Japanese Seasons

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?

August 10, 2026

Japanese Words & Culture

Why Is a Japanese Mosquito Coil Shaped Like a Spiral?

Why are Japanese mosquito coils spiral-shaped and green? Discover the flower, the inventor, and the simple idea that changed Japan’s summer nights.

August 9, 2026

Daily Scenes

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.

August 6, 2026

Japanese Words & Culture

I Bought a New Umbrella, So Let’s Talk About Japan’s Rainy Season

Japan’s rainy season, called tsuyu, is humid and inconvenient, but it also brings green streets, quiet rain, umbrellas, rice fields, and water before summer.

July 2, 2026

Daily Scenes