
How to cook edamame at home
Edamame is a delightful vegetable commonly served at Japanese Izakaya and sushi restaurants as a meal starter. Also, we can also cook them easily at home when you want some finger food to dinner during summer. Although it's very easy and simple, how to cook edamame is very important since it makes …(191 words)

EmiOnishi
Edamame (Green soybeans) Summer Sushi Izakaya Salt Dinner Food summer food
Sushi Lesson with a professional Sushi Chef in his Sushi Restaurant !
Sushi Lessons with our Sushi Chef at Satsumaya Sushi Restaurant in Fujisawa, Japan.Satsumaya Sushi Restaurant is a well-established sushi restaurantthat has been in business since 1955.Sushi lessons are taught by our 30-year experiencedI tachō (Sushi Chef).Our lessons range from introductor…(262 words)

sushiyanotsuma
Sushi Japanese Culture Japanese cuisine
Who'll Stop the Rain
If you come to Japan during the rainy season (June / July) you'll likely see these little dolls hanging in the windows of homes, especially those homes where children are living.No, these are little ghost dolls to chase away the summer monsters, and they aren't angels to bring good luck, nor ar…(227 words)

Joe Peters
Teru Teru Bozu Summer Trip Outdoor recreation Children good luck Weather Dolls Rainy Day
Three Links to Yokohama
Once an insignificant fishing village, Yokohama has since become the international gateway to Japan with a staggering list of firsts to boast. Want to learn more about Japan's second largest city? Here are three links to get you started:City of Yokohama (Official): Everything you need to know a…(101 words)

Former Deep Japan Writer
Yokohama Restaurant City Event Beer Bar Tourism
Hydrangea's in Japan - Ajisai
Japan is a country of multiple seasons and for every season there are a different set of flowers that are blooming. At this very time of year, the Hydrangea's are blooming. In Japanese, hydrangea's are called Ajisai. You can go to virtually any park, temple or residential neighborhood and find h…(130 words)

Kevin
Hydrangea Park Tera (Temple) Flower Lavender Seasons flowers
Smart Cities Week 2014
The 4th Smart Cities Week 2014 (SCW 2014) will be held in Yokohama this coming October 29-31 at the Pacifico Yokohama Hotel and Convention Center in the Minato Mirai area of the city and, with it, will come a dizzying array of programs, conferences and exhibits designed to show how the application …(1368 words)

jdlawrence
Smart Cities Tokyo City Yokohama Hotel Event Kyoto Nagoya May SCW
Smart Cities, Expanded
In our last installment, we discussed the upcoming Smart Cities Week 2014 (SCW 2014) which will be held in Yokohama, Japan this coming October 29-31 at the Pacifico Yokohama Hotel and Convention Center. While the event itself is looking to attract in the area of 50,000 attendees, the concept is ex…(1500 words)

jdlawrence
Smart Cities Tokyo Train Yokohama Hotel Event Osaka Hospital SCW Wearable Tech
Toilet Flush....
Here are the "buttons" you see in the relatively modern buildings - rest rooms for the public.What is the difference?On the left - you have to "press" the button to flush.On the right - you just have to put your hand "close" to the panel.Right hand side is more common in the newer bui…(155 words)

KIH
Toilet flush
Typhoons - wind, rain and lot more!
It would be fair to call Japan at once a country blessed by natural beauty and cursed by natural disasters. Sitting on the famed “Ring of Fire”, the country hosts some spectacular and dangerous volcanoes, as well as the all-too-infamous and frequent earthquakes, some of which can wreak unimaginabl…(1210 words)

jdlawrence
Rain Tokyo Sea Osaka Okinawa Kyushu Typhoon Weather Summer
Tourist Tip #6: Know Your Animal Sounds!
OK...so you don't REALLY need to know your animal sounds to help you enjoy your time in Japan, but knowing a few will certainly help you ice break or seriously spice up a conversation while you're here! You'd be surprised by the amount of fun and laughs that can be had (and friends that you'll make…(212 words)

