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Japans whacky holidays: Coming of age day

Japans whacky holidays: Coming of age day

Posted on Jan 15, 2014 in History of Japan, Japanese customs, Must see, Stories about Japan |

The second Monday of January is Coming-of-Age Day, a national holiday to encourage those who have newly entered adulthood to become self-reliant members of society. (The holiday used to be on January 15, but in 2000 it was moved to the second Monday of the month.) Last Monday we celebrated the coming of age day for 2014. Local governments host special coming-of-age ceremonies for 20-year-olds, since an “adult” in Japan is legally defined as one who is 20 or...

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Ritual transfer of deity at Ise Grand Shrine

Posted on Oct 5, 2013 in Japanese customs, News, Things to do, Weekend trips |

        Many Japanese were visiting the Ise Grand Shrine in central Japan on Wednesday, ahead of an important ritual that is closed to the public.   The event dates back 1300 years and involves the rebuilding of the shrine. All of the sacred wooden buildings at the site in Mie Prefecture are dismantled and built anew every 20 years.The event reaches a climax on Wednesday evening with the ritual transfer of the shrine’s deity to its new...

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Festivals and Events for October 2013 in Japan

Posted on Oct 4, 2013 in Daytrips, Japanese customs, Must see, Things to do, Weekend trips |

5-6 October 2013 Event: Oda Nobunaga Festival in Gifu Location: Downtown Gifu City Time: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Price of Admission: Free The festival honours the feats of Oda Nobunaga, a samurai warlord who used Gifu City as a base on his mission to unify Japan during the Warring States (Sengoku) period of Japan. It is a celebration of his contribution towards the construction of Gifu City and the legacy that he has left behind. The must see events are the memorial ceremony at...

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Japanese housewives; mostly faithful, sometimes frisky

Posted on Sep 27, 2013 in Japanese customs, News, Stories about Japan |

Frustration within the married state is as old as the institution itself. Sexless marriage? You’ve heard this story before. Condom maker Sagami Gomu, following an in-house survey, has concluded that nearly half of all marriages in Japan are sexless. Simultaneous developments in other spheres promise, you’d think, riotous extra-marital goings-on. More and more wives work. At work they meet people. In the warm glow of fresh encounters, home and family are another world. No...

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The ‘king of infidelity’ has landed in Tokyo!

The ‘king of infidelity’ has landed in Tokyo!

Posted on Sep 22, 2013 in Japanese customs, News, Stories about Japan |

The ‘king of infidelity’ has landed in Tokyo. After finding that enabling affairs can make money in 27 countries, Noel Biderman is bringing Ashley Madison — the world’s largest dating website for married men and women who want a little something on the side — to Japan, his first launch in Asia. The website of Mr. Biderman, CEO of Avid Life Media, Inc, has logged 230,000 visits and 70,000 members as of Thursday, only four days after its Japan launch, and Mr. Biderman said he...

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All the rage: animal cafes

Posted on Sep 20, 2013 in Japanese customs, Stories about Japan, Things to do |

In a vibrant city such a Tokyo, many people live in small apartments stacked up on each other creating plenty of high-rise buildings. Because these apartments are often rented, the people are prohibited to own any pets and even if it wasn’t prohibited the places would just be too small. But Japan would not be the modern country as we know it if it had not come up with a solution; animal cafes! The first animal café was a Neko café (neko means cat) and was established in...

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