the Latest List

• 14/11/2016

  Kōdō

   ‘Listen to the fragrance.’ This expression, which at first may appear slightly awkward in terms of the five senses we use in daily life, refers to the classical refined art of incense burning, or kōdō (literally, the way of fragrance), which originated in Japan.

• 20/05/2016

  Kusaki-zome

   It is said that the number of Japanese traditional colors is more than hundreds. This represents the richness of nature and diversity of living things in Japan. Pick flowers, leaves, stems and roots, extract their colors through decocting, and dye silk or cotton thread.  Minerals such as iron or copper are also used for fixing colors.  Kusaki-zome is an art piece amalgamating diverse blessings of nature.

• 29/03/2016

  Sumi

   Japanese people have incorporated the blessings from forests into lifestyles. One of the blessings we enjoy is “sumi (charcoal)” made of wood including bamboo.

• 30/10/2015

  Furoshiki

   An ingenious serving bowl which allows multipurpose use in our daily life is called an ikki-tayou (a multi-use bowl). In Japan, there are several multi-use livingwares. Chopsticks play several roles.

• 07/08/2015

  Kamon

   Like family names which we naturally have, each Japanese family has its own kamon (crest). Kamon are like crests, and represents family trees or lineages.

• 01/06/2015

  Origami

   Origami (paper folding) - enables the creation of diverse things such as plants, birds, animals or commodities through folding a sheet of paper into a triangle or a square shape.

• 26/03/2015

  Washi

   Household registration, copying sutras, ceremonies, events, Japanese calligraphy, Japanese style paintings, shoji...

• 25/11/2014

  Gasshozukuri

   Gasshozukuri is a Japanese architectural style characterized by thatched and steeply slanting roofs. ...

• 26/09/2014

  Rakuyouju

   Well into autumn, yellow and red leaves of trees scatter in the wind.  Rakuyouju, deciduous trees, ar...

• 15/07/2014

  Genfukei

   “What is your genfukkei (mental scenery)?” When asked this question, many people may remember ...

• 15/05/2014

  Washoku

   Eat seasonally.  Bamboo shoots in spring, bonito in summer, matsutake mushrooms in autumn, adult yell...

• 27/11/2013

  Onsen

  When it is getting colder, we feel like bathing in onsen, spas or hot springs, all the more.  Many city dwelle...

• 02/10/2013

  Omotenashi

  Tokyo has been chosen by the International Olympic Committee to host the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic games...

• 19/07/2013

  Uchimizu

  Even at the height of summer, when the heat of the afternoon is tempered, it is more comfortable being exposed to a li...

• 28/05/2013

  Oh-Yo

  Although the chances are not so frequent, if you look up at the sky of Metropolitan Tokyo, you can still see black kit...

• 13/11/2012

  Satoyama

  ”Back in the mountains I knew as a child Fish filled the rivers and rabbits ran wild Memories, I carry th...

• 08/08/2012

  Mottainai

  In recent years, problems of resources and energy have become international issues, and transformation to a sustainabl...

• 14/06/2012

  Chinju-no-mori

  Have you ever traveled in Japan by shinkansen?  You can see a cluster of trees looking like a small green isla...

• 02/04/2012

  Utsuroi

  Cherry blossoms are among the most beloved of flowers in Japan. Cherry blossoms begin to bloom at the southern end ...

• 06/03/2012

  MIDORI

  Midori is a Japanese word that expresses the color of shoots, young leaves, or whole plants. It also is used for re...