Tag Archives: shinto

Hawaii Travelogue: A Japan away from Japan [Ch.9: Izumo Shrine and Chinatown]

This article is a part of series of articles about my 2017 trip to Hawaii. Please see the table of contents that contains links to other chapters. Izumo Shrine and Chinatown Each culture has their own associated religions and belief systems, and two of Japan’s predominant ones are Buddhism and Shintoism. Because of the large… Read More »

A few interesting Japanese expressions about food

It’s pretty well known that the Japanese are very particular about food, which reflects on everything from cleanliness in restaurants, the difficult training required to become a chef in a restaurant, and of course the taste itself of the food. After all, the fifth basic taste, umami or savory, was discovered partially with the help of… Read More »

Japanese culture focus: Understanding what a “Torii” gate is and what it isn’t

When learning about a foreign culture, sometimes you experience a shift of perspective where what you thought you knew was wrong, or at least incomplete. One place this is common is where your only knowledge about a foreign culture is through the biased lens of another country (probably where you were brought up). One important… Read More »