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?

Good news everyone! According to the latest update from the Japan Weather Association, the 2017 cherry blossom season is to start on March 25 in Tokyo. We hope you’ll get the chance to visit Japan in time for cherry blossom viewing!   Where and When can I see the Cherry Blossoms? The map shown below indicates […]

Did you know Niigata prefecture is famous for being the birthplace of skiing in Japan? Very easy to get to from Tokyo, the region is extremely popular for short skiing and snowboarding trips! We can count over 50 resorts in the prefecture, most of them located in Yuzawa and Myoko areas, known to enjoy the heaviest […]

With September coming around, you were relieved to feel the weather cooling down. Or so you believed. As the typhoon season reaches its peak, your perfect kit to go out is an umbrella, a raincoat, and some good rain boots. A typhoon (台風（たいふう）) is a tropical cyclone with strong winds occurring in the west Pacific while in the […]

Do you believe an umbrella will just do the trick when the rain starts falling? Well, keep that thought in mind, experience the Japanese rainy season, 梅雨（つゆ） , and get back to us! The Japanese rainy season starts in late spring and ends in early summer – roughly the beginning of June until mid-July in […]

Greeting in the Morning Be the first to say it! Other Morning Greetings In a Working Environment… Greeting in the Morning Ohayou gozaimasu! おはようございます！ Good morning! Having a good command of Japanese greetings is the first step towards building smooth relationships in Japan. Whether you are coming for a short trip or for a few […]

In Japan, the rather sudden change of seasons has lead to a very interesting custom called koromogae 「衣替え」: to change one’s wardrobe seasonally. The tradition began when all the people in certain regions of Japan changed their kimono from winter to summer’s style, then back again. Not only schools but companies and various institutions that have uniform would […]

Skiing & Snowboarding Tour in Myoko Ikenotaira When one talks about winter in Japan, the topic of skiing is sure to come up! Although Hokkaido is famous for powder snow, Niigata and Nagano also have many magnificent skiing areas, located just 2 – 3 hours away from Tokyo. At Coto Japanese Academy, skiing and snowboarding […]

Do you all like mountain climbing? Have you ever been hiking in Japan? Every spring and fall, we at Coto Japanese Academy arrange day-trip hiking tours to various mountains in the Kanto region. Ms. Mitsuoka, one of our teachers, served as our guide this time. Mountain climbing is a big hobby of hers, and she […]

Harvest and BBQ tour – Visiting an Organic farm in Chiba Growing and selling of organic vegetables as “safe edible vegetables” has lately become very popular in Japan. With the help of Ms. Tsukada at Vegelink who does delivery service of organic vegetables from farmers to private parties , we visited the farm of Mr. […]