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…
Yokai Explained
We all love something cooling during the summer heat. And what can be more refreshing than a spooky story that makes you shiver? But sorry, I can’t handle scary stories. They are, well, scary. Japanese people, on the other hand, are really good at making and retelling them. So this time let me introduce you to the Japanese monsters –…
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…
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…