Every year, the tuna auction in Japan makes headlines, where a single fish fetches the equivalent of tens of thousands of dollars. Spending thousands of dollars for a fish, however valuable, may seem out of the ordinary for those unaccustomed…
Setsubun 節分 is a Japanese celebration best known for the traditional scattering of beans, a custom particularly popular among Japanese children – the older boys or other members of the family wear oni 鬼 (ogre, devil) masks, and the younger…
As in many other parts of the World, most traditional Japanese festivals and contemporary holidays have deep roots in ancient folklore and religion. What is of particular interest to me is how Japanese traditional cuisine, washoku, seems to be linked…
Persimmon, or kaki 柿 in Japanese – and other languages, including Italian! – is one of the national fruits of Japan. Having been brought to the Archipelago in the 7th or 8th century AD, the long history of this fruit…
