The Edo Period: An era of utter weirdness
The Edo Period (1603-1868) was a bizarre time that visitors to Japan could not help but comment on — the countless laws, the brutal punishments ... and the dogs.
Paradise lost: Japan longs for simpler times in trying days
The Japanese weren't always workaholics. Once upon a time, work had its place and knew its place. It didn't swallow life whole. Other pursuits were given their due. People worked without being consumed by work. Author Jiro Asada, writing in PHP magazine (April), refers us ...
Engelbert Kaempfer on the old roads of Japan
"Japanese travel more often than other people," wrote Engelbert Kaempfer, the 17th-century physician, scholar, naturalist and explorer whose "History of Japan" (1712) was the first full-length foreign-language portrait of the nation.
Learning Japanese from TV samurai tales of the wild East
Portraying legendary heroes in colorful costumes of yore, jidaigeki (period dramas) date back to the earliest years of silent films, and the genre has been frequently compared with America's TV Westerns.
Throwback time for fashion leads to innovation
As regular followers of Japanese fashion can attest, the industry can be seen as somewhat flirtatious, dallying with new debutantes, another sister brand, another collaboration, another short-term "limited shop" or another retail concept that makes the news but doesn't really change the game. It is ...
Edo Period 'post town' in Okayama re-imagines its past and reaps tourism dividends
Yakage is the only preserved town along the Sanyo Road that survives in it's near-original form, and tourists are flocking there.
Keeping up with the Joneses, Edo style
The Edo Period (1603-1868) is renowned for the flourishing of material culture — a time when major advances and innovations in Japanese folk crafts and design were prized by the burgeoning commoner class of Edo (present-day Tokyo) and Osaka. "The Golden Age of Mingei: Life ...
British envoy, Japan Times turn tide in NHK history drama
Japanese love watching historical dramas, and one of the most popular times portrayed is the final years of the Edo Period (1603-1868), when the nation went through dramatic change politically, diplomatically and socially with the fall of the shogunate. In many cases, such TV shows, ...
Cherished Osaka bell under threat as land owner wants to sell
An ancient bell in the city of Osaka is under threat because the real estate firm that owns the land where it stands wants to sell. The bell is located in the Tsuriganecho district in Chuo Ward, nestled among eateries and apartment buildings. Residents are fond ...
'Utagawa Kunisada: Japanese Lifestyle and Fashion'
April 1-24 Any major ukiyo-e fan would have seen Utagawa Kunisada's work at least once. He was the most prolific of the key woodblock-print artists to document life in the Edo Period (1603-1868), producing works that have since been exhibited worldwide. Though ukiyo-e are popular primarily ...
Japan's first major exhibition of erotic art known as shunga, which ended earlier this week in Tokyo, drew more than 200,000 visitors during its three-month run, organizers said. Former Prime Minister Morihiro Hokokawa, who heads the Eisei-Bunko Museum where the exhibition was held, said he ...
'The World of Edo Dandyism: From Swords to Inro'
May 30-July 20 During the peaceful latter part of the Edo Period (1603-1868), samurai katana swords evolved from being just weapons into status symbols and luxurious accessories. Rarely used in combat, they were embellished to become symbolic fashion items for samurai dandies. The status of katana ...
