Tomoe Gozen (1157?-1247?) was an onna-bugeisha (女武芸者, female martial artist) who served Minamoto no Yoshinaka during the Genpei War (1180-1185). Before the samurai became a formalized caste in the Edo ...

For residents and visitors to Tokyo, the closest isle worthy of the Cat Island designation lies in Kanagawa Prefecture, the capital’s neighbor to the south. Enoshima, which can be accessed from a ...

Tohoku, the north-easternmost part of Honshu, the largest island of Japan, is made up of six prefectures: Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata. Not wanting to isolate Hokkaido (though ...

All saline onsen types are said to help in the healing of cuts, burns and chronic skin disorders. Alkaline sodium bicarbonate springs (tansan suiso ensen) have the additional property of making the ...

While Buddhist practices and the subsequent diet were brought to Japan in the 6th century from India and China, the concept of Shojin Ryori as a particular way of eating spread across the country in ...

One reason why ichiju-sansai is so beloved by Japanese people is how healthy it is. This set menu allows people to eat rice for energy-giving carbohydrates and soup for hydration, while the nutrition ...

Grasshoppers have been popular in Asian cultures for centuries. The Japanese cherish grasshoppers and have a long tradition of enjoying their beautiful calls, both in the wild and as pets. In Japan, ...

The Yata no Kagami, the sacred mirror, was used to lure Amaterasu, the sun goddess, out of hiding. The goddess had hidden in a cave following an argument with Susano-o, the god of storms and the sea, ...

Meiji Jingu (明治神宮) enshrines the spirits of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. Standing within a man-made forest in the heart of Tokyo, the strongest power spot here is said to be Kiyomasa's Well ...

Gachapon are coin-operated toy dispensers usually ranging in price from ¥100 to ¥500. Unlike most Western toy vending machines, which are aimed at children, the contents you receive for your coins ...

The most common feature of a Japanese toilet is the bidet, which is an automated jet of water designed to wash the rear end. Some models feature an additional bidet for women, too. While not quite as ...

The relationship was both physical and psychological, as mentioned in Cartographies of Desire by Gregory M. Pflugfelder: "(The shoku ideogram) literally meant 'color,' referring in Buddhist philosophy ...