Tokyo has more restaurants than any other city in the world, and that’s precisely what makes the choice difficult when you only have a few days in town. Instead of aiming for the most prestigious and expensive addresses, this selection favors the places where Tokyoites themselves eat daily: lively izakayas, legendary ramen counters, and a few popular institutions that are well worth the detour without breaking the travel budget. How to choose where to eat in Tokyo With tens of thousands of addresses spread across the city, it’s easy to feel lost in the Tokyo culinary scene. This selection has been designed to cover several styles of experience, from ramen counters to popular izakayas, consistently favoring accessible addresses known for...
Set on two wooden teeth and tied with a simple strap between the toes, the geta is one of the most recognizable and oldest shoes in Japan. Long worn by all classes of Japanese society, from peasants to courtesans, they continue today to accompany summer yukata and festival outfits, while sparking renewed interest in the benefits attributed to them for posture and gait. Here’s everything you need to know before trying them out. What is a geta? Everything you need to know about the famous Japanese sandal The geta (下駄) is a traditional Japanese wooden sandal, characterized by a flat sole elevated by two perpendicular teeth called ha, and held to the foot by a fabric strap called hanao that...
They are almost systematically confused in the West. However, the Japanese dragon and the Chinese dragon are two distinct mythological creatures, each with its own history, symbolism, and even precise physical differences that Japanese artists have always taken care to respect. Understanding what separates the Japanese dragon, called Ryu, from its Chinese cousin is to enter a rich mythology that has shaped much of Japan's art and spirituality. The Ryu: What is the Japanese dragon? The Japanese dragon, called Ryu (龍) or sometimes Tatsu, is a mythological creature present in Japanese culture for centuries, originally inherited from Chinese mythology but profoundly transformed by the contact with indigenous Japanese beliefs, particularly Shinto. This dual influence, Chinese in its origin and Japanese...
The image of the samurai that dominates the collective imagination is almost always masculine: a man in armor, sword in hand, embodying strength and warrior loyalty. However, feudal Japan had women who fought, led troops, and defended castles with the same determination as their male counterparts. These warriors, called onna-musha, are neither a legend nor an isolated exception, but a documented historical reality that traditional narratives have long relegated to the background. Onna-Musha: Who Were These Warrior Women Really? The term onna-musha (女武者) literally translates to "woman warrior." Contrary to popular belief, it does not refer to a marginal or exceptional category of feudal Japanese society, but a well-integrated reality within the class of bushi, the warrior nobility from which...
Over 1,200 kilometers, 88 Buddhist temples, four prefectures, and sometimes several months of walking: the Shikoku pilgrimage is one of the longest and most demanding spiritual routes in Japan. Less known in the West than the Camino de Santiago, to which it is often compared, it attracts thousands of Japanese and foreign walkers each year, believers or simply curious, seeking something on this southern island of Japan that neither religion nor tourism can fully explain. Here’s what you need to know about this ancient path. Everything you need to know about the Shikoku pilgrimage The Shikoku pilgrimage, called Shikoku Henro (四国遍路) in Japanese, connects 88 temples spread across the island of Shikoku, the smallest of Japan's four main islands. Its...
