Language Culture

When Japan moves into summer, festivals are held all over the country.

Among the Bon Odori performed in various parts of Japan in summer, one of the most famous is the Awa

Mando-e, the Buddhist Lantern Festival is a traditional summertime event in Japan. It is usually hel

The Gion Matsuri, held over one month in July every year in Kyoto, is one of the three biggest festi

Along with the Gion Matsuri, one of the events representing the summer in Kyoto is Gozan Okuribi (th

Fireworks festivals are a summer tradition in Japan and so when it becomes summer numerous fireworks

When hydrangeas come into bloom, festivals are held at "Ajisaidera" (hydrangea temple) and all aroun

Nagashi-bina is a tradition of floating paper dolls downriver to pray for the health of young childr

The Aoi Matsuri (Hollyhock Festival) held every year on May 15th is one of the three major festivals

The Kanda Matsuri was the official festival of the Edo shogunate and has, since the Edo period, been

From April to June, rice (the staple food of Japan) is planted in paddy fields.

May fifth is "Children's Day," a national holiday in Japan. It is sometimes called the "Boy's Festiv

Hakata Dontaku is a festival celebrated by the citizens of Fukuoka City in Fukuoka Prefecture.

Nanakusa-gayu is rice porridge made with the "seven herbs of spring". 七草がゆとは、毎年1月7日の朝に「春の七草」を入れたおかゆ

The second Monday in January is Seijin no Hi (Coming-of-Age Day), a special day to celebrate young p

In Japan plum blossoms are known as a bloom that announces the coming of spring. 梅は桜より少し早く、毎年2月頃から花

In Japan, March 3rd is the day of the Hina Matsuri Festival. 日本では、3月3日は雛祭りの日です。
雛祭りは、女の子の成長と幸せを願

America meant "freedom" to the immigrants of the early 1900s - but a freedom very different from what they expected. Cities were crowded and jobs were scare. Children had to work selling newspapers, delivering goods, and laboring sweatshops. In this touching book, Newberry Medalist Russell Freedman offers a rare glimpse of what it meant to be a young newcomer to America.

Many people came to America in the early 1900s looking for jobs, opportunity, and freedom, and a lot of them were kids. But what happened to all these immigrant children after they passed inspection at New York’s Ellis Island - that is, if they passed inspection? Life was not easy for immigrants. Large families lived in small, one-room tenement apartments with failing plumbing and few windows. Children had to go to school with kids from different countries and learn to read and write a new language.

The fundamental components of Japanese meals are rice, soup, and side dishes, with the soup providing both water and salt.