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  • HONJO NANA FUSHIGI

    Like there are many ‘the seven wonders of --- ‘ in the world, Tokyo also has several mysterious stories. Today, we will introduce some famous ghost stories of the Shitamachi area called ‘the Seven Wonders of Honjo.’ 本所 – HONJO = HONJO七 – NANA = Seven 不思議 – FUSHIGI = WondersFirst of all, let’s have a look at Honjo Area. In the Edo period (1603-1868), Honjo was developed as a new residential area along with Fukagawa. You might have heard the Japanese word of ‘Shitamachi 下町,’ which means the downtown areas with a unique and nostalgic atmosphere in the Eastern part of Tokyo, generally represents Asakusa 浅草, Shitaya 下谷, Honjo 本所, Fukagawa 深川.The Seven Wonders of Honjo was set in the area between Ryogoku 両国 and Kinshicho 錦糸町 in Sumida Ward 墨田区.As is often the case with this kind of folktales, the Seven Wonders of Honjo has more than seven stories, and there are many opinions on how to group them. The following seven stories are officially announced as the Seven Wonders of Honjo by the Sumida City Office.1)  OitekeBori 2)  OkuriChochin 3)  AkarinashiSoba / KiezunoAndon 4)  TanukiBayashi / BakaBayashi 5)  TsugarunoTaiko 6)  OchibanakiShii 7)  KatabanoAshiNow, let’s look at each story. OitekeBori 置いてけ堀 There used to be an old pond at the area presently called Kinshicho in Sumida ward. When people were about to go home after fishing, they heard a spooky voice whispering “Oiteke, Oiteke” (means “leave it behind and go away!”). Surprised and run away, they eventually found no fish left in the fish basket when arrived home. Some people believed the voice was Kappa making fun of fisher. Kappa is a human-like specter living in a pond, canals and river. It has Sara (a plate) on its head that needs to retain water, loves cucumbers and Sumo (sumo wrestling).   OkuriChochin 送り提灯 Walking on the alley in the night without a lantern, they saw a dim light in the distance. When they tried to come closer, it suddenly disappeared and shown up again even further away. They never could catch up with the light. OkuriHyoushigi 送り拍子木 Night patrol went around the village hitting wooden clappers to warn people living in the area to watch out for fire. They heard the same clapping sound following, but no one was there behind when they looked back. AkarinashiSoba 燈無蕎麦 / KiezunoAndon 消えずの行灯 There used to be some Soba noodle stalls along a drainage channel called HonjoMinamiWarigesui (present Hokusai Avenue). One of the stalls, for some reason, always had light-off and nobody was working. It was said that in case someone turned on the light out of kindness, something terrible would occur to this person afterward. Even if someone only dropped by out of curiosity, the person would be cursed. Quite the opposite, we have another similar story called KiezunoAndon. It is a story about a spooky Soba noodle stand with never going-off light. If someone tried to put it out, the person would get misfortune.  AshiAraiYashiki 足洗邸 Every night at a manor of Hatamoto (an upper-class Samurai), a dirty hairy giant foot broke through the ceiling and appeared, shouting　‘Wash my foot, wash my foot.’ After being washed, the foot went back to the roof and disappeared. It repeated every night. Once they did not clean it, the foot got furious and rampaged around in the house. The Hatamoto did not know what to do and asked for help from his colleague. The colleague was very curious about the story and offered to swape manors with him. However, no such mysterious phenomenon occurred after the colleague moved in. TanukiBayashi 狸囃子 / BakaBayashi 馬鹿囃子 People heard the sound of the Taiko drums at night. They tried to find from where the sound came, but they could not find anything. TsugarunoTaiko 津軽の太鼓 A Daimyo’s mansion (the house of Tsugaru) had a Taiko drum at the fire observation tower instead of Bangi (a piece of wood). When they found a fire, they boomed the Taiko drum to alarm it instead of striking the Bangi wooden piece. (This would be surely the least-scary story out of seven.) OchibanakiShii 落葉なき椎 A magnificent old chinkapin tree was planted in the garden of a Daimyo’s mansion (the house of Matsuura). The leaves grew thickly like forest and hung over the wall. Strangely no one saw any single piece of leaves dropped. They felt very creepy and said that the leaves of the tree haunted would never fell. KatabanoAshi 片葉の葦 A beautiful girl was living in this area. One knavish living nearby fell in love with her and turned into a stalker, but she ignored and turned away. He got angry and waited in ambush for her at Komadome bridge and killed her. He pruned off her one leg and one arm, then thrown her into the river. Since then, the reeds had grown at this riverside had the leaves with one side only.   It is possible to visit all nine places above in a day. For example, if you start the tour at 10:00, walking from Kinshicho to Ryogoku,　you could finish the trip around 16:00. Here is our recommended route for your reference.   Lastly, let us introduce another fun spot for this wondering. YamadaYa 山田屋 is a well-known sweets shop selling tasty Japanese Ningyoyaki 人形焼き in 70 years. Their wrapping paper tells you more about the stories. The shop is just a few minutes’ walk from Kinshicho station.   If you have any questions about Honjo Nana Fushigi 本所七不思議, contact us at japantotheworld.com any time.  

