Nowadays we don´t see anyone using abacus so often. But when I see my mother calculating in her head quickly and accurately, I wish I had learnt even the basic. Apparently soroban is good for your brain training in many ways.

Ochanoko saisai. I´ve been using this saying for a long time but I´d never thought about the origin of the word. Now I´ve found a tasty word journey.

Do you know a Japanese paper craft, Monkiri Asobi? It´s simple but very amusing, which became very popular among common people in Edo period.

Do you love wagashi? There are so many sweets shops in Tokyo but I´d recommend you to try Osakaya, which has a long history and once served wagashi to the Royal Family. It´s worth visiting during your stay in Tokyo.

Samurai, despite of their serious face, they must´ve had some romantic moments and a wedding to celebrate. How did they find a partner and how was their wedding?

One of the typical things in Japan in summer is mosquitos. These stripy fellows are so annoying. So Japanese people use mosquito-repellent incense. But why is it in spiral shape?

Japanese family name. This time is the 8th common name in Japan, Nakamura. It has quite a deep history than I expected.

There are islands in Japan where old traditional customs are still strictly kept. One of them is Okinoshima located in the middle of Genkai Sea.

While breast feeding in public is discussed in Europe, Japanese mums are talking about the posture of breast feeding. They are funny, especially the explanations of the postures.

Another hilarious Japanese TV drama has just ended in Japan. Fuben na benriya. An aspiring and imaginative young script writer happened to get involved in a snowy small town in Hokkaido. After endless trouble what he learned is…