Not only today, but every year on March 3rd Japan celebrates the so-called “Hina Matsuri” (ひな祭り). The festival is also known as: “The Girl’s Festival”, “The Doll’s Festival” or “The Peach Festival” (ももの節句).   What is the Hina Matsuri? As the name suggests it’s a festival for the girls in Japan. There’s also a festival [...]

It’s January. A new year has just started here in Japan. After the busy time in December (cleaning, cooking, writing New Year cards) and then finally celebrating New Year’s Eve (Omisoka), what’s happening next? The first day of January is the most important holiday of the year. It is called “Shogatsu” (正月). On Shogatsu families [...]

Around this time of the year Japanese people are busy with various things. Christmas is not what keeps them busy, but the two most important days in Japan: Omisoka (Japanese New Year’s Eve) and Shogatsu (Japanese New Year’s Day).   1. End-of-the-year Preparation Before the year comes to an end and those two days finally [...]

I’m pretty sure that most of you know what a dried fish is, right? I also think you’ve heard of “women”? But what on earth is a “dried fish woman”? Japanese society can be tough. There’s this infamous saying:     „The nail that sticks out gets hammered.” Unfortunately this saying is often the sad reality [...]

Hello. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what day today is, now do I? Yes, it’s February 14th, so it must be Valentine’s Day – also here in Japan! However, Valentine’s Day in Japan might be different from what you are used to! First of all, it’s a Western “holiday” that Japan adopted [...]

Happy “Bean Throwing Day“! “Demons out, Good Fortune in!” – that’s today’s motto as it’s “Setsubun” (節分) today (February 3rd). It’s one of my favorite days of the year, so I thought I’d share it with you and tell you some more about it. Well, what do you do on “Bean Throwing Day”? Yeah, right! [...]

Today I want to tell you a little about the custom of sending Japanese New Year Cards, better known as “nengajo” (年賀状). You might think I’m already far too late for that? No, not really and you’ll soon understand why! Now, if you think that Japanese New Year Cards are similar to Christmas Cards, you’re [...]