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  • The Year of COVID

    2020 is the year of the Rat. The Rat is the first animal of the repeating 12-year cycle in the Chinese and Japanese zodiac. It is said that the Rat year is the year of chaos with many changes, which actually occurred. The Coronavirus pandemic has changed our general lifestyle. We needed to adjust both our minds and lives themselves. Let’s see what happened in 2020 in Tokyo, Japan, together with some Japanese annual events.2020 = The Second Year of Reiwa EraJanuary1 – 3  OSHOUGATSU = Japanese New Year Holiday13  SEIJIN NO HI = Coming of Age Day, when all those turning 20 celebrated being new adults.https://japantotheworld.com/story/story_20191223Happy New Year in Japan. We had beautiful days during our new year’s holiday. Many people started to work in 2020 on Monday, the 6th of January. The rumor about this strange flu-like disease was started spreading around this time.February       3  SETSUBUN = The day to celebrate the coming of spring by throwing roasted beans11  KENKOKU KINEN BI = National Foundation Day23  The REIWA Emperor’s Birthdayhttps://japantotheworld.com/story/story_20200203Masks, toilet paper, thermometers, even rice started to be gone at stores, people making long queues to get them. March  3  HINA MATSURI = Dolls’ Festival / Girls’ Festival20  SHUNBUN NO HI = Spring Equinox Dayhttps://japantotheworld.com/story/story_20200302Some travelers still found in Tokyo, even people newly entered from overseas, including China. Most people in Japan knew about the Coronavirus but did not seem to take it seriously. AprilEnd of April to Beginning of May = Golden Week Holidayhttps://japantotheworld.com/story/story_20191109The Japanese government officially announced that we stay home, Japan going into a mild-lockdown nationwide. Many shops, stores, restaurants, schools closed but transport.May   3  KENPOU KINEN BI = Constitution Day   4  MIDORI NO HI = Greenery Day   5  KODOMO NO HI = Children’s Day10  HAHA NO HI = Mother’s Day 　https://japantotheworld.com/story/story_20200522Japan started a long holiday together with the annual long golden week holiday and kept telling us to stay home. It is the time that the Blue Impulse Japan Air Self-Defense Force Acrobatic Team flew over central Tokyo’s blue sky to show respect and appreciation to all medical workers fighting against the Covid19.June21  CHICHI NO HI = Father’s Dayhttps://japantotheworld.com/story/story_20200620Gradually people were back to the cities. Some schools, shops, and stores were still closed.July  7  TANABATA = Star Festival23  UMI NO HI = Marine Day24  SUPORTS NO HI = Sport’s dayhttps://japantotheworld.com/story/story_20190930The 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo was planned to begin on July 24, but as everybody knew, it had to be rescheduled for 2021 July.The government announced starting a GOTO travel campaign under limited conditions. They encouraged people to go travel to spend money in the market. It was a month with lots of rain. AugustMiddle August  Obon seasonhttps://japantotheworld.com/story/story_20200803Less people moved to visit the graves during Obon season this year. Needed careful consideration of the joyful family reunion event this summer. The 2020 Olympics were supposed to close on 23 and start the 2020 Paralympics on 25. Many local festivals, such as BONODORI (dancing), MATSURI (festivals), and HANABI (fireworks) needed to stop due to the virus. The hot summer came as usual, and Tokyo seemed to be recovering day by day.September21  KEIROU NO HI = The day to show respect for the elderly 22  SYUUBUN NO HI = Autumn Equinox Dayhttps://japantotheworld.com/story/story_20200829Typhoon season arrived as happens every year. People tired of self-restraint so started to go out gradually. Sadly, this month’s long holiday triggered the 2nd crisis of COVID19.OctoberOctober is the only month that does not have significant holidays and national events. No national holidays in October as usual, very sad.Followed by the GOTO travel campaign, the government started a GOTO eat campaign, while the number of patients began to increase again. Halloween event was downsized in the nation.November  3  BUNKA NO HI = Cultural Day 15  SHICHI GO SAN = Child Festival to celebrate their growth 23  KINRO KANSYA NO HI = Labor Thanksgiving Day The number of patients kept increasing this month too. The nation was experiencing a kind of lockdown burnout.December31  OOMISOKA = New Year’s EveThe COVID-19 is at a critical stage, even may call a new emergency stage, but people seem to carry on with their everyday lives. We all are waiting for vaccines and finding the cures as of Dec 5. It is said that the impact of the Coronavirus was minimal compared to other countries, but it was not obviously small at all, as it has affected the economy, politics, people’s daily lives seriously. The year of 2020 undoubtedly swayed by the crisis of Covid19, but “everything that has a beginning has an ending.” Keep your hopes up.https://japantotheworld.com/story/story_20201016Japantotheworld.com wishes you all happiness, good luck, and normal lives in 2021!!2021 MO Japantotheworld.com WO YOROSHIKU NE. YOI OTOSHI WO.  

