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…