Click on photo or link to read the feature • The Thing I Learned TodayInsane hairdos, weird eyebrows & black teeth An Edo Period oiran would only turn heads today because her chalk white face, black teeth, and eyebrows painted like tiny feathers halfway up her forehead would make passersby elbow each other with curiosity, not desire.ContinueContinue reading “MAR 2026”
Author Archives: Jonelle Patrick
Did you win the Mystery Book Giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won the book of your choice from one of the nine authors featured in the February 2026 Japanagram!! If you recognize your email address in the photo at the top, choose any book written by:Deborah CrombieTerry ShamesKim HaysSusan SpannMark PryorLeslie BudewitzAllen EskensTimothy MillerPhil Rickman(It doesn’t have toContinueContinue reading “Did you win the Mystery Book Giveaway?”
Resourceful women in impossible situations
A chance to win one of these five fabulous historical novels! With the April pub date of The Samurai’s Octopus drawing closer every day, I’ve been thinking a lot about other books featuring women who overcome their circumstances through their own wit and wiles. These women and girls all start out with the deck stackedContinueContinue reading “Resourceful women in impossible situations”
If I were a thousand years old, I would not look this good
The Miharu-no-Takizakura weeping cherry tree, Fukushima Prefecture This tree is so famous, it has a name: Miharu-the-Waterfall-Cherry. There are bus tours from Tokyo that go to see it (and also stop at Hanamiyama Park, another fab cherry spot) several times a day during The Season. But why? I mean, it’s just a pretty tree, right?ContinueContinue reading “If I were a thousand years old, I would not look this good”
Insane hairdos, weird eyebrows, and black teeth
The stranger-than-fiction beauty secrets of Japan’s first-rank courtesans In 1790, geisha were still the mousy little entertainers who made music in the background while wealthy and powerful patrons waited impatiently for the main attraction, the first-rank courtesans known as oiran. There was nothing understated about these women who clawed their way to the top ofContinueContinue reading “Insane hairdos, weird eyebrows, and black teeth”
FOMO Links: Fun stuff you might have missed
If you don’t subscribe to my Japan travel site (The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had) or the blog where I write about stuff you’d never see anywhere else (Only In Japan), here are links to a couple of other things you might enjoy… • From Only in JapanMake blowing your nose scary again TellContinueContinue reading “FOMO Links: Fun stuff you might have missed”
Today’s Japan travel question: Can I wear shorts and tank tops in Japan?
I follow a lot of travel advice forums, and this question has been coming up a lot lately, as people make summer vacation plans. I’ll be the first to tell you that if you plan to be in Japan anytime between May and October, it’s going to be steamy. Not just hot, but humid inContinueContinue reading “Today’s Japan travel question: Can I wear shorts and tank tops in Japan?”
FEB 2026
Click on photo or link to read the feature • The Thing I Learned TodayHow to outsmart the fashion police After the shōgun accidentally bowed to the wrong man because he mistook a lavishly dressed merchant for the local lord, he decreed that merchants were no longer allowed to flaunt the wealth they’d snaffled fromContinueContinue reading “FEB 2026”
FOMO Links: Fun stuff you might have missed
If you don’t subscribe to my Japan travel site (The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had) or the blog where I write about stuff you’d never see anywhere else (Only In Japan), here are links to a couple of other things you might enjoy… • From The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d HadReal foodies skipContinueContinue reading “FOMO Links: Fun stuff you might have missed”
Did you win the Jan-Feb Book Giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a copy of Savory and Sweet Shrubs cookbook by Michael Dietsch! If you think this is you, shoot a message to JapanagramJonelle@gmail.com and let me know if you’d like the Kindle version or the hardcover. If you’d like the Kindle version, let me know which email you’d likeContinueContinue reading “Did you win the Jan-Feb Book Giveaway?”
A Mystery Read for Every Occasion
Nine of my favorite go-to authors who might not be on your radar In addition to sending you the Japanagram every month, I also write mystery novels, and because I’ve been wondering how to help readers discover my new book that’s coming out in April, I’ve been thinking about what a delight it is whenContinueContinue reading “A Mystery Read for Every Occasion”
Red Shrine + White Snow = Japan photo Gold
Hakusan Shrine in Niigata If you’re lucky enough to be heading to Niigata for the skiing, don’t forget to stop into the Hakusan Shrine if you’d like to harvest some Japan photo gold! A golden dragon and a snow-frosted hanachōzu water basin filled with flowers greets you as you stop to purify your hands beforeContinueContinue reading “Red Shrine + White Snow = Japan photo Gold”
Exorcize your demons the time-honored Japanese way!
I don’t know about you, but I name quite a few demons I’d like to chase out of my life right now. They bear only a passing resemblance to traditional Japanese oni… with their fearsome nail-studded bats, guarding the gates of Noboribetsu’s volcanic “hell”… but even though the American variety are far more sinister, I’mContinueContinue reading “Exorcize your demons the time-honored Japanese way!”