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  • TENUGUI - Japanese traditional towel -

    Do you know TENUGUI?It is a Japanese traditional towel commonly made of thin cotton. The size is approximately 100 x 35cm, depending on the purpose. One of the unique characters of TENUGUI is that it does not have the hem. Because the ends are not stitched, it dries quickly, avoid accumulating bacterium, and convenient to handle. It can be frayed but it settles down after you wash it several times. TENUGI is said to have begun to be used in Japanese daily lives around the 12th century called KAMAKURA period and have widely spread in the country around the 15th century called EDO period when cotton started to be planted in the nation. TENUGUI can be used as a hand towel to wipe your hands, a washcloth to wipe dishes and tables, for wrapping items such as bottles, for Japanese traditional martial arts such as KENDO, for festivals to wear around your head, etc. Japanese have been used TENUGI for a long time in their daily lives, though western towels have been taking over its many functions recently.TENUGUI is used as a headband and a belt at festivals. Each town usually has their own pattern of TENUGUI and wear it around the head. There are some TENUGI shops in Japan and it might be interesting to visit there to see real Japanese traditional TENUGUI. We are sure TENUGUI will be a great souvenir of your Japan trip.    Japantotheworld.com is ready to introduce more Japan oriented stories, please inform us if you have any specific themes you would like to know.

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  • DARUMA / Dharma

    DARUMA is a Japanese traditional doll and always used as a lucky charm. People used to believe that DARUMA brings  good luck and wealth. Nowadays people believe that DARUMA can also make other dreams come true such as;History of DARUMADARUMA is modeled after a Buddhist monk and a founder of Zen Buddhism called Bodhidharma who lived during the 5th or 6th century. He was born in India and moved to China to spread the Zen Sect.  The legend said that Bodhidharma had a very strong faith in his religion. He lost his limbs  while he mediated deeply and kept sitting in a correct posture to enter a spiritual state of nothingness for nine years.  In the Edo period around 17th to 19th century, the story about Bodhidharma was introduced in Japan and combined with a traditional Japanese talisman called OKIAGARI KOBOSHI which they newly produced the current DARUMA doll. OKIAGARI KOBOSHI is a roly poly toy that always comes back to an upright position when pushed and knocked over. It literally means “If you get knocked down seven times, you will get up eight times anyhow.” and also means that “A man’s walking is a succession of falls.”  DARUMA’s Red ColorThere are some color variations of DARUMA,  the most popular color  red. It is said that Bodhidharma worn a red colored special cloth. Also, the color red represents the sun, fire, blood and life. People believed that red color has a power to protect them from bad luck and disease, that is the reason why the color is used for some sacred sites and buildings in Japan such as TORII gate (a gateway of a shrine).The fatal disease of small pox was spreading like a plague in the Edo period. Smallpox was called HOSO at that time and people believed the disease was brought by the God of HOSO. It was said that the God with evil spirits hates the red color, therefore people used to put red clothes on the patients and paint the toys in red to protect their children. Daruma in red was one of the popular charms for those suffered from HOSO.How to make a wish on DARUMA DARUMA does not have black eyes painted on the face. They are intentionally left blank, so that the person who owns it can draw them in. First the owner puts in its right eye which we call KAIGEN, means literally Opening-Eye, and makes a wish. Secondly the person needs to work for it. When the dream is achieved, the other eye is painted with gratitude.There were many people who lost their eyesight when they got smallpox, so DARUMA with beautiful eyes drawn was very popular and fetched a high price. On the other hand, DARUMA with their eyes not-well drawn were unsold and leftover. The sellers came up with selling DARUMA with their eyes left blank, asking buyers to paint the eyes themselves.Today’s DARUMATime went by, DARUMA became to be a typical talisman to make your dreams come true. You might have seen on television that politicians were drawing an eye after they was elected.Traditionally it is said that the power of DARUMA lasts for one year only. If your wish did not come true within one year, you would need to take the DARUMA to shrines or temples for a burning ceremony.Most common color red represents good luck and good fortune. There are other colors such as Yellow, Purple, Gold, White, Blue, Black and each color has its own meanings depending on the place you purchase. Therefore, find the one to meet your wishes when you get it.Would you like to try and draw eyes for your wish??

