History of Japan Archives - Page 2 of 3

A guide to Japanese whisky

Posted on Sep 16, 2013 in History of Japan, Japanese customs, Things to do, What to buy, Where to drink |

In Ian Fleming’s You Only Live Twice, the Australian spy Dikko Henderson gets a vile hangover drinking Japanese whisky. James Bond, more of a martini man, is amazed that Dikko would even consider drinking that gutrot, saying, ‘I can’t believe Japanese whisky makes a good foundation for anything.’ That neatly sums up the attitude of most foreigners to Japanese whisky for most of its more than 80-year history. In 2001, that all started to change when a 10-year-old Yoichi made...

September 16th, respect for the elderly day in Japan

Posted on Sep 16, 2013 in History of Japan, Japanese customs, Stories about Japan |

Japan has many strange holidays. In the past there were religious holidays, but the government decided that religious days should not be celebrated as public holidays unlike all the other religions in the world like for instance the Christians who celebrate chrismas and other major Christian holidays, or the Jewish people who celebrate passover or Muslims who celebrate their sugar feast at the end of the fasting period. I could go on and on. Many countries celebrate their...

Japanese superstitions explained

Posted on Sep 14, 2013 in History of Japan, Japanese customs, Stories about Japan |

All of us have our own little habits and quirks that defy common sense. It’s human nature to harbor even just a little superstitious tendency now and then, whether it be not watching a pot boil or leaving a shower curtain open. Even on a larger scale, entire cultures have their own customs that are performed with very few people asking why. For example, why does a bride throw her flowers at a crowd of women? Why was a stork chosen as the bird we trust to deliver our...

Tokyo trend: Ear-cleaning parlors

Posted on Sep 13, 2013 in History of Japan, Japanese customs, Japanese technology, Must see, News, Stories about Japan, Things to do |

When the Japanese government allowed ear cleaning salons to operate unlicensed, a new business model took off. The ancient Egyptians, who brought us paper, locks, clocks and eye makeup, were also ahead of the curve in earwax removal, creating concoctions that included Cypress tree oil, pig fat, cat blood or male bat’s head. Several millennia later, Japan has made another evolutionary leap in ear care. Five years ago, when the Japanese government announced that ear cleaning...

Want to get into shape? Try the sumo work-out!

Posted on Sep 13, 2013 in History of Japan, Japanese customs, Stories about Japan, Things to do |

Sumo’s incredible hulks might not be obvious role models for a fitness regime, but behind the flab are athletes of awesome strength, stamina and reflexes. Follow their exercises, skip their diets, and you might see some big benefits. The sport’s governing body, the Nihon Sumo Kyokai, has created an exercise programme that draws on the sport’s signature thrusts, stomps and stretches. Regular practice, they say, will relax your muscles, improve circulation, strengthen the...

Things to do: Visit a Japanese miso factory

Posted on Sep 7, 2013 in Daytrips, History of Japan, Must see, Things to do |

Okazaki City is located southeast of Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture and prospered in the Edo period (1600-1868) as a castle town and an important post-station along the Tōkaidō Road. History In the Sengoku period (1467-1568), the area of modern-day Aichi Prefecture was controlled by the Matsudaira clan, who would later be known as the Tokugawa and who in 1600 established a shogunate that would control Japan’s fate during the Edo period (1600-1868). The first...

A guide to Japanese whisky

September 16th, respect for the elderly day in Japan

Japanese superstitions explained

Tokyo trend: Ear-cleaning parlors

Want to get into shape? Try the sumo work-out!

Things to do: Visit a Japanese miso factory

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