More Japanese Drama!

I love watching Japanese drama! It's a great way of improving Japanese listening skills while being entertained! My vocabulary has...

Kyoto and Tokyo Travel Journal, Fall 2022

It was almost three years to the day when we returned to Kyoto in November 2022. In the intervening time, when it was not possible to...

The River of Heaven - Tanabata in Japanese Poetry

Curious this day on which long ago they must have pledged their troth; like the River of Heaven's waves rising - this is sent out. This...

Our Summer Tenugui!

Welcome to summer in Japan, with its hot days and nights, and its reliance on water features, pools, shady green plants, airy wind...

The Future Diary, and Diaries of the Past

Netflix series The Future Diary It's nearing Valentines Day, and while love is in the air, what could be better than watching the new...

Karuta and the Hundred Poets

This week we've been looking at the traditional Japanese card game called karuta. It's a fascinating competitive sport in Japan, which...

Tanabata: the July 7th Star Festival!

Tanabata wish cards :) Two Tanabata Poems Don't look up by yourself at the sky where stars meet - the wind from the Milky Way blows cold....

Genji and the Changing Seasons

A scene from Chapter 24 'Butterflies', The Tale of Genji, illustrated by Tosa Mitsuyoshi (1539–1613) and Choujirou, Kyoto National Museum...

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