Japanese Words & Culture

Japanese Words & Culture

Obon Is Not a National Holiday—So Why Does Japan Shut Down?

Obon is not a national holiday in Japan, yet trains fill up, highways clog, offices quiet down, and families head home. Why does an unofficial holiday have so much power?
Japanese Words & Culture

Cucumber Horses and Eggplant Cows: The Vegetable Animals of Japan’s Obon

Every summer, ordinary cucumbers and eggplants become small animals that carry ancestral spirits home. Discover the quiet meaning behind Japan’s Obon tradition.
Japanese Words & Culture

The Domains That Won Japan’s Revolution—and Then Disappeared

Meiji Japan was centralized by samurai from powerful domains who overthrew the shogunate—then abolished the very domains that had made their victory possible.
Japanese Words & Culture

Anpanman: The Global-Scale Japanese Hero Who Barely Went Global

Anpanman is little known across much of the world, yet his Japan-centered ecosystem rivals the largest media franchises. His unusual strength begins with a hero who gives away his own face.