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  • OHIGAN

    The coming 20th of March is a Vernal Equinox Day called SHUNBUN NO HI. Japan calls this special week surrounding the Spring Equinox day OHIGAN. The Autumn Equinox Day in September is called SHUBUN NO HI and also called the special week OHIGAN. These equinox days are public holidays since 1948.It is believed that people taking care of family graves during this period will be promised to go to paradise, therefore it is a common family event for Japanese to visit their family graves, pay respect and commemorate their death in the OHIGAN week.In Buddhism, HIGAN implies enlightenment and means the other side of the river. The river divides the land of the living (SHIGAN) and the land of the dead (HIGAN) and represents pains you have to overcome to attain enlightenment.As the length of day and night are almost equal on the day of OHIGAN, it is believed that ancestors can easily cross the River Styx and come back to this side. Therefore, people in the land of the living clean the family graves, place flowers and incense, and offer the dead person’s favorites to appreciate the ancestors.There is a special bean-cake for this season. It is called BOTAMOCHI in spring and OHAGI in autumn though they are all the same flavor. BOTAMOCHI is named after tree peonies called BOTAN in Japanese and OHAGI is named after Japanese bush clover called HAGI in Japanese.People used to make this sticky rice ball coated with red bean paste made from AZUKI at home but nowadays many people buy it at store. They believe this sweet protects from bad luck.There is a Japanese saying that “No heat or cold remains after the equinox”. Each equinox day reminds Japanese people of not only visiting the family graves but reuniting their family occasionally.Contact us anytime if you have any questions about Japanese culture!

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  • Academic Year in Japan

    The academic year in Japan starts from April and ends in March. Students begin their first semester with beautiful cherry blossoms blooming around this time of the year. There are regional differences with the schedule, but the school year is normally divided into three semesters in Japan. At most elementary, junior high and high schools,* first semester starts from the beginning of April and ends in the middle of July* summer holiday in July and August* second semester from the end of August to the end of December* winter holiday in the end and beginning of the year* third semester from the beginning of January to the end of March* spring holiday from the end of March to the beginning of April.In the Edo period around the 17th century when schools called TERAKOYA were open the door to the general public, they are able to enroll in a school anytime they want. After the Meiji Restoration in the late 19th century, the academic year started from September followed by the Western educational system. The current three-semester system has been established in modern society followed by the Japanese fiscal year in the law. Standard Japanese education system includes six years in elementary school, three years in junior high school, three years in high school and two to four (sometimes six depending on your major) years in college or university. Everyone in Japan is required to complete elementary and junior high school by law.Besides, most of the companies in Japan starts and new comers have a company entrance ceremony in April too. Japanese think March is a time of farewell and April is a time of starting a new journey. One of the reasons why Japanese find cherry blossoms so exclusive might be that SAKURA is always there at their very special occasions in their lives.

