Gifu Castle: Where Nobunaga Declared Tenka Fubu
On a summer day in 1567, Oda Nobunaga stood at the summit of a mountain he had just captured, looked […]
Oda Nobunaga’s Favourite Summer Festival
On the fourth Saturday of July, after dark, in a small Aichi city that most foreign tourists have never heard
Sankin-kotai Ate 75% of a Daimyos Income
Imagine being the lord of Kaga Domain — the richest daimyō in Japan after the shōgun himself, with a rice
Samurai Trousers Were Designed to Hide the Feet
Stand in front of a skilled hakama-wearer and watch their feet. You cannot. A good hakama, cut to its traditional
Japanese Candles Are Made from Tree Berries
Traditional Japanese candles are not made from paraffin. They are not made from beeswax or palm wax or any other
The Hibachi Is Not What Americans Think It Is
There is a linguistic problem to sort out before anything else. In English-speaking restaurants since about 1964, “hibachi” has meant
Japan Still Measures Its Rooms in Tatami
A Japanese real-estate listing in 2026 will tell you the floor area of an apartment in square metres and also
Every Japanese Room Has a Story Above the Door
In almost every serious traditional Japanese room — the zashiki reception room of a merchant house, the abbot’s quarters of
The Angle of a Kawara Tile Has Not Changed in 1400 Years
Kawara roof tiles come out of the kiln at exactly the same firing angle that Baekje-Korean potters brought to Japan
Japan Cannot Look Inside Hashihaka Kofun
Hashihaka Kofun is the oldest large-scale burial mound in Japan, and possibly the single most important unexcavated archaeological site in