The Smile From Japan Journal
The Art of Matcha: Why a Traditional Tea Set Ma...
A Brief History of Matcha Matcha's story begins over 800 years ago, when Zen Buddhist monks brought powdered green tea from China to Japan as part of their meditation practice....
The Art of Matcha: Why a Traditional Tea Set Ma...
A Brief History of Matcha Matcha's story begins over 800 years ago, when Zen Buddhist monks brought powdered green tea from China to Japan as part of their meditation practice....
September in Japan — From Lingering Summer Heat...
Even as September begins, Japan often still experiences intense heat, known as "zansho," or lingering summer warmth. Yet the breeze in the mornings and evenings starts to carry a...
September in Japan — From Lingering Summer Heat...
Even as September begins, Japan often still experiences intense heat, known as "zansho," or lingering summer warmth. Yet the breeze in the mornings and evenings starts to carry a...
Japanese Family Crests of 9 Legendary Samurai W...
Warlords, Ninjas & the Crests They Left Behind: A (Slightly Biased) Guide to Sengoku Japan Japan's Sengoku period — the "Age of Warring States" — produced some of the most...
Japanese Family Crests of 9 Legendary Samurai W...
Warlords, Ninjas & the Crests They Left Behind: A (Slightly Biased) Guide to Sengoku Japan Japan's Sengoku period — the "Age of Warring States" — produced some of the most...
Spirits, Ghosts & Yokai: The Creatures of Japan...
August 2026 In Japan, summer is the season of the supernatural. When the heat rises and the cicadas scream and the nights grow thick and still, something else stirs too....
Spirits, Ghosts & Yokai: The Creatures of Japan...
August 2026 In Japan, summer is the season of the supernatural. When the heat rises and the cicadas scream and the nights grow thick and still, something else stirs too....
Obon: Japan's Festival of the Dead and the Ance...
August 2026 Once a year, the spirits come home. In mid-August, across every corner of Japan, families light small fires at their doorsteps, hang paper lanterns over still water, and...
Obon: Japan's Festival of the Dead and the Ance...
August 2026 Once a year, the spirits come home. In mid-August, across every corner of Japan, families light small fires at their doorsteps, hang paper lanterns over still water, and...
Tanabata: Japan's Star Festival and the Wishes ...
July 2026 There is a night in early July when Japan looks up. Bamboo branches appear outside homes, shopping arcades, and train stations, hung with strips of colourful paper swaying...
Tanabata: Japan's Star Festival and the Wishes ...
July 2026 There is a night in early July when Japan looks up. Bamboo branches appear outside homes, shopping arcades, and train stations, hung with strips of colourful paper swaying...