Japanese culture essays about all kinds of topics

Going to Japan is like going to another planet. In fact, the French, in fact, refer to Japan as "Planet Japon!" So, Japan can be a very difficult destination, and the more you know the better. But there are things worth reading up on and learning about. Japan's history, for example. Japan was first culture worldwide for firing ceramics and the narrative novel.

Japanese culture comes in various flavors and most people are looking for the old mixed with the new; young people are looking for the contemporary charms of Japan like manga, anime, cosplay, games and characters. And then there are the unique and interesting ways the Japanese interpret Western ideas, ranging from desserts and theme parks to media and relaxation . . .

Below are all the essays on Japan that I have published so far and they are categorized. Just use the handy menu below to jump around to what interests or intrigues you the most! Enjoy!.

Content by Ian Martin Ropke, owner of Your Japan Private Tours (est. 1990). I have been planning, designing, and making custom Japan private tours on all five Japanese islands since the early 1990s. I work closely with Japan private tour clients and have worked for all kinds of families, companies, and individuals since 1990. Clients find me mostly via organic search, and I advertise my custom Japan private tours & travel services on www.japan-guide.com, which has the best all-Japan English content & maps in Japan! If you are going to Japan and you understand the advantages of private travel, consider my services for your next trip. And thank you for reading my content. I, Ian Martin Ropke (unique on Google Search), am also a serious nonfiction and fiction writer, a startup founder (NexussPlus.com), and a spiritual wood sculptor. Learn more!

Japan today: a modern society with two religions

• Modern Japanese society & insights
• Shinto in daily Japanese life
• Buddhism in daily Japanese life
• Japanese cuisine types from A to Z!
• Japanese gift-giving traditions and how they are changing

Japanese history & real people interviews

• Japanese history & key shoguns, dynasties and stories
• A 2007 interview with a professional bunraku theater shamisen musician
• An interview with Hal Gold (1929-2009): Kyoto writer, historian, critic, and resident
• Late 2004 interview with the 18th-gen owner of Kyoto's Aritsugu knife shop
• Historian Otis Cary, Kyoto, the Atomic Bomb and Oppenheimer the movie.

Japanese tea ceremony, gardens and crafts

• All about the Japanese tea ceremony
• All about Japanese gardens: overview and interesting facts
• Japanese handicrafts: overview, types, shopping tips
• All about the mysterious Japanese Noh theater, and Noh masks

Japanese things for kids, shoppers, bathing and more!

• Japanese kids' heroes, foods, games and names
• Protectors of kids & travelers | Dharma dolls | Kawai Kanjiro's 1920s studio-home
• Japanese mountain goblins, ghosts, and superstitions
• Noren shop curtains, sento community baths, and transformer tanuki badgers
• Kyoto's living world of machiya townhouses: old architecture in new businesses

Content by Ian Martin Ropke, owner of Your Japan Private Tours (est. 1990). I have been planning, designing, and making custom Japan private tours on all five Japanese islands since the early 1990s. I work closely with Japan private tour clients and have worked for all kinds of families, companies, and individuals since 1990. Clients find me mostly via organic search, and I advertise my custom Japan private tours & travel services on www.japan-guide.com, which has the best all-Japan English content & maps in Japan! If you are going to Japan and you understand the advantages of private travel, consider my services for your next trip. And thank you for reading my content. I, Ian Martin Ropke (unique on Google Search), am also a serious nonfiction and fiction writer, a startup founder (NexussPlus.com), and a spiritual wood sculptor. Learn more!