間 — The Space Between
間 is not emptiness. It is the quality of the space between things — and the recognition that this space is as meaningful as the things on either side of...
Wabi Sabi Journal
もったいない — The Word That Stops You Before You Throw Something Away
もったいない doesn't translate neatly. It's the word my grandmother said quietly when I left food on my plate — something between regret and reverence.
水無月 — The Sweet That Marks the Middle of the Year
My grandmother loved 水無月. I remembered this only when I started writing about it — the specific way she would describe it, the anticipation she brought to the season. She...
バレンタインデー — The Day Girls Make the First Move
Valentine's Day in Japan works differently. On February 14th, it is the women and girls who give chocolate. The response comes one month later. This reversal is so established that...
Tokyo’s Winter Whisper
Sensoji Temple in Asakusa transforms under a delicate blanket of snow, a serene reminder of the ‘Sankan Shion’ dance between winter’s chill and the promise of spring.
立春 — The Day Spring Is Named
Around February 4th, the Japanese calendar marks 立春 — the beginning of spring. Not the arrival of warm weather. The naming of spring. On this day, it is almost certainly...
茶道 — The Way of Tea, Especially in Winter
I make matcha at home most mornings. Not formally — just the bowl, the whisk, the water at the right temperature. A few minutes of something quiet before the day...
達磨 — The Doll With One Eye
A new daruma arrives with both eyes blank. When you set a goal, you fill in one eye. The other stays empty until you finish. It sits on your shelf...
年越し蕎麦 — The Bowl That Crosses the Year
My clearest memory of New Year's Eve is not the countdown. It is the soba. In Japanese households, a bowl of hot soba noodles in dashi broth is eaten...
大掃除 — The Year-End Deep Cleaning Tradition to Welcome the New Year
Discover Osoji, Japan’s year-end tradition of deep cleaning to cleanse your home and spirit before the new year.
クリスマス — In Japan, Christmas Means KFC
Every December, the Colonel Sanders statue outside KFC locations across Japan gets dressed in a Santa Claus outfit. Japan is not a Christian country. What it has instead is fried...
敬老の日 — Respect for the Aged
Every third Monday of September, Japan observes 敬老の日 — Respect for the Aged Day. Families travel, people visit grandparents, communities gather. Japan has the oldest population in the world. It...
七夕 — The Night the Stars Meet
The strips of paper were always the part I loved most. Thin, brightly colored, one wish written on each. We would hang them from bamboo branches and watch the family's...
富士山 — The Mountain Everyone Wants to Climb
I finally convinced my family to climb Fuji in 2017. We booked mountain huts near the summit for an overnight stay. What I did not account for was the typhoon.
てるてる坊主 — The Little Ghost That Asks for Sun
Before any outdoor event that mattered, children in Japan would make one. White cloth gathered and tied at the head, hung in the window the night before. てるてる坊主 —...