Sugawara Michizane Explained
Today I want to tell you about a man of humble origin who became a renowned scholar and poet, kept the imperial court in fear long after his death, turned into a wrathful spirit, a deity and a bodhisattva (all at once), got thousands of shrines dedicated to him all around the country and is respected by Zen monks, praised…
The Golden Pavilion Explained
The Golden Pavilion also known as Kinkaku-ji is probably one of the most famous places in Japan. It’s shiny and gorgeous, it’s protected by UNESCO and it even has a famous novel written about it. So this time let me explain you the Gorgeous Golden Pavilion. Contents: The good old days of Saionji estate Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and the Golden Pavilion…
Deer of Nara Explained
There is a rather popular opinion that deer were put to roam streets of Nara as a pure tourist attraction. Well, there is a grain of truth in it. The city does cash out on deer as they drive a constant flow of tourists, but deer have been there way before the first foreign tourist ever set his foot on…
Shoyu Explained
You can make a ton of different sauces out of soy. And they will all be called a… soy sauce in English. Even though they come from different countries and are made in rather distinct ways. But since this podcast is about Japanese culture, the only sauce I’m going to talk about is shoyu – the Japanese soy sauce. This…
Geisha Explained
In the very first episode of Japan Explained, I will address the biggest misconception about Japanese culture. You guessed it right, Geisha. When I see or hear anything about geisha in Japan it usually falls into two categories: sweet fairytales about the treasuries of traditional culture or not so sweet tales about high-class prostitutes. So who are geishas? Short answer:…