Have you seen those boats that look like houseboats floating on the Sumida River or Tokyo Bay? In Japanese they are called “屋形船 yakatabune.” The kanji characters mean a boat that is shaped like a roof, and they are boats with on-board facilities to hold eating and drinking parties. (日本語の記事はアルバムの下をご覧ください） What is “Yakatabune 屋形船” A […]

{Join Local Japanese Festival in Iidabashi!} Summer in Japan means festival time! A street normally filled with the coming and going of cars and people is closed off just for this day and filled with festival stands. Walk around with unique festival foods and enjoy scenes only viewable on festival days. Festivals were originally held […]

How have you been spending the hot summer in Japan? At Coto Japanese Academy, continuing from last year, we powerfully beat back the summer heat with a beer garden! This year’s beer garden was held at the ultra popular Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi department store rooftop in Tokyo. Taking in the cool evening summer breeze, classmates and […]

Our latest Getting to know Japan took us to a fantastic Okinawan restaurant.