I spent a long time thinking about what to write for my first article about Japanese calligraphy. There is so much to say, it’s difficult to know where to start. Then I remembered that my teacher had once written a short introduction to Japanese calligraphy, which I had translated into English. What better way toContinueContinue reading “An Introduction to Japanese Calligraphy (by my teacher)”
Tag Archives: travel
桜梅桃李 (ō-bai-tō-ri) “never compare yourself to others”
It’s blossom season again in Japan, so I’m sharing this blossom-related yo-ji-juku-go (Japanese 4-character idiom). It’s also one of my favourites. It is comprised of 4 beloved Japanese trees which blossom in spring. They are: 桜 = cherry (sakura) 梅 = apricot (ume) 桃 = peach (momo) 李 = plum (sumomo) Each of these treesContinueContinue reading “桜梅桃李 (ō-bai-tō-ri) “never compare yourself to others””
桜梅桃李 (ō-bai-tō-ri) “never compare yourself to others”
This yo-ji-juku-go (Japanese 4-character idiom) is comprised of 4 beloved Japanese trees. They are: 桜 = cherry (sakura) 梅 = apricot (ume) 桃 = peach (momo) 李 = plum (sumomo) 桜 (sakura) are of course the cherry blossom trees famous for blooming spectacularly and incredibly briefly once a year, usually in April. Sakura trees inContinueContinue reading “桜梅桃李 (ō-bai-tō-ri) “never compare yourself to others””
Five Ways Japan is Inconvenient for Foreign Travellers — Food and Drink Edition
Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay Originally posted on Medium. World-famous for its unique and varied cuisine, Japan is a foodie’s paradise. There are so many must-try dishes, from home-grown dishes such as sushi and udon, to those adopted from other countries such as ramen, curry-rice and tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet). Unfortunately nowhere is perfect, and Japan can present someContinueContinue reading “Five Ways Japan is Inconvenient for Foreign Travellers — Food and Drink Edition”
桜梅桃李 (o-bai-to-ri) “never compare yourself to others”
This yo-ji-juku-go (Japanese 4-character idiom) is comprised of 4 beloved Japanese trees. They are: 桜 = cherry (sakura) 梅 = apricot (ume) 桃 = peach (momo) 李 = plum (sumomo) Each of these iconic trees blossoms in its own time and in its own unique way. 桜 (sakura) are of course the cherry blossom treesContinueContinue reading “桜梅桃李 (o-bai-to-ri) “never compare yourself to others””
Do you Really Need to Learn Kanji for a Short Trip to Japan?
Do you need to learn these kanji? Photo by Alex Knight on Unsplash Originally posted on Medium here. Kanji, hiragana, katakana, romaji. The Japanese language uses four writing systems. (Five if you count emoji, a Japanese invention.) Hiragana and katakana are syllabaries — each character represents a phoneme rather than a word or semantic unit. They are relatively easy to learn; both syllabaries contain about 50ContinueContinue reading “Do you Really Need to Learn Kanji for a Short Trip to Japan?”
Which Japanese Camera Company is Named after the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy?
The inspiration for the name of a famous camera company. Image by ftanuki from Pixabay. This article was originally published on Medium here. Mitsubishi. Kikkoman. Nintendo. Many Japanese companies are household names in the West. This article looks at the intriguing background behind the names of five of the most globally successful Japanese brands. Read on to findContinueContinue reading “Which Japanese Camera Company is Named after the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy?”
Four MORE ways in which Japan is really inconvenient for foreign travellers
It looks good, but it may get you refused entry from hot springs. Image by Steven Erixon, Unsplash. Whether it’s the obscenely punctual public transport systems, the super-efficient customer service, the health system that really works, or the ubiquitous convenience stores, Japan is rightfully famous for taking convenience to a whole other level. Unfortunately, nowhereContinueContinue reading “Four MORE ways in which Japan is really inconvenient for foreign travellers”
Four Ways in which Japan is Really Inconvenient for Foreign Travellers
Whether it’s the obscenely punctual public transport systems, the super-efficient customer service, the health system that really works, or the eponymous convenience stores, Japan is rightfully famous for taking convenience to a whole other level. Unfortunately, nowhere is perfect. Even Japan can be inconvenient at times. In this article I’m going to introduce four waysContinueContinue reading “Four Ways in which Japan is Really Inconvenient for Foreign Travellers”
Calligraphy by Vicky 