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  • HINAMATSURI – Doll’s Festival –

    HINAMATURI is the festival for girls held on the 3rd of March. The families with girls display a set of special dolls called OHINASAMA for this event to pray for their girls’ health and happiness. It is also called Girls’ Festival and Peach Festival.  This display-only doll is called HINA NINGYO, not designed to be played as toys. The traditional set of dolls include,- the Emperor : ODAIRISAMA - the Empress : OHINASAMA- three court ladies : SANNIN KANJO- five court musicians (small drum, large drum, hand drum, flute and singer) : GONIN BAYASHI- the minister of the left : SADAIJIN- the minister of the right : UDAIJIN- Trees such as orange and cherry - Some sweets such as sweet rice puffs, sweet Japanese diamond-shaped rice cakes- Some traditional furniture, households, golden folding screens, paper lamps and carriages These dolls wear a very traditional Heian period court costume and are displayed on each platform. People believe that the dolls get rid of evil spirits of girls who own them and it is important for the family to put away the doll set immediately after the event is over. It is said that the girls (actually daughters of the family) will be delayed to get married or even not able to get married if the dolls stay displayed longer. In ancient times, people used to make paper dolls as effigies to take away their misfortune or disease. They threw the paper dolls into rivers or in the sea to pray for their good health.The festival of HINAMATSURI became an annual event after the Edo period.  Today the style is changed and people prefer to display a smaller set of dolls such as the Emperor and the Empress on one platform only to fit in modern Japanese houses. There are some traditional dishes for this event such as;- CHIRASHI Sushi (rice topped with chopped sashimi and ingredients)- Clam soup- Sweet white sake- HINA ARARE (sweet rice puffs in three colors, pink representing “peaches”, green “land” and white “snow”)- Sweet Japanese diamond-shaped rice cakes in three colors, pink, green and white Children sing songs of HINAMATSURI and make origami dolls at school and celebrate to eat the traditional dishes at home. People enjoy it as a seasonal event on the 3rd of March.Japan to the world.com sells OHINASAMA sets for girls. Please contact us if you have any questions and request.

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  • KAFUNSHOU – Hay Fever -

    The 11th of February is a national holiday called KENKOKU (national foundation) KINENBI (anniversary day). Old Japanese mythology says that it was on the 11th of February that the first emperor JIMMU ascended the throne and started the nation.  After this National Foundation Day, there comes a time when people need to get ready for it… Hay fever called KAFUNSHOU in Japanese is recently one of the serious social problems in Japan. It is said that more than half of Japanese suffer from pollen allergies. The cause of this national issue is lots of pollen of cedars and cypresses in the air. Many trees were cut down for fuel and material during the World War II. After the war the government planted many cedars and cypresses in the mountains as these trees grow fast. The trees were planted to rebuild houses destroyed in the war, but as inexpensive lumber imported from abroad were used for housing instead, these cedars and cypresses have left in the mountains without being cut down and the pollen is being dispersed by the wind. During spring season from February to May many Japanese suffer from the pollen of cedars and cypresses. When you get KAFUNSHOU, you have a runny and blocked nose, itchy eyes and throat, keep sneezing and feel drowsy. People put a mask on and even ware glasses when they go out to prevent pollen getting in their mouth and eyes. Some need to take drugs for the allergy. People allergic to pollen are having a really hard time every day till it goes away. What is worse, there is ragweed pollen in autumn, too. Therefore, some people suffer from hay fever almost all year round.Spring is a wonderful time to visit Japan, pleasant weather to travel around, beautiful cherry blossoms, but if you visit Japan during this pollen season, you might have to be ready for KAFUNSHOU. Good luck to your stay in spring!＜Forecast of HAY FEVER＞

