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traditional / culture

初詣 – Hatsumōde

Hatsumōde is your first visit to a Buddhist temple or Shinto shrine in the New Year.  You generally wish for health and …

平成 – Heisei Era

In Japan besides the Western Calendar (西暦) we often use Japanese imperial year (和暦).  Currently the imperial year is Heisei (平成) 31 …

菱餅 – Hishi Mochi

For hina-matsuri we display beautiful dolls and offer food and drink.  Normally the drink is shirozake or Japanese white wine, and the …

節分 – Setsubun

Setsubun literally means “dividing season” and it is the day before a new season starts based on the traditional East Asian lunisolar …

千羽鶴 – Senbazuru

Senbazuru literally means 1000 orizuru, but it does not have to be exactly 1000.  It just means to make many of them as …

折鶴 – Orizuru

Crane is not the national bird of Japan, but it is often shown as an image of Japan together with cherry blossoms …