Christmas lights in Japan Even though Japan is not a Christian country, the season of Christmas is celebrated very widely. Most cities reserve budgets for the annual Christmas decorations and of course shops and department stores add to the festive spirit. The illuminations in Kobe city are not strictly Christmas decorations however. Read this Japanese learner's blog below by Sakude sensei who...

Japanese trees Along some of Japan's most celebrated streets you can find some trees lining the sidewalks. In Tokyo, along Omote Sando street, there are are some Keyaki trees which are also known as Japanese zelkova trees. They create a nice atmosphere to walk during the different seasons. In this blog by Japanese teacher Yatabe sensei, she talks about this topic and introduces some vocabulary...

In Japan, the viewing of autumn leaves is known and Koyo. It is almost as popular as viewing cherry blossom leaves in the spring months. There are many fantastic autumn leaves viewing spots all over the country. Since the practice has been popular for centuries, there are any number of forests and groves that were planted purposefully for this event. Inamoto sensei is one...

Japanese fireworks Fireworks festivals (or hanabi taikai) in Japan are usually summer events. There are hundreds of events during the season, with some notably larger than others. The most popular fireworks shows draw huge crowds and people travel from far to view them. In this blog by Murahara sensei, she focuses on a fireworks show in Kagoshima city that was held out of season. Find out more...

Sumo (or 相撲 in Japanese ) is a wrestling bout in which the wrestlers (or rikishi) try to push one another out of a round arena (or dohyō) or make another wrestler fall down in the ring. The sport is considered as the national sport of Japan, and there are many foreign rikishi in recent years competing professionally in Japan. This interesting blog by Kinoi sensei, a professional...

Foreign festivals in Japan There are reportedly over 200,000 festivals held in Japan each year. The peak seasons for these are usually in the summer months, and during the autumn harvest season. Many of the festivals have religious or spiritual roots and are often associated with local shrines. Which is why it is not surprising that Japanese people love their festivals and often go out to...

Ancient Japanese constellations The Japanese were a sea-faring and farming race from times of old. They used the stars to navigate the seas and understand the seasons better. There are old Japanese names for the constellations although they are less known and less used now as the more universal Western names are used more. In this blog by Japonin(JOI) professional teacher Mizuno sensei, she...

Kyoto tourism Kyoto was once the capital city of Japan. It is a beautiful and historical city filled with splendid temples and interesting shrines. It was one of the top tourist destinations in the world this year and is growing in popularity. Here in this Japanese language blog, Kamiyama sensei introduces one of the top sight-seeing spots in Kyoto. Read this and listen to natural Japanese too....

Insects in Japan There are many insects and bugs that are indigenous to the Japan isles. Fortunately, not many are dangerous or poisonous – but it is worth finding out which ones are before venturing out into the mountains in Japan. The centipedes and wasps are generally the most harmful, although the media over here has been up in arms over an increase in blood-sucking worms recently......

Japanese exercise classes There are a large number of gyms and exercise classes in Japan. You can find many classes in the public civic centers for very reasonable prices which often include aerobics classes and yoga lessons. And there are a number of private gyms that provide in vogue classes like Pilates and Speed Yoga. Here in this blog for Japanese language learners, Yanaka sensei introduces...