Mask Mist, a menthol spray to freshen up your face mask
Face masks have always been popular in Japan, and the coronavirus has made them indispensable. Now that the summer is upon us, our face masks…
Written By : George Lloyd
Bingoya Handicrafts: probably the best souvenir shop in Tokyo
One of the difficulties of shopping for high-quality Japanese craft products in Tokyo is finding everything under one roof. This is where Bingoya comes in….
Help (not) wanted: immigration politics in Japan
Japan is suffering from a terrible labour shortage. A Manpower survey of human resources managers around the world found that HR managers in Japan have…
Will the 2020s be a decade of entrepreneurship in Japan?
Japan often looks more like a land of corporate titans than budding entrepreneurs. There are certainly examples of entrepreneurship in the Japanese economy in the…
Four spots from which to view beautiful Matsushima Bay
Matsushima Bay is a beautiful bay dotted with 260 islands of varying size on the coast of Miyagi prefecture, 15km north of Sendai, the prefectural…
Kyūkyodō: probably Tokyo’s finest store for calligraphy supplies and high-end incenses
Photo by George Lloyd Kyūkyodō (鳩居堂) is a wonderful store that first opened in Kyoto in 1663 and is still run by the Kumagai family to…
What is wabi sabi?
Wabi sabi 侘び寂び is a Japanese concept that often has foreigners scratching their heads in bafflement. The first part of the expression – wabi –…
Tōshō-gū in Ueno Park is the real deal – a shrine dating back to 1627
Tokyo is one of the world’s most phoenix-like cities. Whether shaken to the ground by earthquakes, reduced to ashes by fire or bombed to smithereens…
Chingodō in Asakusa: a shrine dedicated to tanuki (racoon dogs)
Chingodō (鎮護堂) is a small Shinto shrine in Asakusa which is dedicated to the tanuki (狸), a small, furry animal that is a mainstay of Japanese…
Kotodama: the belief in the magic power of words
Kotodama (言霊) refers to the belief that words have mystical powers. It combines the word for ‘speech’ (言 koto) and the word for ‘soul’ (霊 tama). Kotodama presupposes that…
Taya Caves, an underground wonder of ancient Buddhist artistry near Kamakura
Taya Caves is a sacred gem of Buddhist carvings in the grounds of Josen-ji Temple near Kamakura. This maze of halls and galleries is decorated…
What is umami, the mysterious taste of Japanese cooking?
I like Japanese food as much as the next person, but when I first heard someone say that it has a taste all its own,…
In praise of the Great Japanese Manhole Cover
Here at grape Japan, we have run several stories about how game and anime production companies have teamed up with local authorities to create wonderfully…
Walking the Tamagawa Jōsui
The Tamagawa Jōsui 玉川上水 (River Tama Aqueduct) is a freshwater canal that originally ran from Hamura 羽村 in western Tokyo to Yotsuya Ōkido 四谷大木戸, a distance of 43…
The street art scene in Tokyo
Mention street art in Tokyo, and anyone familiar with the city will wonder what you’re talking about. Sharp eyed observers might have spotted a few…