What comes to you when you hear the word “kawaii”? Perhaps some of you imagine Japanese “kawaii culture” which has been popular around the world in recent years. In 2009, Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced “pop culture diplomacy” and in 2011, Japanese Ministry of Economy declared “cool Japan strategy”. These two policies included the […]
Hello Halloween!; Things we should know before going to parties
Have you ever wondered what Halloween is? Why do we wear costumes? Why can we get candies in exchange of not doing trick? Do we actually celebrate anything by children dressing up in costumes of their favorite superheroes and princess or adorable little monsters and going house to house to get candies? Halloween is originated with the ancient […]
A Hike into a world of Haiku
The ancient pond A frog leaps in The sound of the water. – Matsuo Basho (Translated by Donald Keene) Have you ever heard about Haiku, which is the shortest poem in the world? It is a type of Japanese poem, originated in 17th century. Japanese people have been enjoying and loving it, for more than 400 years, […]