Tag: history
Visiting Ryoan-ji Temple in Kyoto
If Tokyo is Japan's mecca of everything "omoshiroii", then Kyoto surely is the mecca of everything historical, and thus its cultural heart. Strewn with...
Should Tattoos Continue to be Banned From Onsen in Japan?
Spring and early Summer means relaxation, travel, and for many people, it also means a visit to an Onsen (温泉; natural hot springs). As a volcanically active country,...
Why are there no Empresses in Japan?
The U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women made headlines recently after deciding to remove criticism about Japan's male-only imperial succession. The...
7 Things you didn’t know about Ninja
Imposing figures in black, hiding in the shadows, and moving about with almost superhuman agility seem like nothing but cool stories told to tourists...
The Will to Secede: Japan’s Micro-nation Boom
As US secretary of state John Kerry makes the rounds in Asia, meeting with various heads of state, it is inevitable that the leaders...
Deck The Halls with…lots of Kentucky Fried Chicken???
The days are getting shorter, the temperatures cooler, and the decorations brighter. Yep, it's Christmas time again, and people all over the world are...
6 Things Everybody Gets Wrong About Samurai
Steeped in a long history and plenty of mystery, the Samurai 侍 have been a cornerstone of Japanese mythology since 794 AD (Heian Period). Having fought...
The Lost Kingdom of Yamatai
The story of Atlantis is one of the oldest mysteries in the world. The tale of an entire Kingdom disappearing without any trace, is...
The Town That Banned Cucumbers
I remember being a kid and having an adversity to cucumbers. Had I known about Adose-Cho (網戸瀬町) in Fukui, I would've immediately moved there....
Was WWII a Holy War?
That the emperor was considered a god in antebellum and wartime Japan is mostly an undisputed fact. How that notion of godhood compares to...
