Bonsai Village in Ōmiya The Ōmiya Bonsai Art Museum is a work of art in itself—the trees are displayed in a beautifully-designed landscape that feels like a contemporary Japanese garden. It showcases the trees amid traditional fences and rockscapes Bonsai Village is the neighborhood surrounding the Bonsai Art Museum in Ōmiya, which is home toContinueContinue reading “Let’s stroll through a forest of perfect miniature trees!”
Category Archives: July
Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight
By Riku Onda Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Translation quality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Entertainment value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: A masterful “unreliable narrator” mystery in which both characters believe the other to be the killer, alternating their impressions of events in a way that points the finger of guilt first one way, then the other, rightContinueContinue reading “Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight”
Extreme lunchboxing
The what, how & why of Japanese bentō boxes To be fair, this King of Tut-boxes was crafted by a stylist at a magazine… No country has made more of an art of packing a bag lunch and no moms* put more effort into this most resented of daily chores than those in Japan. Here’sContinueContinue reading “Extreme lunchboxing”
Floating lanterns on a warm moonlit night
Toro Nagashi at Shinobazu Pond in Asakusa The toro nagashi ceremony has been performed in Asakusa every year since 1946, just after the end of WWII. That year, people began to light lanterns to pray for lasting peace when they sent the spirits of loved ones who died in the war back to the afterlifeContinueContinue reading “Floating lanterns on a warm moonlit night”
JUL-AUG 2021
Click on photo or link to read the feature SEASONAL SECRETThe most delightful summer festival in all of Japan is all about…goldfish! There’s nothing more traditional than ogling insanely fancy (and expensive!) goldfish and, of course, catching your own…read more • BEYOND TOKYOLet’s meander through a park with twenty-three thatch-roofed farmhouses The Nihon Minka-en FolkContinueContinue reading “JUL-AUG 2021”
Did you win the May-June book giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a copy of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun! If you think this is you, shoot a message to JapanagramJonelle@gmail.com and tell me if you’d like an ebook or paperback (and if paperback, let me know a mailing address you’d like it sent to) and I’ll get itContinueContinue reading “Did you win the May-June book giveaway?”
Green Salad with Japanese Pickled Onions & Wafu Onion Dressing
Add cooked chicken or grilled shrimp to turn this tasty salad into a cool summer meal! Nothing tastes better with grilled everything than a crisp green salad bejeweled with tasty pickled onions and a tangy wafu dressing that’ll knock your socks off! Ingredients: Assorted mixed greens, torn into bite-sized pieces (I like a combo ofContinueContinue reading “Green Salad with Japanese Pickled Onions & Wafu Onion Dressing”
A whole park full of thatch-roofed farmhouses, just outside of central Tokyo
Nihon Minka-en Japanese Folk House Garden in Kanagawa prefecture There are twenty-three authentic structures in the park, each chosen to feature the clever ways that traditional architecture dealt with local climates and allowed their inhabitants to practice their local ways of life One of the most amazing things to see in Japan is buildings constructedContinueContinue reading “A whole park full of thatch-roofed farmhouses, just outside of central Tokyo”
How to read a haiku
Three great things to look for in a haiku poem I’m going to come right out and say it: nothing makes me want to throw my hands in the air and flee faster than coming across a page that’s filled with verses instead of nice, solid paragraphs. I automatically assume I’m not going to enjoyContinueContinue reading “How to read a haiku”
Goldfish, goldfish, everywhere
Edogawa Goldfish Festival The most delightful summer festival in all of Japan You might remember from a previous Japanagram that one traditional way of beating the Japanese summer heat is to gaze at goldfish swimming in their cool, watery world. Goldfish are so synonymous with summer in Japan that you’ll see them gracing everything fromContinueContinue reading “Goldfish, goldfish, everywhere”
The Pillow Book
The Diary of a Courtesan in Tenth Century Japan By Sei Shōnagon Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: N/ATranslation quality: N/AEntertainment value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: This shockingly witty little volume is evidence that just because someone lived a thousand years ago doesn’t mean they weren’t a sharp commentator on human behavior that’s stillContinueContinue reading “The Pillow Book”
JULY 2020
Click on photo to read the feature Beyond Tokyo: We journey to a vast and serene lotus garden grown from 3,000-year-old seeds Since time immemorial, these ancient symbols of “pure beauty that flowers from the muckiest mud” have uplifted the human spirit, so it’s fitting that even in these grim times, we can still wanderContinueContinue reading “JULY 2020”
JULY 2020
Click on photo or link to read the feature Seasonal Secret: Souvenirs NOT to buy in July The ultimate souvenir forever reminds you of the joys of being in Japan, in the season you were there to enjoy. Which is why you might be tempted to bring home one of these lovely handpainted flower lampsContinueContinue reading “JULY 2020”
The winner of the June Book Giveaway is…
If you recognize this email, congratulations! You just won a copy of The Essential Haiku, edited by the amazing Robert Hass If this is you, shoot a message to JapanagramJonelle@gmail.com and tell me where to send it, and I’ll have one sent from Amazon pronto! (Much to my chagrin, I discovered there’s no ebook edition, so I regretContinueContinue reading “The winner of the June Book Giveaway is…”
Shinjū
By Laura Joh Rowland Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Translation quality: N/AEntertainment value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐My recommendation: A well-researched and deeply entertaining crime read, set in samurai-era Japan Who hasn’t wondered what it would have been like to live in a more chivalrous era, when warriors kept order with the world’s sharpest swords,ContinueContinue reading “Shinjū“
A serene lotus garden grown from 3,000-year-old seeds
This month’s destination: Gyoda Ancient Lotus Park, Saitama An excavation for a new city building unearthed 3,000-year-old lotus seeds of a variety that was thought to be long extinct. When they sprouted and bloomed, scientists were so delighted that the city dedicated a large tract of land to their cultivation, and the Gyōda Ancient LotusContinueContinue reading “A serene lotus garden grown from 3,000-year-old seeds”
Sweet & Salty Miso Sauce
Dengaku Sauce is one of those tasty toppings that makes even people who “don’t like Japanese food” beg for seconds. Everything from eggplant to slices of pork tenderloin to skewers of grilled chicken will disappear in record time if slathered in Dengaku. Sweet & Salty Miso Sauce 6 Japanese eggplants (or one big European one)ContinueContinue reading “Sweet & Salty Miso Sauce”
Souvenirs NOT to buy in July
Beautiful, right? So summery! The ultimate souvenir not only reminds you of the place where you bought it, it also reminds you of the joys of being in Japan during that season. Which is why you might be tempted to bring home one of these lovely handpainted flower lamps that are only sold during JulyContinueContinue reading “Souvenirs NOT to buy in July“
