During the Sengoku period (1482-1573), the Takeda family was one of the strongest clans in Japan, known in particular for its successful cavalry charges. Yet in 1575, it found itself up against something that rendered it powerless — the new western technology of firearms. In ...
Jamaica's one love starts in Tokyo and reaches out across Japan
This festival celebrating 50 years of friendship between Japan and Jamaica culminates with a Bob Marley Songs Day competition on Sunday, where the winner will receive the grand prize of a trip to Jamaica. For most visitors, however, Bob Marley's music is just one ...
The world could be your oyster in Aichi
In Peru, the largest Incan festival, Inti Raymi (Festival of Sun), takes place on June 25 in honor of Inti, the sun god. In Japan, those in Aichi Prefecture on June 14 and 15 can celebrate, too, by enjoying performances by the Andean folk ...
Niigata's 2 km of festival fun, food and drink
A summer festival wouldn't be complete without an ice-cold drink as you take in the sun and have some fun, and in Japan a popular traditional summer drink is cider — not the alcoholic fermented apple drink, but a fizzy soft drink similar to ...
Light up the night with a firefly festival
Fireflies, known as hotaru in Japan, have inspired numerous artists and writers, including Haruki Murakami, whose short story "Firefly" was later adapted into the first part of his best-seller "Norwegian Wood." In the real world, however, fireflies are sadly in decline, as their natural ...
Tokyo's bleep on the synthesizer fan's radar
Making electronic music can be incredibly intimidating for beginners: What's the best hardware to buy? How do you use it? And all those cables! To give budding musicians a little guidance, this weekend's Tokyo Festival of Modular at SuperDeluxe in Roppongi offers an opportunity to ...
Yokohama celebrates 155 years as a trade port
It might surprise you to know that Yokohama was once a tiny village with less than 100 households living off farming and fishing. It wasn't until the port opened to foreign trade in 1859 that it began to expand to become Japan's second most ...
Swap carps for pinatas on Children's Day
Children's Day in Japan is known for its koinobori (carp streamer) decorations, but perhaps this year you'd like to celebrate with a pinata instead. The annual Latin American festival Cinco de Mayo occurs on May 5, the same day as Children's Day. This year, events ...
Stories of Ooka Tadasuke (1677-1751) have been passed down through generations. He was also known as Ooka Echizen, the governor of the province of Echizen, which was located in present-day Fukui Prefecture. At that time, he served under the eighth Tokugawa shogun, Yoshimune. A lot of ...
The annual festival for "odako," or giant kites, flown will be held on May 3 and 5 along the banks of the Edo River in the city of Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture. The Odako-age Matsuri festival committee said the organizers are inviting participants to "embrace the ...
They'll be running up that hill, with no pants on
According to folklore, during the Great Tenmei Famine (1782-1788) of the Edo Period, the people of Oyama in Hita, Oita Prefecture, were saved from death by the sacred waters of a pond found halfway up the local mountains. To offer thanks for being spared, ...
Masahiro Yoshino, 66, who leads a media consulting company with some 100 employees, may have left it late, but his dream of breaking into the movies was finally realized when a recent film funded by his firm won recognition abroad. "Work in real life and ...
