Archive for 'Culture'
Hajimemashite, Japan Posted by sasha on Jul 17, 2012
こんにちは Transparent Japanese blog! My name is Sasha, and I’ll be a guest writer/video producer on the blog for the next few months. As I currently reside in Beijing, you can usually find me on the Chinese blog. I’ve also contributed to both the Thai and Spanish pages, so if you’re interested in China, Thailand…
Shochu Posted by Marcel on May 20, 2012
今日 (きょう/Today) I’d like to talk a little about my favorite Japanese alcoholic beverage, 焼酎 (しょうちゅう/Shochu)! This is not the traditional 酒 (さけ/sake) that many people order when they go to a 日本料理 (にほんりょうり/Japanese food) restaurant in another country. 酒 can be translated as rice wine, but the word is commonly used to describe any…
Cherry Blossom part II Posted by yuki on May 8, 2012
As promised here comes the second part of the さくら祭り. In this post I will introduce you the Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival 弘前さくら祭り (ひろさきさくらまつり) in Aomori 青森. 弘前 is a former castle town and is located in the southwestern part of 青森. The major landmark of the city is the Hirosaki Castle 弘前城 (ひろさきじょう) and its…
Cherry Blossom part I Posted by yuki on May 2, 2012
At first I’d like to thank Marcel for the warm welcome ( ´ ▽ ` ). It’s spring 春 (はる), that means the cherry blossom season 桜の季節 (さくらのきせつ) is coming up. As you might know cherry blossoms 桜 (さくら) are well-known as being the symbol of Japan and a very important part of the Japanese…
Japanese Dragons Posted by Ginny on Sep 30, 2011
Dragons are a familiar staple of Japanese fables. Take for example the water dragon deity Mizuchi (蛟). In one story Mizuchi came to Emperor Nintoku (仁徳天皇) in a dream. Mizuchi offered to prevent the flooding of a river in exchange for a human sacrifice. One of the men chosen as a sacrifice saved his own…
Modern Japanese Buildings Posted by Ginny on Sep 27, 2011
If you’ve ever wondered where to go to see the best marvels of architecture, look no further than the Shiodome City Center (汐留シティセンター). The Shiodome City Center is large, beautiful, light blue skyscraper that is headquarters to airline and travel industries. In addition, there are many restaurants that feature Korean, French, Indian and Japanese cuisines…
Kimono Posted by Ginny on Sep 23, 2011
The kimono (着物) is the single most iconic representation of traditional Japanese culture. The word ‘kimono’ is a generic term to describe a type of traditional Japanese garment that comes in a t-shaped robe, but the kimono is anything but generic. There are many different and unique kinds of kimonos that are worn for certain…