Why Washi Paper Takes Months to Make by Hand
A sheet of factory-made paper can be produced in seconds. A single sheet of traditional Japanese washi can represent months […]
Noh Theater: Why the Masks Never Change Expression
Watch a Noh performance without context and it can look, at first, almost static: a masked performer moves with extreme
Why Kintsugi Turns Broken Pottery Into Something More Valuable
Break a valuable bowl almost anywhere in the world, and the sensible response is to hide the damage or throw
Shichi-Go-San: Why Japan Celebrates Children at Ages 3, 5, and 7
Every November, shrines across Japan fill with small children dressed in elaborate kimono and formal miniature suits, many visibly uncomfortable
Why Japan’s Fire Festivals (Himatsuri) Still Draw Crowds Into Danger
Once a year in the mountain town of Nozawa Onsen, dozens of men climb onto a wooden shrine structure while
Awa Odori: Why an Entire City Dances for Four Nights Straight
For four nights every August, the city of Tokushima on the island of Shikoku effectively stops being a normal city.
Why Danjiri Festivals Turn Wooden Floats Into a Test of Nerve
Most Japanese festival floats are pulled slowly and reverently through the streets. Danjiri floats are sprinted through them — four-ton
Tanabata: The Star Festival Behind Japan’s Wish-Covered Bamboo Branches
Every July, bamboo branches appear outside train stations, shopping malls, and schools across Japan, hung with hundreds of small strips
Hanami: Why a Flower’s Two-Week Bloom Became a National Obsession
For about two weeks every spring, weather forecasters in Japan track something no other country’s national news treats with the
Setsubun: Why Japanese Families Throw Beans at ‘Demons’
Every February 3rd, families across Japan do something that looks, out of context, like a bizarre indoor food fight: someone