Shibuya 109 (called “Ichi Maru Kyu in Japanese) is one of the most iconic fashion destinations for young women in Japan. The high-rise building and large 109 sign have become a familiar part of the Tokyo landscape along with the famous Shibuya Crossing and Hachiko statue.
The biggest difference between traditional Japanese tea cups and Western tea cups is that Japanese tea cups have no handle. There are two kinds of Japanese tea “cups” – yunomi, which are tall cylindrical cups, and chawan, wide bowls used to drink matcha in the Japanese tea ceremony. Unlike a chawan, a yunomi can be used for everyday tea drinking at your home or even at work. Japanese tea cups come in all kinds of styles and glazes, from white porcelain, to iron black, and unglazed clay. Like Western tea cups, however, there can be a huge range in prices for a single piece. A mass-produced factory yunomi are quite affordable, but a quality yunomi made by a master can cost over 10,000 yen.
When buying a Japanese tea cup, you should not only consider the style but also hold it in your hands and try imagine yourself drinking tea from it. The evolution of traditional Japanese tea cups can be traced through the Japanese pottery styles of yore—let’s examine the top five types.
Autumn in Japan is one of the most beautiful times of the year, with green leaves transforming into a collage of red, yellow, and…
Along with the kimono, one of the most recognized outfits from Japan is the standard Japanese school uniform. Thanks to anime and manga, the…
After months of browsing the Internet, you finally hunt down that special (and rare) figurine that you’ve been tracking for months.But when you finally…
Many Japanese women have beautiful and youthful skin and are known to take great pride in their daily routines. This may seem like it would require a lot of time and money, but you do not actually have to spend a lot on high end cosmetics and skin care here; in Japan there is a huge range of products to help your skin without breaking the bank. Some of them can even be found in local stores, and at a very reasonable price!
When visiting Japan, your friends back home will always want you to bring back a weird gift for them. It’s a natural reasoning, as Japan is truly home to the weird. Whilst gashapon are often a good idea for pure wonkiness, there’s another trend in Japan that might be even weirder. Brace yourself: It’s all to do with poop.
Incense burning in Japan is not just a way to relax and freshen the air; it is also one of the oldest traditional Japanese arts. Japanese incense is made with high quality natural ingredients such as herbs, spices, resins, and aromatic woods. Historically, it has been used in Buddhist rituals to purify a sacred space or make a spiritual offering. Incense appreciation (Kodo) even developed into an art form like that of tea ceremony or flower arranging in the Heian Period. Today seen mostly in the form of Japanese incense sticks, incense is another example of Japan’s success in creating traditional-meets-modern culture: Time-honored production are still used, but innovative scents and stylish displays bring incense into the modern day.