Japan

PocketCultures world tour: best of 2011

Happy New Year! Our roundup of 2011 begins with a reminder that 1st January is not the beginning of a new year throughout the world. Carla wrote that Brazilians consider the year to start after February’s carnival, and Anu wrote about new year celebrations which take place at different times in different parts of India. Of course many parts of the world do celebrate the start of the New Year on January 1st, and Sandra’s post explained all about new year celebrations in Portugal.

Bolo Rei – part of the New Year celebrations in Portugal. Credit.

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Picture Postcards: Cos play girls in Tokyo, Japan

Continuing our look at things people wear around the world, here are a group of girls in the Harajuku area of Tokyo dressed up in Cos (ie. costume) play outfits. These are not usually clothes for everyday wear, but dressing up in them and heading out to certain meet-up areas is a kind of hobby in Japan. The costumes are often based on characters from anime (animated films) or manga (comic books) or even video games. Harajuku is an area famous for this at the weekends.

Read more:
Ukon Tea from Okinawa
Five Unusual Servings I’ve Encountered Living in Japan
Japan Rediscovers Healthy Food

Picture Postcards: Ukon tea from Okinawa

You might notice the special colour of this Okinawan tea in the photo sent in by our contributor, Mike. It is yellow because it contains turmeric which is said to help will all manner of ills. Since Okinawa has a large population of centenarians, there must be something to it!

Read more:
Okinawa Lunch
Shopfront in Naha, Okinawa, Japan
Five unusual servings I’ve encountered in Japan

From our contributors: week of October 25th

We continue with our bi-weekly roundup of articles written by some members of our contributors team on their personal blogs.

Sandra, our contributor from Portugal, published a series of posts where she pairs a Dutch flower with a Portuguese song. A fun and entertaining way to enjoy beautiful flowers and great music.

Jenna, our contributor from Poland, describes her backpacking journey across Poland, visiting the towns where her ancestors came from and how those places have shaped the person she is today.

“And I’m even more dumbfounded by the history of seemingly coincidental connections that shaped my family past and who I am. Each of my great-grandparents moved from these very similar places in Poland to America – alone. As far as I know, they all met and married in America. Yet, their home villages were all so much alike – places that have probably retained these similar characteristics for over a century.”

Marta, our contributor from Spain, writes about 48H Open House BCN, an event during which more than 160 buildings open their doors to the public.

“48H Open House BCN means the chance to visit more than 160 amazing buildings in Barcelona, next weekend, and completely for free. I think it’s a really interesting activity, as many of the buildings are not usually open to the public for a guided visit.”

Mike, our contributor from Japan, brings us photo essay about old staircases in Okinawa.

“On the outer islands of Okinawa, Japan there are many old caves and sacred wells. Some of them are pretty cool and they make great subjects for photography.”

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From our contributors: week of October 11
Italian food lover in California
Ethiopian art and culture

Picture Postcards: Okinawa Island life

Thanks to Mike for sending this ‘Island life’ street art which is painted on the front of a karaoke bar in Okinawa, Japan.

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From our contributors: September 13th

Here’s our bi-weekly roundup of articles written by members of out team on their personal blogs. This week we take a virtual tour of the art in some Paris churches, take part in the Moon Festival in Japan, get pushed in Hong Kong and celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi in Mumbai. Happy reading!

Anu, our contributor from India, writes about the last day of Ganesh Chartuthi, a festival devoted to the Hindu god Ganesha. Although it was raining, devotees came out ion full force to celebrate their god.

“This year, the Lord arrived amidst pouring rains, and he decided to leave amidst pouring rains too! After a couple of dry days, the heavens seem to have opened up just for Him to leave! However, the enthusiasm has not abated…” (more…)