Japan holds a great cultural resonance for cherry blossoms’ meaning, woven throughout its history. Because of the significance of cherry blossoms in Japan, they are considered the country’s national flower. Visitors travel far and wide to witness the blooming cherry blossoms, and we consider seeing cherry blossoms in Japan as one of the main reasons …
Father’s Day in Japan, or 父の日(chichi no hi), shares many similarities with the British holiday. Read on to learn how to celebrate Father’s Day the Japanese way, and discover some Japanese messages to try in your greetings card! Father’s Day in Japan Like in the UK, Father’s Day in Japan is celebrated on the third …
Are you looking forward to seeing the amazing 2020 Black Friday deals we have for you this year? As always, The Japanese Shop will be offering some exclusive offers for Black Friday to make your online Christmas shopping as simple as possible. Whether you’re buying for others or treating yourself, we’re offering savings across a …
Japan’s cultural influence is recognised globally, from anime to gaming to fashion trends. One sub-culture which has become increasingly popular is Japanese kawaii culture, which has permeated across the globe as a result of globalisation and an increasingly technological world. If you’ve heard of Hello Kitty, you’ve already had a glimpse into Japanese cute culture, …
As Shibori patterns grow more popular and more fashionable on the British high street, we thought we’d dig a little deeper into the history of the traditional Japanese tie-dyeing. Read on to discover the different types of Shibori dyeing techniques. What is Shibori? Shibori – meaning to wring or squeeze – is an old Japanese …
Omamori – what are they? What does it mean? What do I keep mentioning them at every shrine in every travel blog post? Well it’s probably about time I explained what these beautiful little things are. Omamori are commonplace in traditional Japanese culture, and if you get the opportunity to travel the Land of the …
Welcome back to the final instalment in the mini-series on my top Japanese locations! If you haven’t yet, make sure you check out the first two posts on Okayama and Tottori! This week I will introduce you to my absolute favourite place in Japan, situated at the top of Mt. Kōya in Wakayama. Wakayama prefecture …
The Hare of Inaba is considered to be Japan’s first love story, and comes from the ancient Japanese ‘records’, known as Kojiki. The Kojiki chronicled many ancient myths, legends, and traditions, as well as the origins of the Japanese landscape, kami, and lineage of the Japanese imperial family. 古事記 (こじき) kojiki = lit. ‘Records of …
Happy Children’s Day! In Japan, Golden week is coming to a close with the final national holiday, Children’s Day. To learn a bit more about it, you can read our blog post all about Golden Week in Japan! In honour of this national holiday – and everlasting boredom – we thought we would share some …
