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Children’s day, Kodomo no hi, こどもの日, a day where the skies are filled with flags shaped like koi fish all across the country. It may not be one of Japan’s most publicized holidays, and even living in Japan it is not given as much attention as many other holidays, but it certainly brings a certain joy to your day when you see 100’s of these koi flags swimming in the wind across the country. If you aren’t familiar with Children’s day in Japan and how it is celebrated, this article is definitely worth a read. We’ll even share some of...

There is more than one kind of Sakura- they aren't all the same. A number of people outside of Japan may have one specific image of the beautiful cherry blossoms in Japan, but the trees and flowers come in all different shapes, sizes and even colors. While all the cherry trees do have some similarity, it's more obvious when you are in Japan that cherry blossoms can vary quite a bit. The scientific species for sakura is prunus. This is the same tree family that includes (among many others) the fruits plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, and almonds. It’s hard...

Cherry blossoms are the go-to symbol for Japan. They create a beautiful display of petals that come in white and pink. Locals and visitors alike love to watch them changing the landscape from barren trees in the winter to luscious clouds of flowers adding color to the landscape, which is why they’ve inspired so much throughout Japan's history. A time where people can look forward to the departure of snow and the cold with cherry blossoms in bloom, there are a lot of great things happening. There are lots of beautiful hanami (cherry blossom viewing parties) taking place across the...

Let’s take a look at Japan’s most popular dating apps.   10 dating apps to swipe right or left to find the person of your dreams here in Japan. You have moved to Japan, believing that the dating scene here would be excellent and full of new opportunities. You might have been hoping to find the perfect Japanese person for you and things leading to a happy ending or at least some fun for a while. But then…you arrive, realize not a lot of people speak English, their schedules are super busy, and the dating style is a little different...

Valentine's Day is a day when you celebrate love and often give someone a nice gift. In Western countries both men and women participate in this event. Guys everywhere go into a tizzy before Valentine’s Day. It can be hard to pick out just the right gift, or plan the perfect date. In Japan things are a bit different though. Japan is a relatively new player in the Valentine’s game, but they've managed to come up with their own style of celebrating Valentine's Day. First off, women are the usually ones who have to give gifts at first on Valentine's...