#442

Experiencing a Japanese-style New Year Season

Event Department store Jinjya (Shrine) Kimono New year

New Year is a big event in Japan when people congratulate the peaceful ending of the previous year and the coming of the new year. Many families visit their relatives and eat "osechi", a special meal. You can make your own, or order it at various department stores. Sending out warm new year messages or "nengajo" to family and friends, is also a popular custom. It will also be a great idea to visit a shrine, (wearing a nice kimono if you wish) to appreciate the local gods and to draw an "omikuji", a fortune slip.

Rena

Rena's other advice

Hydrangea images

Hydrangea

Viewing the hydrangea is one of the ways to spend the early summer season. You can either see them on the streets, or visit some locations famous for hydrangea. Meigetsu-in and Hase-dera are two of t…

Asakusa Culture Tourism Center images

Asakusa Culture Tourism Center

If you need more information when you are in Asakusa, visit the Asakusa Culture Tourism Center which is a few minutes by walk from Asakusa Station. It is near the Kaminari-mon (a gate with a giant la…

Komainu: A pair of lion-like creatures in front of various shrines images

Komainu: A pair of lion-like creatures in front of various shrines

The lion or dog-like statues that are placed in a pair, in front of shrines are called "Komainu". The creature on the right hand side facing the shrine has its mouth open, and the one on the left has…

Time Travel to the Tokugawa Period images

Time Travel to the Tokugawa Period

Fukagawa Edo Museum is the best museum I have ever been. You can see and experience how life in Edo (Tokyo) was in the Tokugawa period through display items. You can feel like you have traveled back …

You might also like

What to do at a Japanese Funeral | Funeral Etiquette images

What to do at a Japanese Funeral | Funeral Etiquette

Attending a Japanese funeral can be stressful, even shocking, if you don't know what to do. The more you know beforehand the better, as you'll be able to comfort and support mutual friends and their …

Former Deep Japan Writer

Don't Wear Black in Japan images

Don't Wear Black in Japan

In Japan, the color white is attributed to happiness and good times. Death is a time of mourning and so people must dress in the color of depression, black. Men usually wear a black suit with a black…

GenS image

GenS

Yurei, Yokai and Obake: Japan's Very Busy Ghost Scene images

Yurei, Yokai and Obake: Japan's Very Busy Ghost Scene

Ghosts and spirits hold a place in the folklore of many cultures around the world. In the western world, Halloween, observed on October 31st, is a time for scary, spooky tales, while Latin America…

jdlawrence image

jdlawrence

Enjoy bath, Japanese style images

Enjoy bath, Japanese style

Enjoy taking bath with Babu(Bub), a popular Japanese bath tablet to Relax after Exploring Japan on Foot.All travelers know how sight seeing can be exhausting. Especially walking around on foo…

mimichan

Ride The Tokyo Metro Like A Boss With These Apps images

Ride The Tokyo Metro Like A Boss With These Apps

To people new to Japan, the Tokyo subway system, stylishly called "Tokyo Metro" is a confusing labyrinth of lines going every which way. Orderly thought and planning, it would appear, seem to be the…

jdlawrence image

jdlawrence

Why Do Japanese People Call Mt. Fuji, Mr. Fuji? images

Why Do Japanese People Call Mt. Fuji, Mr. Fuji?

If you wondered why Japanese people refer to Mt. Fuji as Mr. Fuji, you are not alone.When I first came to Japan, and actually until about two years ago, well okay, actually it still happens a lot…

5@example.com