Jomo Karuta (Part 3)

This post is a continuation of my Jomo Karuta series. You can also check out Part 1 and Part 2. These cards are not listed in any particular order, and I will only post about a card once I have visited the pertaining location. My goal is to visit all the locations listed on the...

5 Interesting Stories Behind Japanese Company Names

I've heard a couple stories about how Japanese companies came to be called what they are, but haven't really paid much attention to it until now. After finally looking one of these stories up to see if it was true, I fell down the rabbit hole of researching company name origins. There's a lot of...

Dolls of Diplomacy: The 1927 Doll Exchange

Here we go. I have once again tripped and fallen (or in this case, walked past for several years) some random thing that has now led me on a path of several hours worth of research, mini-translation projects, and a museum visit. I apologize if this gets too dry or history-heavy, but wheeeeeew I got...

Jomo Karuta (Part 2)

This post is a continuation of my Jomo Karuta series. See Part 1 here. These cards are not listed in any particular order, and I will only post about a card once I have visited the pertaining location. My goal is to visit all the locations listed on the Jomo Karuta cards before leaving Gunma....

Jomo Karuta (Part 1) – Intro and People

When you live in a rural, mountainous area, there isn't much to do. Especially in the winter. And especially if you're a kid and don't have a handy dandy Nintendo Switch to play with because it's the damn 40's. The solution? A regional pride card game. What is Jomo Karuta? Karuta is a traditional Japanese...

Usaburo Kokeshi: A New Branch for Wooden Dolls

This article is also available to read in the March 2020 issue of AJET's CONNECT Magazine! Check it out here. Have you ever walked into a Japanese souvenir shop and seen rows of beautifully carved and painted wooden dolls? These are kokeshi, one of Northern Japan’s most well known traditional art forms. You’ve seen them...

Touring and Tasting at Cella Masumi

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of going on a tour through Cella Masumi, a renowned sake distillery in Suwa, Nagano. After the tour, I also got to enjoy some sippy-sips of Masumi's lovely products with my clearly very refined palate. Now what could I possibly love more than a guided tour through...

Kanji of the Year 2018 -災

Every year on December 12th, the chief priest of Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto reveals a kanji that was chosen to be the most representative of that year in Japan. The kanji is selected by popular vote, and is finalized by the Japan Kanji Aptitude Foundation. This year's kanji is the rather depressing 災, meaning "disaster."...

Yakuza Origins: Hatamoto-yakko and Machi-yakko

When you think of the yakuza, you probably think of hardened criminals that make up the deadly and sinister Japanese mafia. Or maybe you think of the dirty political deals, gambling empires, smuggling, and violence. Or you could just think of the hit video game series highlighting the aforementioned  criminal activities. But was this always...

The Extremely Strange Tale of Dembei the (probably) Very Confused Fisherman

In 2018, the Japan Foundation conducted their "Survey Report on Japanese-Language Education Abroad" and found 633 Japanese language teachers and 11,764 language learners Japanese in Russia(1). But unlike in the United States, where studying Japanese became popular due to interest in business trading or pop culture, Japanese education has been going on in Russia for...