Click on photo or link to read the feature • Seasonal Secret: Design Festa: Your one-stop shop for predatory purses, zombie nesting dolls & more Twice a year, Design Festa takes over the Big Site convention center in Odiaba, and artists selling everything from zombie matroyshika to predatory purses gather to outdo each other…read moreContinue reading “NOV-DEC 2022”
Category Archives: 2022
Did you win the Sep-Oct Japan Swag Giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a set of six limited-edition gashapon Attack Cats! If you think this is you, shoot a message to JapanagramJonelle@gmail.com and tell me where you’d like me to send them! (Note: My apologies—I’m in Japan at the moment and the attack cats are in San Francisco, so I won’tContinue reading “Did you win the Sep-Oct Japan Swag Giveaway?”
Japan Swag Giveaway
The Nov-Dec 2022 giveaway: Ikura Sushi Refrigerator Magnet Yes, this month’s giveaway is one of those high-quality can’t-believe-it’s-not-real food magnets they only sell on Kappabashi Street in Tokyo. All lesser refrigerators on your street will envy yours. On the last day of December, I’ll randomly pick one lucky Japanagram subscriber to get this choice pieceContinue reading “Japan Swag Giveaway”
Miso-Butter Potatoes
Move over, french fries! You may think that potatoes don’t sound like an authentic Japanese dish, but the stand selling hot miso-butter potatoes at all the winter festivals has a line a mile long, because they are awesome. Miso makes everything you put it in taste deeper and richer (while also secretly being good for you!)Continue reading “Miso-Butter Potatoes”
Why are those trees wearing placemats?
Ever wonder why they wrap Japanese pine trees in those funny little mats in winter?Arboreal stomach warmer? The tree version of black tie for the holidays? Guess again. They’re actually old-fashioned, super-eco pest control! It’s diabolically simple. The mats are girded around the trees as winter approaches, wrapped tightly at the bottom and loosely atContinue reading “Why are those trees wearing placemats?”
Let’s go to the Werewolf Shrine!
Mitsumiya Shrine in Saitama prefecture The Mitsumine Shrine sits high atop a snowy mountain near Chichibu, so far from any train station that you’ll be eligible for a senior citizen discount by the time you get off the bus. At first it looks like a typical Shinto shrine with fox messengers at the gate… …butContinue reading “Let’s go to the Werewolf Shrine!”
Design Festa: Your one-stop shop for predatory purses, zombie nesting dolls & more
Twice a year, Design Festa takes over the Big Site convention center in Odiaba, and artists selling everything from zombie matroyshika to predatory purses gather to outdo each other. Get one in every color! Or if that isn’t creepy enough for you, perhaps a crying baby head? Or you can take blowing your nose toContinue reading “Design Festa: Your one-stop shop for predatory purses, zombie nesting dolls & more”
SEP-OCT 2022
Click on photo or link to read the feature • First of all…say hello to an all-new Japanagram feature! Instead of a book giveaway this month, I’m delving into my personal treasure trove of Japanese collectables for the… Japan Swag Giveaway From hilarious limited edition capsule toys to Japanese new year’s ornaments, each month oneContinue reading “SEP-OCT 2022”
Did you win the Jul-Aug book giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a copy of Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight by Riku Onda If you think this is you, shoot a message to JapanagramJonelle@gmail.com and tell me if you’d like to read it in ebook or paperback. (If you’d like a paperback, I’ll also need the mailing address you’d likeContinue reading “Did you win the Jul-Aug book giveaway?”
Japan Swag Giveaway
Say hello to an all-new Japanagram feature—the Japan Swag Giveaway! From hilarious capsule toys to New Year’s decorations, I’ve collected a vast trove of treasures you can’t buy outside Japan, and instead of giving away a book this month, I’ve decided it’s time to share the wealth. The Sep-Oct 2022 giveaway: Attack Cats! Once youContinue reading “Japan Swag Giveaway”