Far from being a new practice, the foundations of Autumnal Equinox Day were actually laid out centuries ago. But, many moons later, are the origins of this holiday still relevant today?

Japan is the only nation to have a public holiday dedicated to the oceans. So, why is Marine Day important and how can we all celebrate it together?

The values behind Respect-for-the-Aged Day are important reminders for all of us. But why?

You might have heard of Golden Week, Japan’s highly anticipated holiday period, when a series of often consecutive holidays occurs from the end of April to early May, allowing many Japanese people to take a week off. But have you heard of Silver Week (シルバーウィーク)? Coined in 2009, Silver Week refers to a cluster of […]

The bonodori is a spiritual dance to welcome the spirits. Every region has a local dance and a different music.

To honor Emperor Naruhito’s birthday on February 23 in the current Reiwa period, we take a look at the origins of this holiday, the monarchy, and how Tokyo is involved.

Created as a day to honor and give thanks to the blessings of the mountains, Mountain Day (Yama no Hi) was officially announced in 2014. Here’s what the holiday is about, and how you can celebrate it in Tokyo.

Celebrated every year on March 3, Hinamatsuri goes by different names: Japan’s Doll Festival, Girl’s Day and formerly Peach Festival (Momo no Sekku).

Similar to the language, how Japanese people celebrate New Year is different — although not entirely. There’s the usual fireworks, close-knit dinners and snuggles. But heavy in culture and hundreds of years of tradition, you’ll find families and friends making their first shrine visit of the year, buying lucky bags called fukubukuro and sending New […]

In Japanese, you can say Happy New Year with various expressions, so let’s get familiar with a few phrases.