Some time ago, one of our readers, Luisa, kindly messaged me to introduce me to the movie “Gochiso Chaji – A Film About Japanese Tea.” She had just watched the movie at a preview with the Global Japanese Tea Association and, like the rest of the audience, was “amazed at how it really delivers the…
Rogai: When the Elderly Give Headaches to Japanese Society
After my article about the Japanese generation Z, this time, I would like to write about a phenomenon that concerns the Japanese elderly: rogai. This Japanese word applies to elderly people who create trouble in their surroundings. However, as often in Japanese culture, it has several levels of meaning. The Original Meaning of Rogai In…
What Vegetables Do YOU Want Us to Sow?
As you know, Kokoro Media is renting a small parcel of land at the Japanese organic farm Higa Farm to grow vegetables. (If you do not know about this project, you can find the details here.) It is soon time to sow seeds for autumn and winter, and once again, we would like to involve…
Making an Independent Japanese Horror Movie
As you may know, in Japan, summer is the season of ghosts. Traditionally, obon is when spirits come back to earth, and in September, ohigan is when the world of spirits and the world of the living are the closest. The heavy atmosphere due to the heat and humidity is also perfect to tell scary…
Tending Vegetables in the Japanese Heat
Here is the new episode of the Kokoro Media remote farming project which involves you, readers! (You can find our previous episodes here.) Last month, Japanese organic farmer Masamichi showed us how fast plants had grown and the consequences of the rainy season. Now that the rainy season is over, how do you tend the vegetables in…
The Small Peanut Butter Company That Wants to Inspire Japan
Go Nakano is the CEO and a founder member of Happy Nuts Day, a company that produces peanut butter made with peanuts from Chiba Prefecture. Go used to work for a big advertising company but decided to leave and create Happy Nuts Day with his skateboarding friends. His aim: to build a company and create…
Ohigan, a Japanese Buddhist Holiday
Maybe you are already familiar with obon, a Japanese holiday during which people pay their respects to their family’s graves. But did you know that they also visit graves on two other days of the year? That celebration is called ohigan. Ohigan Is a Period for Remembrance Ohigan is celebrated twice a year on the…
A Different Japanese Lost and Found Story
There are many positive preconceptions about Japan such as, “Japanese streets are so clean,” “in Japan, trains always arrive on time,” and “Japanese people are so honest that if you forget or lose something, they will bring it back to you or to the police.” The latter one gained some more popularity in 2020 when…
Japanese Humor: What It Is like to Perform Rakugo Comedy
Cyril Coppini is a French national who has been living in Japan for more than 20 years. His love for the Japanese language has led him to live in Japan, where he is working as a translator, now specializing in manga. However, his love for words has expanded into another form. Cyril is also a…
What Is the Story behind Japan’s Yellow Brick Roads?
Maybe you have landed on this page because, like many of my friends visiting Japan, you are wondering, “What are these yellow blocks on the sides of Japanese roads?” Or maybe you are wondering who invented them. These yellow blocks are made to help people with visual impairments to navigate the public space. They are…