Japanese crafts and handicrafts Japan is proud of its long history of producing fine crafts and handicrafts. Many of these are officially protected by the government and various local and national history organizations. Murahara sensei lives in Kagoshima prefecture in the south of Japan which, like many areas of the country, has some well-known crafts, and here she tells her personal relationshi...

Japanese bridges Japan is well known for its bridge building expertise. There are a number of very large, architectural wonders among the bridges of Japan which are generally made with steel and concrete. There are also many traditional bridges made from stone. And there are of course the iconic bridges found in Japanese gardens. For bridge enthusiasts, it is a wonderful country to explore. In ...

Japanese washoku dishes Japanese cuisine or Washoku was recently added to the list of the World’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. It is a cultural cuisine with differences from area to area in Japan and has a long and rich history.One of the most recognizable foods within this cuisine is of course sushi. In this informative blog, Itaya sensei explains many of the different types of sushi. How many...

Japanese castles There are more than 100 castles in Japan. Many have been rebuilt in a drive to revive history and Japanese national heritage. In this blog by veteran and professional Japanese teacher, Mizuno sensei, she focuses on Nagoya castle. Mizuno sensei lives in Nagoya and knows a lot about the city's history and specific culture. Read this blog to learn more about one of main attractions...

Japan earthquakes and seismic activity Japan is located in a high seismic activity, near three tectonic plates. Japan experiences about 400 earthquakes every day, although the vast majority are very small and detectable only using specialist apparatus. But every now and again, a large earthquake does occur and if you happen to be travelling in Japan at the time, or living here, it is important ...