Tag - tradition

 
 

TRADITION

On July 17, Jiyugaoka in western Tokyo held its summer Bon Odori Festival for the first time in four years. While the pandemic spelled the end of the road for some longstanding local events, others weathered the storm.
CULTURE / Longform
Jul 24, 2023
Fate of the fete: Japan’s matsuri fight to survive
While COVID-19 was the final nail in the coffin for many of the country's smaller festivals, others have clung on and are making a determined comeback this year.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Dec 30, 2021
Japanese art of decorative knot-tying helping to create ties
Mizuhiki u2014 most often used for special occasions u2014 is the gift decoration that keeps on giving.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Nov 22, 2019
Shuri Castle fire threatens Okinawa's tourism and traditional crafts industries
A predawn fire that destroyed much of Shuri Castle in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, has shocked the local tourism industry and associations of traditional Ryukyu Kingdom crafts, raising alarm about the loss of the historic attraction and potential harm to the prefecture's ability to promote its culture.
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 17, 2019
After protests, India drops plan to let officials use force to evict tribes from forests
India has dropped plans to give forest officials the right to use force against indigenous people and open up more land for commercial plantations after nationwide protests.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 13, 2019
Clandestine Japanese enthronement rite embodies tradition but is marked by controversy
The Daijosai, the most secretive and controversial part of the ceremonies, is a Shinto rite that begins on Thursday and involves the new emperor praying for peace and a rich harvest.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Sep 27, 2019
Aichi illustrator shines light on local moon-viewing tradition called 'Japan's Halloween'
There is a tradition in Japan of holding moon-viewing parties to celebrate the harvest on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, believed to be the best time of the year to watch the full moon, and this year it fell on Sept. 13.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Sep 20, 2019
Young Chinese women give tradition a nod by wearing Hanfu costumes
Li Doudou's gray kitten squeezes in next to her as she sits painstakingly applying makeup and putting up her hair in a bun adorned with elaborate ornaments.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Aug 16, 2019
Samoan diaspora ink bonds with ancestors and motherland
Oliver Fagalilo takes a labored breath and tenses his body before a sharp steel comb, dipped in ink, is driven into his skin.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Aug 16, 2019
Young Maori women on frontline of New Zealand's fight for indigenous rights
Five years ago, law graduate Pania Newton and her cousins got together around a kitchen table and agreed to do everything in their power to prevent a housing development on a south Auckland site that is considered sacred by local Maori.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Aug 11, 2019
Via language, song and nature, young Taiwanese reconnecting with indigenous roots
The Truku elders of Taiwan still dream about their mountain home four decades after bulldozers tore it down — a classic symptom of trauma as community members struggle to accept their loss.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 22, 2019
Stonehenge solstices go live worldwide
People around the world can now view the movement of the sun and stars over the ancient stone circle at Britain's Stonehenge through a livestream launched on Friday, the summer solstice.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 14, 2019
Embracing the Japan of the past through music with Meitei
As the Reiwa Era begins, Japanese music producer Daisuke Fujita, aka Meitei, is looking forward while sticking to the traditions of the past. Fresh from last year's spook-summoning album "Kwaidan," which featured in "Best Albums of 2018" accolades curated by the likes of Pitchfork and Bandcamp, the Hiroshima-based music maker has just released a follow-up, titled "Komachi."
ASIA PACIFIC
May 4, 2019
Background on the royal instruments for Thai king's coronation
During Thailand's main coronation event for King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Saturday, the monarch was presented with five royal regalia marking the legitimacy of his reign.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Feb 21, 2019
India's top court orders eviction of more than 1 million forest dwellers
India's Supreme Court has ordered the eviction of more than 1 million indigenous people and others who live in forests after the federal government failed to defend a law aimed at protecting their rights.
WORLD / Society
Feb 2, 2019
London woman guilty of mutilating daughter in landmark female genital mutilation trial
A London mother has been found guilty of subjecting her 3-year-old daughter to female genital mutilation in Britain's first conviction for the practice, more than 30 years after it was outlawed.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jan 25, 2019
In the name of the gods: Indian girls forced into sex work despite ban on ancient ritual
Young girls in south India continue to be "dedicated" to village temples and then forced into prostitution despite laws banning the ancient ritual, researchers say.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Jan 11, 2019
Saudi woman's bid to flee family rallies opposition to male guardianship
An 18-year-old Saudi woman's flight from what she said was an abusive family has rallied opposition to the kingdom's male guardianship system, still a major constraint on women despite the conservative Muslim country's efforts to open up.
WORLD / Society
Jan 11, 2019
Is Saudi Arabia on the road to ending the scourge of child marriage?
Saudi Arabia is trying to ban child marriage through new regulations, but loopholes are leaving young girls in the deeply conservative kingdom unprotected, campaigners said Thursday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jan 2, 2019
Two women enter Indian temple, defying centuries-old ban
Two women defied a centuries-old ban on entering a Hindu temple in India's southern state of Kerala in the early hours of Wednesday, the state's chief minister said, raising fears of a backlash from conservative Hindu groups.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 29, 2018
Traditional handmade mochi brings New Year's cheer
"Try our mochi," calls out Nao Sakai at a Tokyo market as she sells rice and rice cakes made at her family's shop in Yamagata Prefecture.

Longform

A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world