“I’m very happy to be on stage,” said a 17-year-old maiko from East Gion, expressing the sentiments of everyone present. The Sankei Shimbun, JAPAN Forward…

One of my recent hobbies is to scroll through the Instagram feed, discover new artists, entertaining posts, and innovative styles. That is how I stumbled…

If you’ve ever visited or even stayed at traditional places in Kyoto, you might have come across the word machiya (町屋). The term directly translates…

COVID-19 has put the world on hold. In Japan, many schools remain closed, as businesses and commerce slow down. However, the energy of young children…

Kanako, a maiko from Miyagawacho, Kyoto, does the ceremonial first pitch in Koshien Baseball Stadium on May 22, 2019. Photo by Sankei Shimbun | ©…

Japanese cookie creators are fond of putting their own unique spin on things with designs and patterns inspired by their own culture. For example, we’ve…

Geishas and maikos (apprentice geishas) in the hanamachi entertainment quarters of Gion and Pontocho gathered on January 7 to participate in a yearly ceremony to…

(Updated on October 9, 2018) The beautiful traditional neighborhood of Pontocho in Kyoto, in spite of its small size, is a treasure trove of hidden…

Located at about two hours from Kyoto, the city of Obama and its Sanchomachi district in particular is one of several places in Japan that…

(link to Part 2) —————— Toei Kyoto Studio Park The Uzumasa area of Kyoto is often called the Hollywood of Japan. The otherwise unremarkable neighborhood…

We’ve all seen pictures of geisha, but there’s a mystery about them that, unless we get the chance to go behind-the-scenes ourselves, will always remain…