How the Great Fire of 1657 shaped modern Tokyo
Take a stroll around modern Tokyo and the city appears to be the epitome of orderly peace and calm. It’s hard to believe that it…
Culture
Kotonari Kyoto Picture Book Exhibition starting in March 2021 at Kamigamo Shrine
Kamigamo Shrine in Kyoto will hold the first exhibition event, Kotonari Kyoto, this year, in March. The concept of the event is ai ga entame de bunka o terasu 愛がエンタメで文化を照らす,…
Japanese tea ceremony is given a modern take in an event with artists & tea professionals
Ten contemporary artists, flower arrangers, and tea ceremony practitioners are holding a collaborative event this March to exhibit paintings & tea utensils that aim to…
University student crafts gorgeous naturally colored stone sushi down to delicious detail
Of all traditional Japanese dishes, sushi is often thought of as being the country’s most emblematic cuisine. Aside from being perhaps Japan’s most popular foodie…
1,000 Anime Figurines Transform Tottori Town Into a ‘Cool’ City
The Sankei Shimbun, JAPAN Forward Tottori town turns around its economy and grows by diving into pop culture figurines and becoming a sacred place among…
Shin-Aso Bridge to open in March, five years after Kumamoto Earthquakes
Not too long ago, during April of 2016, the southern Japan island of Kyushu was hit by a series of strong tremors, which collectively have…
Singing Songs of Rebellion: Meet 7 of Japan’s Alternative Idols
Creatively unique or offensively different? No matter how you see them, these groups are constantly changing what it means to be a modern-day idol in…
The Rich, Warm Story of ‘Golden Kamuy’ Manga’s Whale Soup
Each frame of the manga is a product of scrupulous research by artist Satoru Noda, a Hokkaido native whose work received the 22nd Tezuka Osamu…
Matsumoto Castle: an irresistible air of composure and grace
Matsumoto Castle (松本城, Matsumoto-jō) is one of the best-known of Japan’s historic castles, alongside Himeji Castle in Hyogo prefecture and Kumamoto Castle in Kyushu. The castle is…
Watch an English-subtitled noh performance for free through Arts Council Tokyo on Youtube
With large crowds becoming an impossibility due to the coronavirus, industries that rely on audiences like the performing arts have seen a continuous struggle. In…
Hello Kitty unveils more collaboration sweets with plague-fighting yōkai Amabie
Hello Kitty or Amabie, if you had to, which would you choose? Ok fine they’re a little too incomparable and lacking in similarities of any…
Kasuga Taisha Shrine lights 1,000 lanterns, prays for fulfillment of wishes and end of pandemic
On the day of the Setsubun Festival, which fell on February 2nd this year, the annual event of Setsubun Mantōrō 節分万燈籠 which means “Thousand Lanterns,”…
![You know it’s a pandemic when the demons give this excuse at Setsubun [manga]](https://grapeejapan.com/wp-content/uploads/67748_main_02-768x576.jpg)
You know it’s a pandemic when the demons give this excuse at Setsubun [manga]
On February 2nd, 2021, Japan celebrated the festival of Setsubun 節分, the day before the beginning of spring in the traditional calendar One of the…
Buddhist temple in space, Jōten’in Gō’unji, to launch in 2023
Terra Space Ltd. 寺スペース株式会社 has formed a business and technology alliance with Daigoji Temple 醍醐寺, a World Heritage Site in Kyoto, for the development and…
Driving demons away is normal on Setsubun, but this supermarket takes it to another level
Setsubun 節分, the day before the beginning of spring in Japan, is mostly known for two traditional practices, one is eating a giant ehōmaki 恵方巻…