Have you ever heard of yosakoi? It is a Japanese dance performed in festivals all around Japan and in many other countries too. How did this dance originating from Kochi Prefecture (Shikoku island) manage to spread so far? The answer lies in its welcoming spirit and easy principles. On July 4, I was invited to…
Growing Vegetables during Japanese Rainy Season
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, after receiving our readers’ voting results, Masamichi planted satoimo, edamame, and shiso. Are they growing okay despite the weather? How much do these Japanese vegetables grow in a one-month span?…
Meet Anthony Griffin, Kokoro Media Writer and Businessman in Japan
Anthony Griffin is a U.S. citizen who has been living in Japan since 2009. Passionate about Japanese culture since a young age, his visits to the country as an adult convinced him to try and live here. It was the beginning of an adventure during which Japan inspired him to test his own limits and…
The Japanese Generation Z
These last two years, I have come across many articles about the generational gaps between the baby boomers, the millennials, and generation Z. This has made me wonder how the Japanese generation Z is perceived by older generations and what changes they are bringing to society. Here is what I have found. A Different Work-Life Balance…
Shinji Tsuchimochi: Drawing Tokyo’s Nostalgic Towns and Ukiyo-e
Maybe you do not know his name, but if you like Japan or cute illustrations, then you probably have already seen some of his works online. Shinji Tsuchimochi is a Tokyo-born illustrator who started drawing scenes of the Tokyo traditional districts as a way to express himself beside his main job—painting backgrounds for Japanese animation…
The Basics of Kansai-Ben
The Japanese learned in school, in books, or other materials is what the Japanese call hyoujungo, or standard Japanese. Each region of Japan actually has its own dialect, hougen in Japanese, which still exists today more or less strongly depending on the areas and the generations. Kansai-ben is the most famous hougen. Spoken in the…
Japanese Shinto Priest Explains His Religion in a Fun Way
Soushi describes himself as a pioneer among Shinto priests. During the day, he performs his duties at 17 different shrines. At night, he becomes the “Singing Shinto Priest,” a pop musician whose mission is to make basic Shinto principles more accessible to the public. According to Soushi, although the Japanese often go to shrines, most…
Updates: Discover our Online Farming Project
Dear readers, Since we received good feedback and signs of interest following our interview with Higa Farm, we have decided to collaborate with Masamichi and Sara Higa to offer you a new kind of experience: online farming! From now on, Kokoro Media will be renting a small parcel of land at Higa Farm to grow vegetables….
A Happier Life with Greens
As explained in this article, Kokoro Media has created a remote farming project which involves you readers. Here is what we are going to grow on the farm, and some answers to the comments you left us. Voting Results In our previous article, we asked you to vote for your favorite vegetables to grow on…
Senryu, Short Poems Full Of Japanese Humor
Having discovered these pearls of humor recently myself, I think it is a shame that senryu is not as well known as haiku, another sort of Japanese poem. Here is an introduction to senryu and its special humor, as well as a few examples that, I hope, will not miss to make you laugh. (All…