Welcome!
Here’s where you can browse all the published Japangrams. Each month’s features will appear in this archive at the beginning of the month, as soon as the next Japanagram is out.
Click on the monthly photo to browse the contents of that issue, or click on the links below to go straight to each feature
Beyond Tokyo: Kamakura Matsuri igloo festival • Japanese Home Cooking: Tasty Ginger Pork • Seasonal Secret: Weird Chocolate • Why, Japan, Why?: Why the most interesting thing you eat in Japan might be spaghetti • Book Review: Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
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Beyond Tokyo: Firewalking at Mt. Takao • Japanese Home Cooking: Tender Japanese Beef & Vegetables + Curry Rice • Seasonal Secret: Nine Great (Secret) Cherry Blossom Spots in Tokyo • Why, Japan, Why?: Why Oreos are more Japanese than sumo wrestlers in Japan • Book Review: Ghosts of the Tsunami by Richard Lloyd Parry
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Beyond Tokyo: Koi Nobori at Tatebayashi • Japanese Home Cooking: Creamy Sesame Noodles • Seasonal Secret: The Other Season that Blooms in the Spring • Why, Japan, Why?: Why you should be careful what you wish for • Book Review: Newcomer by Keigo Higashino
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Beyond Tokyo: Koya-san • Seasonal Secret: Six things you didn’t expect to discover on a pilgrimage • Book Review: Where the Dead Pause and the Japanese Say Goodbye by Marie Mutsuki Mockett • Japanese Home Cooking: Yakitori Chicken Mini-Burgers
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Beyond Tokyo: Bunny Island • Seasonal Secret: Keep cool in the summer, the Japanese way • Book Review: The Essential Haiku, edited by Robert Hass • Japanese Home Cooking: Japanese Chicken Salad with Tangy Soy-Lemon Dressing • Why, Japan, Why? How did Japan escape a severe COVID pandemic without lockdowns or mass testing?
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Beyond Tokyo: Gyoda Ancient Lotus Park • Seasonal Secret: Souvenirs NOT to buy in July • Book Review: Shinjū by Laura Joh Rowland • Japanese Home Cooking: Sweet & Salty Miso Grilling Sauce • Why, Japan, Why?: Why did NHK try to Japansplain the global anti-racism protests with this excruciatingly embarrassing video?
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Beyond Tokyo: Shiraito-no-taki Falls • Book Reviews: CLIMB and Claws of the Cat by Susan Spann • Japanese Home Cooking: Brown Sugar Dessert Sauce • Why, Japan, Why?: How Japan has perfected the honorable art of eating alone
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Beyond Tokyo: Shigaraki Tanuki Town • Japanese Home Cooking: Japanese Rice Bowl with Miso Salmon • Why, Japan, Why?: Strange Japanese beauty goals • Seasonal Secret: Three modest September flowers that are spectacular in numbers • Book Review: It Was You
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Beyond Tokyo: Suwa City, Nagano • Japanese Home Cooking: Apple-Ginger Sours Cocktail/Mocktail • Why, Japan, Why?: Tiny pants, the garbage police, and the more friends you have, the lonelier you might be • Book Review: The Tale of Murasaki
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Beyond Tokyo: Jakko-in, the convent with a secret • Japanese Home Cooking: Sesame-Miso Hotpot • Why, Japan, Why?: Why is it so much harder to get a Japanese boyfriend than a Japanese girlfriend? • Book Review: The Last Tea Bowl Thief
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Beyond Tokyo: Kenroku-en Garden lit up at night • Seasonal Secret: Bonsai Chrysanthemums • Japanese Home Cooking: Chicken & Ginger Yakitori Meatballs • Why, Japan, Why?: Are ya feelin’ lucky? How Japanese tip the hand of fate • Book Review: Idoru • Book news you can use: Writing how-tos, killer reviews, podcasts & more
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Beyond Tokyo: YomiuriLand Illuminations • Seasonal Secret: The Japanese Art of Gift Giving • Japanese Home Cooking: Marinated Pork Medallions with Melted Leeks • Why, Japan, Why?: There’s nothing weirder than Xmas in Japan • Book Review: December 6 • My picks for gift reads: There’s a book on this list for everyone on YOUR list
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Beyond Tokyo: A magical cliffside of icicles lit up at night • Seasonal Secret: Setagaya Boroichi: The grand pooh-bah of Japanese flea markets • Why, Japan, Why?: Japan’s Pet Obsession • Book Review: OUT
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Beyond Tokyo: Katsuura: 40,000 dolls dressed in Imperial court robes • Seasonal Secret: Plum Blossom Season • Japanese Home Cooking: Japanese Chicken Soup for the Soul • The Thing I Learned Today: The strange barbers of Yoshiwara • Book Review: Tokyo Vice
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Beyond Tokyo: Cherry blossoms to die for, long after the rest are history • Japanese Home Cooking: Japanese Treasure Rice • The Thing I Learned Today: Be careful what you hang on your wall… • Why, Japan, Why?: Japanese ceremonies we didn’t know we needed • Book Review: The Aosawa Murders
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Beyond Tokyo: Ashikaga Flower Park giant wisteria • Japanese Home Cooking: Ginger-Soy Steak Sauce • The Thing I Learned Today: How to live forever, Japanese-style • Seasonal Secret: Seven things you didn’t know about Japanese weddings • Book Review: Klara and the Sun
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Beyond Tokyo: A village of thatch-roofed farmhouses less than an hour from Tokyo • Japanese Home Cooking: Green Salad with Japanese Pickled Onions and Wafu Onion Dressing • The Thing I Learned Today: How to read a haiku poem • Seasonal Secret: Edogawa Goldfish Festival • Book Review: The Pillow Book by Sei Shonagon
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Beyond Tokyo: Sado Island • Japanese Home Cooking: How to host a great sake tasting • The Thing I Learned Today: What I Never Knew About the 47 Rōnin • Seasonal Secret: The angry ghost cat parade • Book Review: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
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Beyond Tokyo: Fox Village in the Snow • Japanese Home Cooking: Kinako Shortbread Cookies with Salted Brown Sugar Buttercream • Why, Japan, Why?: One more reason why I love Japan • Seasonal Secret: Stroll through the tunnels of golden gingko trees • Book Review: All She Was Worth by Miyuki Miyabe
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Beyond Tokyo: Kairaku-en Plum Garden • Japanese Home Cooking: Spicy Japanese Eggplant • Why, Japan, Why?: Strange Japanese travel products • Seasonal Secret: Incredible Japanese quilts • Book Review: The Tattoo Murder Case by Akimitsu Takagi
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Beyond Tokyo: Azalea hike at Shiofune Kannon-ji temple • Japanese Home Cooking: Sweet Sesame Spinach • Why, Japan, Why?: Japanese musical theatre weirdness • The Thing I Learned Today: The Wizard of Oz lives • Book Review: All I Asking For Is My Body by Milton Murayama
If you’d like to see Japanagram features like these the moment they’re published, and be entered to win the monthly book giveaway, click here
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The Last Tea Bowl Thief was chosen as an Editor’s Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense on Amazon
“A fascinating mix of history and mystery.” —Booklist
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
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