Click on photo or link to read the feature • Beyond TokyoIs this shrine worth traveling nine hours to see? You decide! During my immersion in All Things Octopus, I heard of this crazy shrine where the resident cats had delayed the installation and consecration of the deity figure because they kept using it asContinueContinue reading “MAY 2026”
Category Archives: 2026
SPECIAL EDITION 2026
Click on photo or link to read the feature • The Thing I Learned TodayWhat are foreigners like? For three hundred years, Dutch traders were the only foreigners allowed in Japan, but they were confined to an island in Nagasaki. People were intensely curious about the exotic barbarians, though, so woodblock artists trekked across the DejimaContinueContinue reading “SPECIAL EDITION 2026”
Tiny exquisite carvings that deliver secret messages
Back in Edo Era Japan, men wore kimonos when they dressed to impress, but they suffered from the same affliction women do today: no pockets. That’s why they carried sagamono (a tiny, multi-tiered man-purse that literally means “the thing that hangs below”)… Photo thanks to Sohu which was looped through their sash or trouser-skirt ties.ContinueContinue reading “Tiny exquisite carvings that deliver secret messages”
Oirans are alive and well and living in Tokyo, but now they’re…MEN?
It’s not hard to draw a line from the oirans of the Edo Period to the geisha who took their place—both were women making a living entertaining wealthy men with music, dance and witty banter, both belonged to a “house” that served as their home, family, and booking agent, and both took traditional Japanese styleContinueContinue reading “Oirans are alive and well and living in Tokyo, but now they’re…MEN?”
Did you win the April Book Giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won a copy of Girl in a Box by Jean Gordon Kocienda! 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 April Book Giveaway?”
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. And because of the book launch, this month I’m including someContinueContinue reading “FOMO Links: Fun stuff you might have missed”
Is this shrine worth traveling nine hours to see? You decide!
Hayasuhime Shrine in Oita Prefecture During my immersion in All Things Octopus, I heard of this crazy shrine where the resident cats had delayed the installation and consecration of the deity figure because they kept using it as a scratching post. And the more I looked at that picture, the more I wanted to payContinueContinue reading “Is this shrine worth traveling nine hours to see? You decide!”
Did you win a copy of The Samurai’s Octopus?
Okay, obviously I can’t review my own book (ahaha that would be cheating!) but a few other people took a sneak peek at the advance review copy, and here’s what they had to say… “The Samurai’s Octopus…is a truly remarkable book, one that surprised and charmed me at every turn of the page. It’s one ofContinueContinue reading “Did you win a copy of The Samurai’s Octopus?”
Answers to your burning Japan questions
Here are some deeper dives into why Japan is the way it is, and real world links to crazy facts from the Samurai’s Octopus… • Why are tattoos still taboo in Japan?Spoiler: it’s not because they think you’re a gangster In feudal Japan (the samurai era, when The Samurai’s Octopus takes place), the entire societyContinueContinue reading “Answers to your burning Japan questions”
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 Had14 events nobodyContinueContinue reading “FOMO Links: Fun stuff you might have missed”
You won’t believe who I ran into in the Floating World!
Q: What do the world’s biggest baseball star… a world-class violinist… the cast and crew of a blockbuster streaming drama… and NHK news anchors… have in common with geisha… bar hostesses, and “wives for a night”? A: They’re all card-carrying members of the same floating world that Yoshiwara’s first-rank oirans ruled over in the samuraiContinueContinue reading “You won’t believe who I ran into in the Floating World!”
Let’s dress in samurai armor and swagger around a gorgeous castle…just for starters!
A fabulous day trip to Odawara You don’t have to spend big bucks and hours on the bullet train to see one of the top castles in Japan and learn what it was like to live like a samurai lord. Odawara is an easy day trip from Tokyo! But there’s more. If you play yourContinueContinue reading “Let’s dress in samurai armor and swagger around a gorgeous castle…just for starters!”
What does a country without immigration look like?
What’s it like to live in a country without immigration? Well…this. Looks nice, doesn’t it? The very picture of idyllic daily life that anti-immigrant folks imagine it would be. Japan’s refusal to welcome outsiders is no let’s-jump-on-the-bandwagon reaction to a worldwide hardening against immigration—they’re masters of the art, because they’ve been keeping foreigners out forContinueContinue reading “What does a country without immigration look like?”
APR 2026
Click on photo or link to read the feature • The Thing I Learned TodayWhat are foreigners like? For three hundred years, Dutch traders were the only foreigners allowed in Japan, but they were confined to an island in Nagasaki. People were intensely curious about the exotic barbarians, though, so woodblock artists trekked across the DejimaContinueContinue reading “APR 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 HadDo I haveContinueContinue reading “FOMO Links: Fun stuff you might have missed”
Did you win the March Book Giveaway?
If you recognize your email, congratulations! You just won your choice of one of these five novels featuring resourceful women in impossible situations! The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-RobinsonMatrix by Lauren GroffThe Miniaturist by Jessie BurtonThe Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’-‘FarrellOnce Upon a River by Diane Setterfield If you think this is you, shootContinueContinue reading “Did you win the March Book Giveaway?”
Taiko drums on every corner!
Let’s go to the Narita taiko drum festival If you love the kind of Japanese drumming that’s not just a lively musical entertainment, it’s also an exuberant, precision-choreographed dance, get thee to the Narita Taiko Festival, which happens every April! While weaving their complex rhythms, taiko drummers exchange places, pivot to beat on each other’sContinueContinue reading “Taiko drums on every corner!”
Girl in a Box
An interview with the author, Jean Gordon Kocienda This month’s Book Giveaway is Girl in a Box by Jean Gordon Kocienda, a novel based on the life of Akiko Yosano, a famous Jazz Age poet. Akiko rose to stardom in the booming pre-war period when Japan reopened to the West after three hundred years ofContinueContinue reading “Girl in a Box”
A quaint town with a pilgrimage-worthy temple and garden
Narita in Chiba Prefecture Narita has been cursed for so long as that so-called “Tokyo” airport that’s a $200 cab ride from Tokyo, many people don’t know that Narita is also the name of the nearest town, which is still quaintly Japanese, the home of a fabulous temple and garden, and host to the annualContinueContinue reading “A quaint town with a pilgrimage-worthy temple and garden”
What are foreigners like?
In 1639, the shōgun decreed that all foreigners be kicked out of Japan (or done away with in more unsavory ways), and for nearly three hundred years, the only contact the people of Japan had with the rest of the world was through the Dutch traders who were allowed to bring in one shipload ofContinueContinue reading “What are foreigners like?”
MAR 2026
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”
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”
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”
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!”
Japanagram 