初心 — The Feeling of the First Day
Every April 1st, the city fills with people who do not know what they are doing yet — and are trying anyway. Small children in new uniforms. New employees in...
Wabi Sabi Journal
三寒四温 — Three Cold, Four Warm
Japan’s name for the weeks when winter and spring trade places.
猫の日 — Cat Day in Japan
A personal reflection on cats in Japan — from Edo woodblock prints to a bowl of neko manma on February 22nd.
門松 — The New Year Decoration at the Threshold
Every December, a pair of pine and bamboo arrangements appears at Japanese doorways. A reflection on kadomatsu — and what it means to prepare the threshold before the new year...
大掃除 — The Japanese Year-End Cleaning
Every December in Japan, the windows come open and the big cleaning begins. A reflection on osoji — and what it means to clear a space before the new year...
神在月 — When the Gods Gather at Izumo Taisha
Picking Up the Thread In our previous post, we explored Kannazuki — the “Month Without Gods” — when it’s said that deities across Japan leave their shrines and journey to...
かき氷 — Japan’s Coolest Summer Tradition (Even When the Calendar Says Autumn)
From classic strawberry to matcha-rich 宇治金時 (Uji Kintoki), kakigoori is Japan’s fluffy shaved ice tradition that turns even the hottest August day into a moment of pure refreshment.
お盆 — The Week the Spirits Come Home
Every year before Obon, someone makes the spirit animals. A cucumber becomes a horse. An eggplant becomes an ox. Two ordinary things from any kitchen, given a role that connects...
針供養 — The Quiet Japanese Ritual for Broken Needles
Hari Kuyō. Once a year, Japan gathers its broken needles and presses them gently into tofu. A ritual about gratitude for the small things that quietly serve us.
一掃百福 — One Sweep, a Hundred Blessings
一掃百福 — one sweep, a hundred blessings. The act of sweeping is not the point. The space it creates is the point.
香 — The Smell of a Room That Is Ready
There was always incense at my grandmother's house. I couldn't have named the scent then. But it meant something before I had words for what it meant — this is...
干し柿 — The Persimmons That Hang All Winter
Every autumn in my memory, there are persimmons hanging from the eaves — bright orange, turning slowly in the cold air. 干し柿 takes weeks to make. You can taste the...
神無月・神在月 — The Month the Gods Leave, and Where They Go
In October, most of Japan calls it the month without gods. In Izumo, they call it the month the gods arrive. Two names for the same month — depending on...
月見 — The Night We Watch the Moon
Every autumn in Japan, on the night of the harvest moon, people go outside and look up. Tsukimi is permission to stop and notice the moon. That is all it...
松茸 — Matsutake, Japan's King of Mushrooms
Matsutake mushrooms are prized in Japan for their rare, fragrant aroma and can cost up to $1,000 per pound!