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  • Setsubun

    The 3rd of February is called SETSUBUN, a day to celebrate the coming Spring, a day to pray for your happiness and good health.  Literally SETSUBUN means division of the seasons and a day before the beginning of each season. Therefore, Japan has four days of SETSUBUN in a year. Japan used to begin a year from the first day of Spring called RITSYUN. A day before RITSYUN, that is, SETSUBUN was a New Year’s Eve. Therefore, this 3rd of February SETSUBUN is most important and remained as SETSUBUN for now. It was said that demons which means ONI in Japanese came at SETSUBUN and brought bad luck to people. There are some traditional events for SETSUBUN to avoid the invisible evil power. MAMEMAKI (throwing roasted soy beans) is the most common at home and temples. It started in the HEIAN period around the 8th century. People throw away the beans in and out of the house and shout two times “ONI WA SO TO! FUKU WA UCHI!” which means “Demons out! Good fortune in!”. There are several theories about the origin of this event and some say that MA means evil and ME means destroy, so people throw beans (MAME) to drive away evil demons (ONI). Afterwards people pick up the beans and eat the same number of beans as your age to wish your good health for the year. Each region has their unique events for this SETSUBUN. Some regions say “Both demons and good fortune in!”, some throw peanuts instead of roasted soy beans, some eat the same number of beans as your age plus one, some hang sardine heads and holly branches at the entrance of the house to avoid demons. Recently a sushi roll called EHOUMAKI is popular to eat at a day of SETSUBUN but this custom has started in the Western part of Japan by some stores to sell their food and eventually spread around. It is a commercial even like a St. Valentine’s day. If you visit Japan around this season, you can find many kinds of EHOUMAKI at convenience stores, supermarkets, everywhere in Japan.

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  • HAPPY NEW YEAR 2020

    Season’s greetings and best wishes in 2020 Japanese New Year is the 1st of January. It is called “GANTAN”. This special period from the 1st to 3rd is  called “OSHOUGATSU”. It is the most important time of the year for Japanese. It is time for family reunion like Christmas or Thanksgiving.There are some special decorations for Oshougatsu period. “SHIMENAWA” is  twisted straw ropes and “KADOMATSU”bamboo poles placed in front of the entrance of the house for protection from evils.There are also essential meals to eat on New Year’s Day called “OSECHI” which includes many kinds of traditional foods packed in special boxes, also “ZOUNI” a traditional soup with “MOCHI (rice cake)”. Each area has their own unique recipe of Zouni. They use different local soup stock and even different shape of Mochi. Some area has chicken, some only vegetable but it must include Mochi as it represents good luck through the year.Many people visit shrines to make wishes for the new year during the first three or seven days of January. This event is called “HATSUMOUDE” which means the first visit of shrine.Some might spend all night having parties with friends and being together with families, some might try to climb up the mountains to see the first sunrise of the year. Children get money in a special envelop. It is called “OTOSHIDAMA”. People send each other special cards printed a zodiac symbol (Mouse in 2020) called “NENGAJO” like Christmas cards.Besides, watching TV and eating SOBA (noodles) is a kind of typical,  signature event on New Year’s Eve. Bells in temples are rung 108 times around midnight of New Year’s Eve and after the 108 bells the new year comes.There are many events and customs to spend New Year’s Eve and celebrate the new year’s period. Japan to the world.com wishes you all for a wonderful holiday season and for happiness in 2020 !

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  • TATAMI - Japanese Flooring -

    Traditional Japanese-style houses have special rooms used a special flooring material called Tatami (or Tatami mat) made of rush grasses (Igusa). A room with Tatami is called “Washitsu”. Recently the houses become more westernized because of the lifestyle change. More houses have no Washitsu though there are still some favored this Japanese-style room.In Japan people take off their shoes before entering a house which does not bring in any dirt from your shoes. Tatami consists of mainly rice straw and rushes (Igusa) and has resilient soft surface. Therefore, it is comfortable to sit and lie down directly on Tatami.It is said that the distinctive incense of rushes (Igusa) has a sedating effect like a healing effect by forest bathing. Japanese find a sense of comfort in such Tatami smell when they take a deep breath at entering the Tatami rooms (Washitsu) and calm down at lying down directly on the Tatami.Nowadays some offices and hotels outside Japan find value of Tatami and more places actually implement to use Tatami for their living rooms, bed rooms and so on.<Structure of Tatami>The surface of Tatami Doko compacted rice straws is covered with woven rushes (Igusa) called Tatami Omote, sewn by a band called Tatami Beri. In short, a Tatami is made up of three components, the surface Tatami Omote, the inner core Tatami Doko, and the border Tatami Beri. The material of Tatami Doko is recently used polystyrene foams or insulation boards.<Super Insulation and Moisturizing Power>Tatami Doko and Tatami Omote contain air, which results in cutting off cold and hot air outside and keeps pleasant room temperature in both summer and winter. Rushes (Igusa) absorb moisture by its sponge-like holes and emits humidity when it is dry. <Relaxing Effect of Tatami>Tatami gives off a pleasant smell of rushes (Igusa). The scent has a calming and relaxing effect like a forest bathing. Some studies show that rushes (Igusa) absorb carbon dioxide and clean the air.<Soundproof>The air in Tatami Doko and rushes (Igusa) absorb the noise. This soundproof characteristic reduces the noise of footsteps and provides calm and peaceful atmosphere. <Flame Resistance>Compressed rushes (Igusa) contain some humidity and has anti-fire properties. When it burns, it is not being spread quickly but smoldering. This flame resistance traits is highly evaluated by Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency. OEM products also available. Please feel free to contact us if you have any requests or questions on the products.

