The other day I went to Yame, Fukuoka prefecture. Yame is a village which locates about an hour’s drive from Fukuoka city and famous for the production of tea leaves. In mountains stood a large house called a culture center for Japanese te…

Last week, I went to Claude Monet’s Garden. However, I didn’t go to France but to Shikoku in southwestern part of Japan. The garden locates in Kitagawa Village, Kochi prefecture. The climate is quite different from that of France, where mo…

The other day I went to Tokyo Metropolitan Medical Herb Garden (Tokyo-to yakuyo shokubutu-en). It is a medical herb garden for education and experiments purpose, and thus the real medicinal herbs as well as dangerous plants are planted. No…

I have heard that Japanese furikake is now booming overseas. Furikake is a dry Japanese condiment sprinkled on top of cooked rice and so on, according to Wikipedia. Small packaged furikake is useful for boxed lunch. We usually eat boiled r…

At a supermarket in Tokyo I saw a demonstration, in which the whole tuna fish was cut into chunks using a broad-bladed knife. Such an event is sometimes held at a fishmonger’s in a department store or a supermarket to attract customers. Th…

In this blog I have mentioned Shinjuku-Gyoen park several times. I visit this park often, especially in the cherry blossoms’ season. This park has many kinds of cherry trees, which have flower even after the famous Japanese Somei-Yoshino c…

After leaving Tallinn I went to Helsinki, Finland by sea. Not only being famous for Moomin and Marimekko, I found the town of Helsinki clean, safe, and anything huge. Buildings were much bigger, and sizes of parks, stations, open spaces, a…

Last week I went to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. Tallinn faces the Baltic Sea and most of the sightseeing spots concentrates on Vanalinn, the old town. From the top of a hill The center of the town was Raekoja Plats, which was surround…

《The Seven Herbs of Spring》 Japan has a long-lasting custom of eating rice porridge with seven herbs on the morning of January 7th. Now, it is impossible to grow or pick up those herbs in the city and a package of herbs is available at s…

Winter has come☃️ At night we can enjoy illumination as well as light trails here and there in Tokyo. [The traditional Omotesando light trail.] As I remembered, this light trail along Omotesando street started about thirty to forty years a…

Winter is beginning and now is the best season to appreciate autumn colored leaves. Last week, I went to Hondo-ji temple in Matsudo, Chiba prefecture. The temple sits within an hour’s train ride from the center of Tokyo. Other sightseeing …

We are having warm and beautiful autumn days. Sightseeing spots in Tokyo and the vicinities are stuffed with people especially on weekends. Today, I went to Medical Herb Garden in Hanno, Saitama prefecture. [Crimson colored maple leaves we…

The graph of Covid 19-infected people depicts a sharp mountain. We are probably on the summit now. Last week I climbed Mt. Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan. 《A bottled mineral water from Mt. Fuji and pumice-shaped sweets can be purchas…

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Japan has limited the number of people coming into the country. Now, the restriction has become a little relaxed and soon the overseas tourists are coming back. The infection has subsided a little in Japan …

The rainy season is beginning and Japanese irises are blooming. Japanese irises include three types: Hanashobu (Iris ensata), Kakitsubata (Iris laevigata) and Ayame (Iris sanguinea). Here, I refer to the first one, Hanashobu. The plant, Ha…

I hear that Western country leaders have declared no-mask policy and gathered popularities. As I have wrote previously, Japan have no regulation for wearing face masks. We are only “recommended” or “requested” to put on masks indoors or wh…

Today is “Boy’s Festival Day” and we eat kashiwa-mochi, a rice cake wrapped in an oak leaf on this day. Kashiwa-mochi. The green one contains sweet azuki paste and yellow one contains sweet miso paste. These oak leaves can’t be eaten. In J…

When we wish something, such as family health or world peace, we fold origami paper to make cranes. If the number reaches one thousand, which is called Senba-zuru, the wish will be realized. I have seen a number of blue and yellow paper cr…

Now, “Bento” has become an international term that means box lunch. Thanks to the self-isolation due to the pandemic, we can eat international bento at home. curry bento In Japan various kinds of bento are available at every shops, such as…

As cherry blossoms start blooming, the Japanese become restless. Some people travel Japan from south to north following the best of cherry blossoms. Arakura-Yama, famous for the viewing of Mt.Fuji and cherry blossoms, which has not unfortu…

Spring has come and cherry blossoms are blooming again! Once a flower comes out, the cherries will bloom in a week! The Japanese eat cherry flowers. That does not mean we pick it out and nibble it while taking a walk under cherry trees. As…

We have various types of noodles in Japan, such as soba, udon, somen (very thin white noodle), ramen (Chinese noodle) and so on. A traditional soba restaurant in Tokyo. Soba is made from buckwheat and brown to white colored thin noodle, wh…

We have Boy’s Day and Girl’s Day from ancient times in Japan. The Girl’s Day, also called Doll’s Festival or Momo-no-Sekku, peach blossom’s festival, is on March 3rd. A complete set of Hina dolls can be seen only in the department store. W…

A taiyaki is a fish-shaped Japanese cake. Traditionally it is sold at small shops or street stalls to be eaten just after it is baked. Usually azuki bean paste is wrapped with pancake-like dough baked on an iron plate. The azuki bean paste…

The wind is chilly, however, the sunlight has become stronger recently. February 3rd is Setsubun, which literally means”the day which divide two seasons”. The next day, Feb. 4th, is supposed to be the first day of spring on the traditional…

Traditionally in Japan, the New Year's days last for seven days.During this period, the Shimekazari and Kadomatsu are decorated and Osechi dishes are (supposed to be) eaten. Now, we eat osechi dishes and zohni soup only for (less than) thr…

The shimenawa on my house entrance. In Japan everyone used to celebrate becoming one year older on New Year's Day regardless of their real birthday until the end of the World War II. Now,the time has passed and the New Year has less signif…

In Japan, many people go traveling to see autumn colored leaves with face masks on. In Tokyo, we can enjoy yellow-colored ginko trees at any and everywhere, along the street or in the parks. The other day I went to the university which my …

Last month I went to Asakusa to buy a tenugui I wrote in my previous blog. Asakusa is a popular sightseeing spot in Tokyo and famous for this giant lantern. Kaminari-mon gate is the symbol of Asakusa. Before the pandemic this town attracte…

A tenugui is a thin Japanese hand towel made from cotton, according to Wikipedia. A tenugui shop in Tokyo In the past it was daily used as a wiper. It also has been used to cover people’s heads like a cap to prevent heatstroke as well as s…