Former Deep Japan Writer
Onomatopoeia Tourist Tip Entertainment Animals Sounds
Helping the Children of Tohoku APRICOT News #2
The rainy season it seems has done nothing to dampen the spirits of APRICOT’s supporters. Thanks to the growing number of Team APRICOT Children volunteers,we have been very productive and positive for APRICOT, one that has seen us take a major step towards official NPO status (as a registered NPO …(434 words)

Andrew Grimes
Children Tohoku Visit English Bank Region activities Work
Want to be a Hit in Japan?
Ive been in the DJ business since the 70s and maybe because I was so active in Hawaii and Hawaii is one of Japan's favorite tourist destinations, I have ended up in this amazing and endlessly exciting metropolis, Tokyo. I DJ on several stations including InterFM, and I do podcasts about various…(394 words)

Kong
Tokyo Music English Entertainment Business Market
Journey on the Tokaido Goju San Tsugi (53-station Highway)
Recently, I took a casual walk to a very famous Tokyo locale known as “Nihonbashi”. It is to the North of JR Tokyo station. It was a nice 10-plus minute walk from the station and as I walked carefully with a sharp eye on my surroundings, I noticed the concentration of major businesses concentrated …(433 words)

AustinA
Highway Tokyo Kyoto History Ginza Department store River Walk Tokaido 53 Tsugi Nihonbashi
PechaKucha Night
If you're looking for a chance to meet interesting Tokyoites, I recommend you to head on down to PechaKucha Night.PechaKucha Nights are fun gatherings where creative people get together and share their ideas, works, thoughts or just about anything in the “PechaKucha 20x20 format.” Speakers show…(208 words)

Zucca
Tokyo Event speakers English Beauty architecture Aomori
APRICOT NPO Giving to the land that gives so much to guests from abroad.
APRICOT is now officially APRICOT NPO!Let’s start the October newsletter with some good news. As of October 21st, the APRICOT is an officially registered NPO. We now have to pay a final visit to Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s legal section to sign (or rather “hanko”) a document, which will the…(819 words)

Andrew Grimes
Children charity health Tohoku Fukushima child childcare
Cultural experience walking tour in Nihonbashi, Tokyo
As depicted in some of Ukiyoe, former fish market of Tokyo had been situated in Nihonbashi. So in the area where the fish market had been, which is next to Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi department (the flagship store), we can see some clues of the history. Some shops, called “Shinise” (long-established sho…(500 words)

TomokoI
Tokyo Nihonbashi Visit Drink Food Shopping History Jinjya (Shrine) English Sea
Make Bento & Visit Bonsai garden - Unique & Amazing experience
Japan is a small island nation.Perhaps because of that, they have a gift for to make the original small world.Bento and Bonsai.This experience will be a good chance to know Japan.In the Bento making, You can learn tips of design Bento.Bonsai is a Japanese art form using miniature tree…(133 words)

nyaonyao
Bento (box meal) cooking bonsai Garden Japanese Culture Visit Art Lunch Japanese cuisine
How to become an APRICOT NPO Ambassador for the Children of Tohoku
"At Apricot we often get emails asking about how people can get involved beyond donating. There are many ways, as this reply (below) I recently sent to a potential volunteer show..."Hi Laura*,Thank you for your kind wishes ~ responses like yours are both a little rare just now as we are in …(1308 words)

Andrew Grimes
Children Tohoku Donation
Work in Japan…I could live in Japan, Part 2.
In part 1 [http://www.deepjapan.org/a/3029], I set down some of the conditions that would be faced by those who are interested in working and living in Japan and also included information about obtaining a visa. In this section I discuss some common assumptions about working in Japan that may b…(1915 words)

GoodPeople
Work Tokyo Train English History Bus Business
“Do-tougeikan” Pottery School
Take up the challenge of creating an original piece of artCeramics have a feeling of warmth to the touch, perhaps because their main material is earth. Especially with something you have made yourself, you can feel a deep significance in the piece even if it is a little misshapen. The authentic…(978 words)