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  • WAGARA - Japanese pattern -

    Wagara (Japanese Patterns) is the pattern used for the Japanese traditional crafts, Japanese papers, Japanese traditional clothes (Kimono and Yukata). They are placed orderly in the geometric patterns abstractly representing natural phenomenon or the patterns of a motif of animals and plants.< Hemp Leaf (Asanoha) >A hexagon-based geometric design, which is commonly used in the patterns for swaddling cloth because of the characters of strong and growing fast.< Arrow Fletching (Yagasuri) >The pattern of arrow feathers represents released arrows that never come back. Therefore, in the Edo period the pattern became popular among girls to wear when they get married.< Japanese Check (Ichimatsu) >It was originally called “paving stones” and changed to “Ichimatsu” afterward. The name of Ichimatsu came from a famous Kabuki actor Sanogawa Ichimatsu as he liked to use the pattern on his clothes at the Edo dynasty.< Seven Treasures (Shippou/Shippo) >The pattern of Shippou (Shippo) consists of many intersecting and everlasting circles. It shows seven treasures such as gold, silver, lapis lazuli, giant clams, coral and agate, which represents peace, harmony and luck.< Blue Ocean / Blue Wave (Seigaiha) > The wave pattern represents everlasting happiness and a peaceful life.< Woven Bamboo Basket (Kagome) >A motif of a woven bamboo basket is used as a charm because of the shape of hexagram and actual woven baskets were used to be placed as a charm at the entrance of houses.< Sankuzushi >The pattern comes from the shape of a counting rod which was used for mathematics in old China and Japan. After that, the pattern changed to three lines, four lines or five lines and they are called “Sankuzushi”, “Yonkuzushi” and “Gokuzushi” respectively.< Tortoiseshell (Kikkou/Kikko) >The pattern comes from the shape of turtleback. Turtles represent long-life and fortune in Japan. The equilateral hexagon is popularly used for Japanese family emblems.< Seed Stitch (Kanoko) >It comes from the pattern of the back of fawns. The Kimono of Kanoko pattern is expensive as it requires lot of trouble to dye the fabric of this pattern. Kanoko also represents descendant prosperities.Japan to the world.com produces various items using Japanese patterns. Please contact us if you have any questions and request.

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  • UKIYOE -Japanese Art-

    One of the genres of painting that began around 1550 in the Edo period in Japan. It appeared as a picture depicting Ukiyo, that is, a genre painting.In short, it describes;・The tough and fragile life of common people・This worldIt features bold composition, strong lines and shadow-less expression, etc. The Ukiyo-e shows us the everyday life and the culture of commoners of the Edo period.Ukiyo-e in the early stages was mainly original drawings and single-color woodblock prints. In the middle stages (around 1765-1806) multicolor woodblock prints were developed. At the same time the work divided into groups of Shitaeshi (Ukiyo-e painters), Horishi (carvers) and Surishi (printers). This division of labor established the mass prodcution system and brought its golden age. Furthermore, the portraits of beautiful women, Kabuki actors and famous scenerise were also released and Ukiyo-e became a great popular culture in Japan.At the late stages (around 1807-1858) world famose Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Hiroshige, and Utagawa Kuniyoshi appeared and created the big trend of Ukiyo-e.After the rapid social changes called Civilization and Enlightenment of Japan and The Meiji Restoration happened in Japan, Ukiyo-e played an important role of a medium with a very broad appeal to the masses.The new art movement called "Japonisme" flourished in Europe mainly in France in the 19th Century. The movement affected several different fields of arts witch especially had a great influence on Impression for such as Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet. It is widely known that "La Mer" composed by Claude Debussy and "Big Wave" sculptured by Camille Claudel were inspired by Hokusai's famose paint called "Kanagawa Oki". OEM products also available. Please feel free to contact us if you have any requests or questions on the products.< Hard cover for iPhone>

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