Tanabata, also known as the Star Festival of Japan, is typically held on July 7, the seventh day of the seventh month. In some areas, where the lunar calendar is still used to calculate this holiday, it occurs on August 7. Our recent trip to Fussa showed the festival...
Every third day of the third month of the year, Japan celebrates the Girl’s Festival, more popularly known as the Doll’s Festival. The general word for the girl’s day is hina, which can be combined to form the word tachibina (standing hina) or dairi-bina (the seated...
In the traditional lunisolar calendar, the National Foundation Day is celebrated on the New Year’s Day. National Foundation Day, also called as Kenkoku Kinen no Hi, is a national holiday in Japan which is held on the 11th day of February every year. This festivity...
If you are a health buff who likes playing sports, spending the whole day sweating your fat off and enjoys living an active lifestyle, this holiday is for you! The first ever Health and Sports day in Japan was held on October 10, 1966, to commemorate the opening of...
Another annual event celebrated in Japan is the Japanese Cultural Festival, also known as Bunka no Hi. This event always occurs on the 3rd day of November. This holiday is to commemorate that on this day in 1946, the constitution of Japan was officially announced. To...
Just as other people from different countries around the world celebrate many different holidays, Japan also celebrates several holidays throughout the year. Given that the Japanese are known to be hard workers, they only have 15 days of holiday in a year approved by...
The team was hunkered down in our hyper classified bunker located somewhere in the Tokyo metropolis. The second shift, in the form of Fred and George, had just arrived to take over for Tony and I. Fred looked much the worse for wear, with red-rimmed eyes, a sloppy...
This year, 2015, the schedule of the Golden Week Holidays will be Wednesday, April 29; Sunday, May 3; Monday, May 4; Tuesday, May 5; and Wednesday, May 6. That includes the the four official holidays (Showa Day, Constitution Memorial Day, Greenery Day, and Children's...
Dear TJL fans, We are re-publishing our account of last year's Comiket, which has proven to be one of our most popular articles. Hope some of you can make it to this year's show. In the midst of the sweltering summer, the TJL team decided to brave heat, humidity, and...
Two recent news items, both centered on new developments in Japan, show that the Japanese are working hard to create the future they have dreamed of. The first item concerns a breakthrough in causing hair growth in bald mice. It is documented in this highly technical...