Category Archives: culture

Book Announcement: Flowers Blooming on a Withered Tree: Giun’s Verse Comments on Dōgen’s Treasury of the True Dharma Eye

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Paula

Flowers Blooming on a Withered Tree: Giun’s Verse Comments on Dōgen’s Treasury of the True Dharma Eye Steven Heine OVERVIEW This book provides a translation and critical bilingual edition on the Verse Comments on the Treasury of the True Dharma Eye. … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Masterful kiri-e designs by Masayo Fukuda

Posted on August 7, 2020 by Paula

In past Fun Link Fridays we’ve featured some cool paper artistry, from pop-up designs and intricate cranes to moving paper sculptures. Today’s feature is next-level kiri-e (paper cutting) by Masayo Fukuda, who has over 25 years of experience making cut-outs that … Continue reading →

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Book Announcement: Seeds of Control: Japan’s Empire of Forestry in Colonial Korea

Posted on August 2, 2020 by Paula

Seeds of Control: Japan’s Empire of Forestry in Colonial Korea by David Fedman Japanese colonial rule in Korea (1905–1945) ushered in natural resource management programs that profoundly altered access to and ownership of the peninsula’s extensive mountains and forests. Under … Continue reading →

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Book Announcement: The Japanese Economy

Posted on July 27, 2020 by Paula

The Japanese Economy Hiroaki Richard Watanabe Although still the world’s third largest economy, Japan continues to feel the effects of the collapse of a massive asset price bubble in the early 1990s. In recent years further setbacks, including both the … Continue reading →

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Book Announcement: Christian Sorcerers on Trial: Records of the 1827 Osaka Incident

Posted on July 12, 2020 by Paula

Christian Sorcerers on Trial: Records of the 1827 Osaka Incident Translated and with an introduction by Fumiko Miyazaki, Kate Wildman Nakai, and Mark Teeuwen In 1829, three women and three men were paraded through Osaka and crucified. Placards set up … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Mystery Vending Machines

Posted on July 10, 2020 by Paula

Just a quickie Fun Link Friday this week! Back in February Japan Today reported on a fun find in Oyabe, Toyama Prefecture: vending machines with unknown contents mixed into the usual drink and snack fare. Some of the machines had … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Musical Calculators

Posted on July 3, 2020 by Travis

This week’s Fun Link Friday is a tweet by あたりめ (@atarimae_400), a Twitter user who regularly posts incredible videos of him using electronic calculators, the simple keystroke chimes of an iPhone, and the like to reproduce complex musical compositions. In … Continue reading →

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Book Announcement: Behold the Buddha: Religious Meanings of Japanese Buddhist Icons

Posted on June 28, 2020 by Paula

Behold the Buddha: Religious Meanings of Japanese Buddhist Icons James C. Dobbins Images of the Buddha are everywhere—not just in temples but also in museums and homes and online—but what these images mean largely depends on the background and circumstance … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Virtual Museum Exhibits

Posted on June 26, 2020 by Paula

As quarantine continues for many of us, we’re often looking for ways to do things online that we would have otherwise enjoyed doing in person. A couple months ago Tokyo Weekend featured a list of Japanese art museums that have … Continue reading →

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Fun Link Friday: Amabie sweets

Posted on May 29, 2020 by Paula

Amidst the regular pandemic news over the last weeks, there have been numerous reports related to Japan centered on amabie アマビエ, a supernatural, mermaid-like creature from Japanese folklore. Although amabie only appears in one text from 1846 (and thus was probably … Continue reading →

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