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In Japan, there is the Doll’s Festival. Hinamatsuri is filled with peach blossoms, hina dolls, and hina arare (sweetened rice-flour dumplings for the Girls’ Festival), all of which create a very festive atmosphere. And when it comes to Hinamatsuri, we realize that spring is finally approaching. I remember looking at the hina decorations during Hinamatsuri

It is often said that what foreigners do not understand about Japanese people is their ambiguous expressions. Among them, there is even something called “A-Un,” which is difficult to understand. When one hears the phrase “A-Un, 阿吽” what immediately comes to mind are the komainu (guardian dogs) at shrines. If you observe them carefully, you

Dogs live with people in many countries around the world and are loved as family members by many people in Japan. Due to the recent cat boom, dogs are kept as pets second only to cats, but there are still about 7.1 million dogs in Japan. Some people who have immigrated to Japan may actually

I remember learning in elementary school that the word “japan” originated from a passage in Marco Polo’s “The Book of Eastern Views”. However, what surprised me when I read the book was that Marco Polo never actually came to Japan. And as the title of the book, “Memoirs,” suggests, he was describing Japan based on

Would you like to travel to the most prestigious shrine in Japan? If you were to go, which would you prefer to visit, Ise Jingu Shrine or Izumo Taisha Shrine? Many foreigners have never been to either shrine and would like to visit both, but it is difficult to say which one. These two shrines

For those born outside of Japan, when a friend asks, “What is your blood type?” When asked, “What is your blood type? and your friend asks you, “Why are you asking me that?” you may be surprised. However, most people in Japan know their blood type, and in some cases, people casually talk about their

Have you ever seen mysterious masks when you came to Japan? Perhaps you have seen a mask called “Hyottoko”. By any chance, “Hyottoko” and “Okame” have been popular as lucky charms for a long time. Perhaps the reason for their popularity is their expressions that make you laugh unintentionally. However, the origin of their faces

Have you ever heard of the term teru teru bozu? Children don’t make them anymore, so you may not have the chance to see the real thing. Teru teru teru bozu” refers to small dolls made by children to wish for good weather. Most Japanese people remember making teru teru bozu several times in their