Today is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It's called touji (冬至 とうじ) in Japanese. On this day, we have several traditions such as eating pumpkins, red

I went to Nara Prefecture again with my husband to have yakuzen at my favorite restaurant. On the way there, we came across a soy sauce brewery. Since the brewery seems to be built in the Showa era

Last night, while chatting with my American Jewish friend via Skype, he introduced me to a translation app for smartphones. He explained that the app could translate what we say on our phones and

Sake is traditionally made in winter, and sake breweries in Japan are incredibly busy during this season. Sake lees, called sakekasu in Japanese, is a byproduct of the sake brewing process. We use

Last week, I ordered a new rose bush, and it arrived today. This particular rose bush produces plenty of rose hips, so I'm thrilled to receive it. In Spring, it blooms charming pink flowers, and the

Today, I went to Kyoto to take my painting lesson. After the class, my husband picked me up at the closest station. On our way home, we looked up at the sky and noticed that it was the full moon. It

Bōnenkai (忘年会、ぼうねんかい）is a part of our tradition. When you visit Japan during this season, you'll notice lots of group people standing or chatting on the streets, at train stations, in front of

Christmas is just around the corner, and children in Japan are eagerly looking forward to it. Since most of us aren't Christians, Christmas in Japan doesn't have religious meaning. Instead, it's more

Kintsugi is a traditional Japanese technique for repairing broken china. Since the 13th century, we've been repairing broken pieces and continuing to use them. The technique teaches us Japanese

It's getting colder in Japan, and we’ve started having special dishes to keep us warm. Today, I'd like to introduce a local dish called hōtō . I first knew this dish as I lived in Nagano Prefecture

Today, after finishing talking to my American friend from Texas on Skype, I headed to a temple called kabusan-ji to see autumn leaves again. When I saw it in Ishiyama-dera last time, I was

Knitting is one of my hobbies, and I had been doing it on and off for a long time. I was always curious about learning how to knit, but I was busy for learning other things. Fourteen years ago, I

It's getting colder in Japan, making it the perfect season for knitting. A few days ago, I started knitting a beret for myself. I'm a big fan of the British yarn company ROWAN, so as usual, I picked

It's apple season here, and I look forward to making apple cakes every year. Today, I'm pleased to share my recipe for an apple cake. Since I don't like whipped cream, my homemade cakes are quite

In my garden, rose hips have been growing, while some roses are still in full bloom. A couple of days ago, I harvested some rose hips for the first time. It was fascinating to watch their colors

Two months ago, I went to the biggest ceramic festival in Kyoto with a friend of mine. We look forward to this event every year because we can find unique blank porcelain for painting. It's always so

Today, I'd like to introduce a Japanese sweet called botamochi, which is made from rice and red beans paste. Botamochi is considered one of the traditional Japanese sweets( wagashi ). When I hear the

Today, I'd love to write about kaki persimmon. They're very popular in Japan during the fall, but I've rarely seen them outside the country. According to Wikipedia, Spain, China, Korea and Japan are

Hello there! Are you learning Japanese language or interested in Japanese culture ? If so, this post might be useful for you! I'll introduce a website where you can watch Japanese shows. I

Do you like figs? I absolutely love them!! About six months ago, I ordered a fig bush online, and it finally arrived last week. When I opened the cardboard box, I was a bit surprised to see that the