Ikebana Explained
It is believed that for the first time the idea that flowers could be used as decoration came to Japan along with Buddhism, about one and a half thousand years ago. But about 1,500 years ago is too approximate, and art as significant to Japan as ikebana could not have been left without its founding father. And without a grandfather and…
Sake Explained
I have no idea how it happened, but I still didn’t tell you anything about sake. Even though I should have brought it right after geisha – few things in Japanese culture are surrounded by as many misconceptions as these two. For example, sake is not rice vodka and not even rice wine, although it does taste a bit like…
Tokaido Explained
Once upon a time I had a grand dream to walk along the Tokaido Road, to embrace the spirit of 17th-18th-century Japan, to experience the life of a wanderer. A wonderful dream, but an unfulfillable one. Because the old Tokaido Road has been long gone. And I was well aware of that. But fuelled by advertising campaigns and photos of…
Ramen Explained
Ramen, like curry rice, is firmly established in the category of kokuminshoku, the national food of Japan. But while curry is often prepared at home, ramen remains a restaurant food. If you can call the establishments that serve it by that name, of course. In the last Instagram poll, you voted for ramen. And I had the right books at…
Yokai and Kyoto talk
A couple of days ago I had a great conversation with JJ from Southern Demonology podcast. We started with the mystic origins of Kyoto, monkey temples, Abe no Seimei and moved to Himeji – the castle known as the home of Okiku – one of the most famous ghosts in Japan. Listen right here or wherever you usually get your…
Travelling in Japan and myth-busting
I was invited to Cornfries Podcast to talk about life in Japan as a foreigner, give some travel tips and play “true or false” about the country. Now we all just want to go to Rabbit Island. But the episode is out, so give it a listen. It was a fun yet pretty informative conversation.
Ukiyo-e Explained
This time I’ll look deep into the history of Japanese soy sauce, walk you through the process of making traditional Japanese shoyu and tell you all you need to know to pick the perfect bottle.
Let’s talk about yokai!
You’ve probably already listened to Yokai Explained episodes of Japan Explained and wondering what do I have to add on the topic. What about personal experiences? This time I joined JJ from Southern Demonology Podcast to talk about yokai and spooky things that happened to us in Japan. It’s a perfect Halloween episode and I hope you enjoy it!
Karaoke Explained
Why do people go to karaoke? Why in the West people prefer karaoke bars while the East is all about karaoke boxes? Was karaoke really invented in Japan? How old is it? Why do karaoke songs sound so different from the original ones? The list goes on and on. My friends asked me so many questions about karaoke that I…
Japanese Curry Explained
Perry’s visits to Japan showed Japan how weak were its naval forces. And as I started thinking about the Japanese Navy, curry rice instantly came to my mind. In this episode let’s look at the deep connection between the Japanese Navy and curry, discover the 150-year long history of curry in Japan and check which types of curry you should…