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Uchiyama Castle
Uchiyama Castle (内山城 Uchiyama-jō) is located in the mountains east of Saku City, Nagano Prefecture. The castle was most likely constructed in the early 16th century by the local Ōi (大井) clan who ruled...
View ArticleSake Glossary
A Akiagari (秋あがり): sake brewed in early spring and stored during summer; around September, when the outside temperature and the temperature of the sake are about the same, the sake is released without...
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Daibutsugahana Castle
Daibutsugahana Castle (大仏ヶ鼻城 Daibutsugahana-jō) was a flatland castle (平城 hirajiro) in the southern part of Hirosaki City. It is also called Ishikawa Castle (石川城) or Ishikawa-date (石川館). It was located...
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Edo-Tokyo Museum
The Edo-Tokyo Museum is closed for renovation until the end of 2025. Designed by the renowned architect Kikutake Kiyonori, the Edo-Tokyo Museum (江戸東京博物館) was modelled after traditional stilted...
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Yukio Mishima
Renowned poet, actor, reactionary Born on 14 January 1925, in Yotsuya, Tokyo, under the name Hiraoka Kimitake (平岡公威), the young Mishima was raised by his grandmother Natsu, an illegitimate...
View ArticleMatsumoto Travel Guide
Matsumoto (松本) is located in central Nagano Prefecture and used to be a provincial capital from the eighth century. It was the base of the senior branch of the Ogasawara clan (小笠原氏), the shugo (守護,...
View ArticleKinship expressions in Japanese
8.4. Kinship8.4.1. Kinship reference termsJapanese kinship terms have two categories: reference terms and address terms. The latter is used to call your family without using their name, like the...
View ArticleObon Festival
The Bon (盆) or Obon (お盆) Festival, also known as Urabon (盂蘭盆), is a Buddhist observance to honour the spirits of ancestors. It is traditionally observed from 13 to 15 July in the Kantō and Tōhoku area...
View ArticleJogasaki Coast
The coast of Jōgasaki (城ヶ崎海岸 Jōgasaki Kaigan) is located on the eastern shore of Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka prefecture, just south of the city of Itō. The rugged and picturesque coast was formed some...
View ArticleShirihachi-date
Shirihachi Castle (尻八館 Shirihachi-date) is a mountain castle in the eastern part of the Tsugaru Peninsula. Although it has an unusual name, it is said that it was initially called Shiripolo-chashi...
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Saigo Takamori
The Last True Samurai and True Last SamuraiBorn in Kagoshima in the Satsuma Domain (present-day Kagoshima Prefecture), Saigō Takamori (西郷隆盛, 1828-1877) was one of the pro-imperial samurai supporting...
View ArticleSatsuma Rebellion
The Satsuma Rebellion, known in Japanese as Seinan Sensō (西南戦争) or Seinan no Eki (西南の役), was the last major armed uprising against the reforms of the new Meiji government. It was fought by the former...
View ArticleYoshida Shoin
Yoshida Shōin (吉田松陰, 1830-1859) was born in 1830 in Matsumoto (松本村), a small village close to the castle town of Hagi (萩), Chōshū Domain (modern-day Yamaguchi prefecture). He was the second son of a...
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Matsudaira Katamori
Matsudaira Katamori (松平容保, 1836-1893) was the ninth and last daimyō of Aizu Domain. In the Bakumatsu, the final days of the Edo period, he served as Kyōto Shugoshoku (京都守護職, military commissioner) in...
View ArticleSumo
Sumō (相撲) is a unique form of wrestling with a 2,000-year-old history that easily qualifies as Japan's national sport. Sumō became a professional sport almost 300 years ago in the early part of the Edo...
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Kakizaki Castle
The Kakizaki (蠣崎) were the ancestors of the Matsumae clan (松前氏), the only feudal lord in Ezo (Hokkaidō). However, what is lesser known is that the clan's birthplace was the Shimokita Peninsula (下北半島)....
View ArticleJapanese counters
5.3. Counters5.3.1. Basic countersTo count things in Japanese, you cannot put nouns immediately after a number. Counters, which are added after numbers, are necessary. Do you think it is strange?...
View ArticleJapan Fact Sheet
The Japan fact sheet comprises a quick rundown of the most essential facts and figures about Japan. Content Country and population Name Flag Capital Archipelago Emperor Government Legislature Times and...
View ArticleTanabe Residence
Shimokita Peninsula (下北半島) is shaped like an axe, and Tanabe (田名部) is located at the base of the handle. Tanabe Residence (田名部館 Tanabe-date) was a Japanese castle located in Ogawamachi, Mutsu City,...
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Marriage in Japan
When Japanese tie the knot Over the past several centuries, the institution of marriage in Japan has changed radically. The changes reflect new social realities and influences from other cultures. They...
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