Japanese culture and tradition: hanabi taikai Rhiannon Thomas Modern Tokyo Times In July and August, fireworks light up the skies of Japan almost every night. Firework festivals, known in Japanese as hanabi taikai, are some of the most popular events on the Japanese calendar, and while Westerners might associate the summer months with lazy days [...]
Obon in Japanese culture: honoring the spirits of ancestors Rhiannon Thomas Modern Tokyo Times Obon is a traditional Buddhist festival in Japan to honor the spirits of ancestors. Although it is not an official holiday in Japan, Obon is a popular time for family reunions, when people return home to visit and clean their ancestors’ [...]
Japanese art and Kuniyoshi: Serene Art During a Period of Change Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Utagawa Kuniyoshi is amongst the crème de la crème of ukiyo-e because his art work was truly amazing and so powerful. Kuniyoshi, just like other famous Japanese artists like Ando Hiroshige and Katsushika Hokusai, was very diverse and the [...]
Japan tourism and Zen Buddhism: Heirinji Zen Temple near Tokyo Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The stunning Heirinji Zen Temple is located in Niiza and while this part of Saitama prefecture may not appear to be out of the ordinary, the same can’t be said about this temple which is blessed with large grounds. [...]
Japanese art and Kawanabe Kyosai: the power of folklore and culture Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Japanese artist Kawanabe Kyosai is extremely fascinating because of his individualistic spirit and this is witnessed in his art. Kyosai, just like the mysterious Tengu, belonged to two worlds and this applies to the old Edo period [...]
Japanese history and Oda Nobunaga: a visionary, innovator, and open to Christianity Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times In all societies remarkable leaders emerge despite the constraints of culture, customs, religion and other factors. In Japan this certainly applies to Oda Nobunaga who was born in 1534 and died in 1582. Oda Nobunaga had a [...]
Dragons of the Orient “Hengeyokai” Shape-shifters By Ledia Runnels Mysterious Japan The awesome Dragon of the orient is sacred, beautiful, and blessed with infinite wisdom and vast knowledge. They are playful by nature, but also have the capacity to destroy entire cities with one swipe of their mighty claws and terrifying magic. They are associated with [...]
Three “Brother” Mountains of Dewa (Japan) By Ledia Runnels Mysterious Japan Your name is Hachiko, Prince Hachiko. It is the year 593 AD. Your father, Shusun, the emperor of Japan, has been murdered by the Soga clan. You barely escaped with your own life before they could kill you as well. Broken-hearted and afraid, your home stolen by the [...]
West Meets East in Japanese Prints (earlier than expected) by toshidama Most people tend to think of Japan as being sealed from the rest of the world until Commander Perry’s famous gunboat diplomacy of 1854. This is true in the main but there are notable examples of Dutch fraternisation prior to the reforms that led to [...]
Japanese art and culture: Ike No Taiga and influence of China Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Japanese art is very distinctive and contrasts greatly with classical European art and clearly religious differences, environmental factors, distance, limited social interaction between both poles and other important factors is behind this. Ike No Taiga exemplifies the vast [...]
Utagawa Kuniyoshi and Japanese art: Images of tranquility and landscapes Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Utagawa Kuniyoshi depicted many images and covered various different subject matters. Therefore, the art of this stylish ukiyo-e artist in this article provides only a glimpse into the real Kuniyoshi. Kuniyoshi was born in 1797 and died in 1861 [...]
A Saga of Seduction in Japan: Tale of Genji (The first novel ever written) By Ledia Runnels Mysterious Japan Many things can be said of Murasaki Shikibu’s fictional account of the Heian aristocracy, set in eleventh century Japan. Yet the true heartbeat of The Tale of Genji, is the recurring rhythm of artful seduction that pulsates through Hikaru [...]
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