Of the roughly 70 festivals each year held at Atsuta Shrine, the Atsuta Festival (Atsuta Matsuri or Shobu-sai) is by far the biggest and most important. This festival is held every June 5th and signals the arrival of summer. Summer in Japan is the season of summer festivals and fireworks! Atsuta Jingu, also called Atsuta-san...Read More

Arimatsu, located just about 20 minutes by train from Nagoya Station, is a town well known for being the home of the traditional Arimatsu-Narumi Shibori technique, a fabric dyeing method that has been skillfully crafted over the last 400 years. Edo Period traditional black wooden houses along the Tokaido Road During the Edo Period (1603...Read More

Atsuta Shrine, also called, Atsuta-san or Atsuta-sama, is the second most important Shinto shrine in Japan, after the Ise Grand Shrine. The venerated sun goddess Amaterasu is enshrined here as well as being home to the sacred sword Kusanagi-no-tsurugi, which is one of the three Japanese imperial treasures. Legend has it that Amaterasu gave the...Read More

Springtime in Japan is famous for a variety of beautiful flowers. One of them is the Japanese wisteria, a flower that captivates with its mysterious beauty and its sweet fragrance. Like wisteria’s more famous cousin the cherry blossom, multiple varieties of wisteria bloom at different times. The average blooming period extends from mid-April to early...Read More

With the arrival of spring, all of Japan is dyed in pink. This is because at the end of March Sakura (cherry blossoms) begin blooming. You can see the cherry tree flowers all across Japan: in parks and botanical gardens, around temples and shrines, on the banks of rivers, or covering mountains. The season of...Read More

To grasp the importance of the city of Seto when it comes to pottery in Japan, you only need to look at one word: ‘Setomono.’ It is the universally used Japanese term for pottery, encompassing all pottery, not just the pottery specifically from Seto. A selection of Setomono pieces Pottery from Japan dated to 10,000...Read More

A small town nestled on the banks of a tranquil river, with a castle atop a low hill, and streets lined with dark wooden houses. Inuyama is a place where you can experience Japan from another era, with its ancient traditions and masterful craftsmanship such as colorful festivals, pottery, and mechanical puppets. Inuyama Castle: a...Read More

Sake is deeply connected to Japanese culture and many of Japan’s traditions and customs. From ancient times Sake has been offered to the Gods calling it the “Drink of the Gods”. It has deep ties to religion, ceremonies, traditions, and everyday social interaction. Making a toast with Atsukan, warm Sake On the surface, Sake may...Read More

Nagoya not only houses ancient and historical art but also fantastic museums and galleries exhibiting old and new artworks by Japanese designers. Even during a short stroll around the city center, you can drop in at multiple museums dedicated to modern art. To make it easier for you, we have prepared this list of the...Read More

Introducing the first-ever Shi-te-tsu-sai Festival 2023! On November 30, 2023, Chubu bureau of METI will host a unique gathering of local craftspeople at the Global Gate Indoor Event Space in Nagoya. It’s a day of creativity and collaboration you won’t want to miss! What is the Shi-te-tsu-sai Festival? One of the crafts people attending the...Read More