JUNE 2026

Click on photo or link to read the feature • Beyond TokyoLet's visit the #1 Japanese garden in the world! The Adachi Museum of Art's garden lands at the top of so many "best Japanese garden in the world" lists because of its classic manicured vistas, which draw the eye to ideal waterfalls, and its pristine rockContinue reading "JUNE 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 Only in JapanCarnivorous Stuffies Tell me more! • FromContinue reading "FOMO Links: Fun stuff you might have missed"

Cures for your book hangover: What to read after The Samurai’s Octopus

A chance to win one of these three great novels that will cure your book hangover Want to stay in a world where an orphan girl growing up in an iffy situation must dodge the dangers and go along with the games played by powerful men and beautiful women, until she gets a chance toContinue reading "Cures for your book hangover: What to read after The Samurai’s Octopus"

A garden so famous for its iris, it’s in all the woodblock prints

Hiroshige immortalized Horikiri Shōbu-en in "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo" in 1857, Toyokuni used it as a location for his series of beauties in 1859... Adachi Ginkō hopped on the bandwagon in 1889... and that's just a small sample of the artists who have been inspired to immortalize this garden devoted to one ofContinue reading "A garden so famous for its iris, it’s in all the woodblock prints"

Let’s visit the #1 Japanese garden in the world

Adachi Museum of Art in Shimane Prefecture There are many reasons the Adachi Museum of Art's garden lands at the top of so many "best Japanese garden in the world" lists. Its classic manicured vistas... draw the eye to ideal waterfalls... and its pristine rock gardens... lie alongside sparkling streams and pillowy moss. Ponds areContinue reading "Let’s visit the #1 Japanese garden in the world"

Garden tricks unmasked: How the Adachi Museum garden makes you think it’s huge

As you gaze at the Adachi Museum's rolling hills planted with artfully shaped foliage... its series of achingly beautiful rock gardens... with spectacular water features (that even include this perfect thread of a waterfall)... you begin to feel immersed in a new and better world. How could you not unwind and smile, surrounded by natureContinue reading "Garden tricks unmasked: How the Adachi Museum garden makes you think it’s huge"

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 DejimaContinue 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.Continue 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 styleContinue 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 likeContinue 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 someContinue 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 payContinue 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 ofContinue 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 societyContinue 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 nobodyContinue 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 samuraiContinue 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 yourContinue 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 forContinue 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 DejimaContinue 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 haveContinue 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, shootContinue 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'sContinue reading "Taiko drums on every corner!"

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 annualContinue 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 ofContinue 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.Continue reading "MAR 2026"

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 toContinue 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 stackedContinue 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?Continue reading "If I were a thousand years old, I would not look this good"