家紋（かもん Kamon）means “Family Crest” in Japanese. Let me talk about Japanese Kamon in this article. Kamon is hardly used in modern Japan, but in Samurai Era, each 武家（ぶけ Buke = samurai family) had their own Kamon. Tokugawa’s Kamon One of the most famous Kamon in Japan is 三つ葉葵（みつばあおい Mitsuba Aoi）. It was the Kamon by […]
Culture
Japanese Romaji – Sensē, Sensei or Sensee?
Japanese Romaji is a writing system to spell Japanese syllables in Roman (Latin) characters. Do people in Japan use Romaji? The answer is Yes and No. Romaji system was invented for non-Japanese people who cannot read Japanese characters (Hiragana, Katakana, & Kanji). In Japan, you may see things spelled in Romaji at airports, train stations or […]
What is Miso Paste? – Secrets for Japanese Longevity
Have you ever wondered why Japanese people live such long lives? (average life span for men: 80.79 years old; for women: 87.05 years old) I have wondered and suspected if it is due to many fermented foods we consume on a daily basis. Miso paste is one of them. Do you know Japanese miso paste? […]
Japanese Stories for Kids – Karasu no Panyasan (VIDEO)
Let’s Read Japanese Stories for Kids! Reading Japanese stories for kids written in Hiragana by a real Japanese author is a great way to improve your reading skills. Today I want to read a book for you that I recommend as a Japanese reading material. The book is called Karasu no Panyasan. (Mr. Crow’s Bakery) […]
Kagoshima City Japan – My Hometown
I would like to share with you about my ふるさと “furusato” (hometown). I grew up in a city called KAGOSHIMA city, Japan. KAGOSHIMA is located in the southern tip of Kyushu. Many of you may know that Tokyo used to be called “Edo” during the samurai period. My hometown, on the other hand, used to be […]
How Much Do You Know about Japan? – Fun Facts about Japan 1
How much do you know about Japan? Let’s learn fun facts about Japan through a short quiz! Here are 7 statements about Japan, Japanese culture, and customs. Are they True or False? If you want to read all the questions first, they are listed below this video. Ok, here we go. Let’s see how many […]