How to outsmart the fashion police
Photo thanks to Ametsuchi Collection After the shōgun accidentally bowed to the wrong man because he mistook a lavishly dressed merchant for the local lord, he decreed that merchants were no longer allowed to flaunt the wealth they’d snaffled from their betters. The merchants, of course, rose to this challenge with entertaining craftiness. If there’s oneContinueContinue reading “How to outsmart the fashion police”
JAN 2026
Click on photo or link to read the feature • Seasonal SecretJapan’s best-kept travel secret: Go when it snows If your travel goal is to check off every Japanese destination people have tagged with 100,000+ hashtags on Instagram, by all means go during cherry blossom season. But if you’re the kind of traveler who lovesContinueContinue reading “JAN 2026”
FOMO Links: Fun stuff you might have missed
If you don’t subscribe to my Japan travel site (The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had) or the blog where I write about stuff you’d never see anywhere else (Only In Japan), here are links to a couple of other things you might enjoy… • From The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d HadHow to makeContinueContinue reading “FOMO Links: Fun stuff you might have missed”
Savory and Sweet Shrubs
Tart Mixers for Delicious Cocktails and Mocktailsby Michael Dietsch Recipe Flavors: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Easy to make: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Uniqueness of recipes: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: These are the best non-alcoholic drink recipes I’ve ever tasted. Each one is a sophisticated blend of sweet, sour, bitter and spicy notes, just like modern bartender-crafted drinks. The recipes call for unique combinations of flavors,ContinueContinue reading “Savory and Sweet Shrubs”
Japan’s best-kept travel secret: Go when it snows
These destinations will make you glad you skipped cherry blossom season Kenrokuen Garden in Kanazawa, Ichikawa Prefecture If your travel goal is to check off every Japanese destination people have tagged with 100,000+ hashtags on Instagram, by all means go during cherry blossom season. But if you’re the kind of traveler who loves to beContinueContinue reading “Japan’s best-kept travel secret: Go when it snows”
Matcha Sour
An elegant green tea mocktail with a Japanese twist from “Savory and Sweet Shrubs” by Michael Dietsch* Just because you’re a designated driver, expectant mother, or vowing to make it through Dry January doesn’t mean you have to be satisfied with too-sweet fruit juice in a fancy glass. This sophisticated green tea mocktail has allContinueContinue reading “Matcha Sour”
When you wish upon an…Elvis?
Elvis may have left the building, but if you ask this Elvis impersonator Daruma for some blue suede shoes, you just might get them! Daruma figures are a popular New Year’s purchase because they’re renowned for granting your heart’s desire. Make a wish, color in one of its blank staring eyes, and when your wishContinueContinue reading “When you wish upon an…Elvis?”
Superstitions you can use
Ensnare your crush, cure dread diseases, and avoid bad luck like a boss For over two hundred years, the courtesans of Yoshiwara were trapped within the moat and four stout walls of Edo’s pleasure quarter, so it’s no surprise they practiced many superstitions aimed at bringing about the lucky moment a rich man might noticeContinueContinue reading “Superstitions you can use”
DEC 2025
Click on photo or link to read the feature • Beyond TokyoLet’s go to an amazingly bookish Japanese inn! Is there anywhere better to curl up with a good book than a Japanese hot spring inn that inspired over a dozen famous Japanese poets and novelists in the early 1900s? Literary lights gathered for months atContinueContinue reading “DEC 2025”
Did you win the Nov-Dec Book Giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a copy of Folk Tales of Japan by Kyota Ko! If you think this is you, shoot a message to JapanagramJonelle@gmail.com and let me know if you’d like the Kindle version or a paperback. If you’d like the Kindle version, let me know which email you’d like meContinueContinue reading “Did you win the Nov-Dec Book Giveaway?”
Let’s stay at an amazingly bookish Japanese inn!
Tateshina Shinyu Onsen in Nagano Prefecture Is there anywhere better to curl up with a good book than a Japanese hot spring inn that inspired over a dozen famous Japanese poets and novelists in the early 1900s? Literary lights gathered for months at a time at Tateshina to pen their novels, poems and plays… whichContinueContinue reading “Let’s stay at an amazingly bookish Japanese inn!”
FOMO Links: Fun stuff you might have missed
If you don’t subscribe to my Japan travel site (The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had) or the blog where I write about stuff you’d never see anywhere else (Only In Japan), here are links to a couple of other things you might enjoy… • New post from Only In JapanNew Japanese art displayed inContinueContinue reading “FOMO Links: Fun stuff you might have missed”
How do you translate the impossible?
Robert Hass reveals the secrets of translating haiku into English Think about it. Writing a haiku is already a daunting task. With only seventeen syllables to convey a whole season, a deep insight about the universe or the nature of human existence (plus a dose of aha!) there are only a handful of masters whoContinueContinue reading “How do you translate the impossible?”
Japanese Fried Rice
Cha-han Cha-han is one of the most classic of the “foreign” foods that are everywhere in Japan. And while it may have originally come from China, it’s been so tweaked to Japanese taste, it’s now a local favorite. Fried rice is on the menu at every ramen restaurant (along with the iconic noodle soup andContinueContinue reading “Japanese Fried Rice”
It’s Japanese quilt season!
Yokohama World Quilt Festival Made by the Hayashi Bōti University student collaboration True confession: These are not my favorites. The day after the show, I posted my absolute favorites over on my blog, Only in Japan. Here’s the link! (And if you don’t already subscribe, hey, you should! There’s a place to do that at the topContinueContinue reading “It’s Japanese quilt season!”
NOV 2025
Click on photo or link to read the feature • Beyond TokyoWho wears it better? Kosan-ji temple or the maple trees? Orange is not for everyone, but I think you’ll agree that the Kosan-ji temple rivals its Japanese maples for sheer, bodacious, ability to garb itself in the spirit of pumpkin spice this time ofContinueContinue reading “NOV 2025”
Cover Ideas for The Samurai’s Octopus
Which one do YOU like best? Here are the first rough cover ideas my publisher sent me for my new historical mystery, The Samurai’s Octopus! Which one would get YOUR attention in an I-might-like-to-read-that way? (No need to remember what it’s about—someone chancing across it on Amazon or at a bookstore won’t know either, andContinueContinue reading “Cover Ideas for The Samurai’s Octopus”
Japanagram 