Category: CULTURE

Unless you follow Japanese news you probably missed it, but April 7, 2022, was a sad day for anime lovers and particularly Japanese ones: it was the day Motoo Abiko, aka Fujiko A. Fujio, passed away ...

For any Japanese over 40, the realization that this year marks the 30th anniversary of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, the manga/anime industry’s most iconic teenage girl-oriented ...

We have mentioned it before on this blog that one of the many things that surprise first- (and often second- and third-) time visitors to Japan is the coexistence of two religions, sometimes ...

The world of Japanese swords, collectively known as “katana” or “samurai swords,” is a complex one. It encompasses both the martial artists who study traditional swordsmanship either in its ...

As the platitude says, the Japanese Islands are like the Galapagos Islands: an ecosystem unlike anything else you will see anywhere else in the world. And even those of us who are tired of all the ...

It’s been exactly three months since we presented a roundup of merchandise based on the manga and anime series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and in the meantime, the franchise became even bigger ...

Like many things in Japan, Hina Matsuri (or Hinamatsuri), the Dolls' Festival or Dolls' Day (also known as Girls Day) celebrated on March 3, must be seen wearing Japanese cultural glasses. If not, ...

Now, the relationship between the Japanese and cats is long and well known. From the cat illustrations in the ukiyo-e woodblock prints of the Edo Period (1600-1868) to Maneki-neko, the beckoning cat ...

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba only came up less than five years ago - on February 2016, to be exact - and its premise doesn’t seem that different from dozens of other manga/anime: a brother and a ...

One of the big changes the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to societies everywhere across the world is how we work. All public health authorities agree that working from home is one of the best ways ...

Studio Ghibli has proven that Japan's animation films aren't just for children or hardcore otaku fans: the creations of director Hayao Miyazaki have withstood the test of time and crossed ...

About half a year ago, we gave you an overview of the 5 best 2020 Olympics merchandise products to date. But of course, as the biggest sporting event of the decade comes closer, there are many more ...

The end of an era means the beginning of new merchandise opportunities: to commemorate the filan film of the last Star Wars trilogy (so far), we want to take a look at some of the fantastic ...

For those who are not into sports, Japan’s most exciting event of 2020 surely is the opening of Super Nintendo World! Fans are excited for the Nintendo-themed amusment park - and it is set to open ...

It's 40 years since Doraemon first burst onto TV screens in Japan and the blue robotic cat hasn't looked back since. Next year also marks five decades since Fujiko F Fujio originally created the ...