kyoto is an...


Sep 1, 2024
Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess
I first discovered stories about the thunder god, Susanoo-no-Mikoto, when I visited the Gion Matsuri last summer. Susanoo-no-Mikoto is...


Aug 19, 2024
An Introduction to Shinto
Have you ever wondered about Japanese Shinto shrines? What is the meaning behind those zigzag shapes of paper that hang from a rope, and...

Aug 9, 2024
The Chrysanthemum Festival
Do not think yourself The vanishing dew. Think instead Of the long-blooming Chrysanthemum flower. The Heian Court calendar was peppered...


Jul 23, 2024
Japanese Drama Update!
Turn to me Mukai-kun Sincere guy Satoru Mukai (played by Akaso Eiji) had a perplexing break-up ten years ago: one which he never quite...


Jul 1, 2024
Kyoto Machiya: Mugen
Machiya are the beautiful, traditional townhouses of Kyoto, made with tremendous craft and skill. In 2016 I stayed at the lovingly...


Jun 16, 2024
Spring in Fuji Five Lakes
The peak of Mount Fuji is oblivious to time. What season does it take this to be that the falling snow should dapple it like a fawn? toki...


May 24, 2024
Meet Catherine Pawasarat: Author of The Gion Festival: Exploring Its Mysteries
My Japan Journey Interview 8: Catherine Pawasarat: expert and author of The Gion Festival: Exploring Its Mysteries There is no question...


Apr 26, 2024
The Miyako Odori: Kyoto's Spring Dance
In preparation for our exciting interview and blog with the Kyoto geisha and maiko photographer John Paul Foster, I began to learn about...


Apr 18, 2024
Cherry Blossom Kyoto - a Travel Journal
The best among blossoms is the red plum, whether light or dark in colour. As for the cherry, the blossoms should be on slender branches,...


Apr 12, 2024
Meet Natalie Leon: Author of The Japanese Art of Living Seasonally
My Japan Journey Interview 7: Meet Natalie Leon: Author, Japanophile, Forager In our blog today, we celebrate new writer Natalie Leon,...


Mar 12, 2024
JanuaryInJapan Book Club 2024 Review: The Wisdom of Tea
Thank you so much to everyone who joined us this year for our online JanuaryInJapan Book Club event! We meet once a year and we're very...

Feb 14, 2024
Kasane: Looking at Colour Layering
Murasaki Shikibu wearing juunihitoe. Lady butterfly perfumes her wings by floating over the orchid –Bashō I have long been fascinated by...


Jan 22, 2024
Meet John Paul Foster: Kyoto Photographer of the Floating World
Mamefuji © John Paul Foster Meet John Paul Foster: Kyoto Photographer of the Floating World My Japan Journey Interview 6: John Paul...


Sep 17, 2023
Meet Nóra Hamucska, sumi painter
My Japan Journey Interview 4: Nóra: ink painting artist Our friend Nóra is a passionate ink painter. Her foundational skills are in...


Sep 7, 2023
The Wisdom of Tea: Tea Ceremony in Kyoto
So spring fled, summer blazed, and autumn winds began to blow- when, our eyes lifted heavenward toward the meeting of the Stars, we write...
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