St. Valentine’s Day in Japan, known for its wide variety of high-quality boxed chocolates, has expanded on the western version of the holiday to include even more gift-giving options. With names that reflect the custom...
Author - Jeanette May Fukao
Jeanette May Fukao
Setsubun, a Day for Beans and Blue Ogres
Have you recently been welcomed at your local supermarket by a scowling but harmless-looking blue-faced ogre, perhaps with a red-faced one by its side? Have you been noticing an unusual abundance of such horned, fanged...
How a Simple Clipboard Can Help You Be a Great Neighbor
My neighborhood in Shiga Prefecture reminds me of the Beatles’ song “Penny Lane,” where small shops with friendly shopkeepers line the streets, and where everyone knows what everyone else is doing. Neighbors greet you...