Kanagawa P.G.T.D.
Pottery workshop Kanagawa Art design Lesson Ceramics
Much Ado About and Much Surprise From Japan's Jungle Crows (Karasu)
To me, the end of “Black Swan” with the maniacal red eyes and aggressive spins, did not remotely conjure an image of “swan”. After 29 years in Japan, that spinning, velvety spray of feather was nothing other than the huge black crows I see pondering my neighborhood garbage collection area each Satu…(1247 words)


INTERVIEW 2: How did you get to Japan?
For those of you who are considering coming to Japan and are looking for ideas or inspiration from the path others have taken to find work and live here, read on for a short interview with a good friend of mine; Russell, from Australia.JB: We've know each other a long long time Russell, from we…(1240 words)

GoodPeople
Business Work Working Holiday Japan Tokyo English Tera (Temple) History Tea Visa
Banking in Japan: Where to Go, What to Do
So you’ve just made the big move to Japan and now you’re working on acquiring the basic necessities needed to survive, which are—in no particular order—finding work, obtaining a phone plan, seeking a roof over your head and setting up a bank account.As you’ll soon find out, one crucial differen…(738 words)

Japanista
Japan Bank account
Discover the Japanese Tea Ceremony at Chazen
The traditional Japanese tea ceremony is one of the best examples of "omotenashi," or Japanese hospitality. It's a beautiful demonstration of welcoming and a truly signature Japanese experience. At Ginza Chazen, visitors can learn all about the traditional tea ceremony and how matcha tea is prepare…(292 words)

Petra
Ginza Tea Japanese Tourism Tokyo Shopping Art Etiquette Walk
Tama Sushi – What made the experience so much fun – despite the language barrier
When expressing himself, Shimizu-San talks with his entire body – with his hands and fingers, even with his eyes. That's why booking a Sushi class with Tama Sushi close to Tsukiji Fish Market will make you understand a lot about the history and art of sushi, even if your Japanese language skills ar…(458 words)

Katharina
Sushi Restaurant Tsukiji Japan Art History Eat Fish Yen Japanese
My Career Began in Ginza, but I’m Only Just Discovered this Historic Locale
I’m good at making faux pas! You might add it as a “forte” on my resume of life. I’m also particularly adept at weight gain, but we will save that story for another story.“Not Shinbashi!” he insisted, “Its Ginza, Ginza, Ginza!” Hiromasa Ezoe, my mentor since entering Recruit Company Limited in …(891 words)


A mind for the other
As Japan becomes more like any other country, it's not so easy to see clear evidence of "a mind for the other" in everyday life, but it does still influence the way people behave. This "mind for the other" stuff isn't sappy altruism; it's the legacy of a pragmatic approach to getting things done, s…(233 words)

Adam F
Japan Survival mindset Stay Japanese Work Disaster sustainability
Companies Cleaning Up, Corporations Getting Environmentally Involved
Two weeks ago, I posted the article, "Protecting the Beach and Environment in Enoshima" to promote the Fujisawa Beach Cleaning Project coming up in April. April 24, to be exact: http://www.deepjapan.org/a/4325In this article, which is actually a repost by the organization that I represent, the …(635 words)

Former Deep Japan Writer
Beach Cleaning Volunteering Enoshima Island Kugenuma Beaches Fujisawa Kanto Kanagawa SEGO Yokohama
Unleash Your Inner Artist at Artbar Tokyo
Trying something creative is a great way to help you unwind. Artbar Tokyo in Daikanyama offers classes all week long that give artists of all experience levels the chance to create an original painting while sipping on delicious wine in a relaxed and welcoming environment. This isn't your typical a…(257 words)

Petra
painting Class Daikanyama Tokyo Art activities Lesson Tea Coffee Wine
Easy and Affordable Ways to Beat Tsuyu (the Rainy Season)
Tsuyu, the rainy season, is arguably one of Japan's lesser liked features. From late May to the end of July, people across Japan are treated to all manner of wet, from occasional sprinkles to intensive downpours. Add in the heat and humidity, and you can imagine how uncomfortable tsuyu can be.T…(253 words)

Former Deep Japan Writer
Tsuyu Convenience store Rainy Season Shopping Gatsby Japan Stay Yen love