Learning Culture

Gagaku is a traditional Japanese art form which combines singing and dancing elements from classical Japanese styles such as kagura (shinto music and dancing) with elements from the ancient Asian continent such as from China.

Origami is a traditional form of Japanese entertainment in which you make various shapes such as cranes, boats, and helmets by folding colored paper.

In contrast to the type of paper that originated in the West, there is also a type of paper made through a traditional Japanese manufacturing method called washi(Japanese paper).

Lacquerware that uses Japanese lacquer is known as shitsugei (lacquer art).

The costume play (cosplay) boom in Japan began in the latter half of the 1990s.

Odaiba is a recreational area of Tokyo where there are many shopping malls and entertainment facilities.

Animate's Ikebukuro headquarters has nine floors.

In Japan Halloween has no religious overtones.

Chopsticks are indispensable cutlery items when it comes to Japanese cuisine. They are used not only for eating, but also for cooking.

Fireworks that color the night sky are synonymous with summer in Japan, and fireworks festivals are held throughout the country every year, mainly during July and August.

There is a range of yakatabune from small boats with a capacity of 10 people, to larger luxurious ships that can carry up to 100 people.

A yukata is a type of Japanese clothing that is worn in summer. It is a thin cotton kimono that is relatively easy to wear compared to a regular kimono.

Nohgaku is a Japanese traditional art that has been practiced since the Muromachi period — more than 600 years.

Shojin ryori (vegetarian Buddhist cuisine) is one of Japan’s traditional cuisines that was born from the Buddhist concept that meals were also a part of religious practice.

Kado（flower arrangement） is a traditional Japanese art in which flower vases are adorned with seasonal flowers and plants for people to appreciate. This art is also known as ikebana.

Shodo means the traditional Japanese art of calligraphy, in which kanji and kana letters are written using a brush and ink.

Japanese summer is not only hot but humid. For this reason, Japan has long had various tools and methods for cooling off in order to find comfort in the severe heat.

The history of pottery in Japan stretches back a long way, and the Jomon pottery from the Jomon period, that began over 10,000 years ago, is said to be the oldest earthenware in Japan.

The driving force behind the popularization of drug stores in Japan was "Matsumotokiyoshi".

At one time in Japan, people ate nuts, fruit, and berries as snacks. It is said that this gave rise to what we now call confectionery.