The Brighton Japan Festival is running a photo competition on the theme of “Japanese Summer“, and I’d like to ask you, dear readers, for your help. You see, in order to win the competition, I need to get the most “likes” on Facebook here. So, if you do like the photo, please please please could … Continue reading
Last week I started my new weekly series: Weekly Shiritori. The first word was “shiritori” (the name of the game!) – click here if you missed that! So, “shiritori” is written しりとり, which means that this week’s word has to begin with り (ri). I had one topic suggestion from a fellow blogger, Alyse of … Continue reading
Happy New Year! あけましておめでとうございます！ Wishing all the readers of Haikugirl’s Japan a very Happy New Year! 2012 is the year of the dragon. According to Amy Chavez, “Japanese dragons are said to be benevolent but don’t be fooled. They can still be very wrathful.” But Amy also goes on to say that dragons are the … Continue reading
My A-Z of Japan is drawing to a close, but there are still a few letters left. This week, for U, I considered writing about the popular clothing store Uniqlo (ユニクロ). I also thought Ueno Zoo (上野動物園) might be a good topic. I could even have written about the tale of Urashima Taro (浦島 太郎), but … Continue reading
When thinking about what to write about for T in this week’s A-Z of Japan, a lot of topics came to mind. Naturally, I thought of my favourite food: takoyaki (たこ焼き). I also thought of the wonderful music which comes from taiko (太鼓) drums. Of course, I could have simply written about Tokyo (東京). However, I’ve decided … Continue reading
I don’t know what has happened to October, but it’s almost over and that means the deadline for this month’s J-Festa has snuck up on me. October’s theme is: Entertainment in Japan, and here’s my entry! There are so many forms of entertainment in Japan, and what you choose simply depends what you’re into. I … Continue reading
N could be for a number of things, in my A-Z of Japan. Ninja (忍者) or natto (納豆)? Nikko (日光市) or NHK? Or even Noda (野田), the new Prime Minister of Japan. But I’ve decided to write about something else. Something important to me… N is for… Nagoya! Nagoya is the third-largest incorporated city and the fourth most populous urban … Continue reading
Whenever I hear that someone is going to Japan I get so excited for them and want to share advice about all the wonderful things to do there. One thing I would recommend to all visitors is to try to check out a festival (matsuri/祭り) while you’re there. All throughout the year there are various … Continue reading
Today is Ocean Day (Umi no hi / 海の日) in Japan. Ocean Day (also known as Marine Day or Sea Day) happens on the third Monday in July. According to Wikipedia: “The day was known as Marine Memorial Day (海の記念日 umi no kinen bi) until 1996. Communications Minister Shozo Murata designated the holiday in 1942 to … Continue reading
Anyone who knows me will know that there is only one possible topic for this week’s A-Z of Japan. In my mind, D is not for dango (団子), Doraemon (ドラえもん) or Dragon Ball (ドラゴンボール). D is for… Daibutsu! Daibutsu (大仏) are giant Buddha statues, and I love them. In fact, I love them so much that … Continue reading
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