Introduction  Christmas may not be an official public holiday in Japan, but it doesn’t stop the country from getting in on the holiday spirit and lighting cities up with winter illuminations, decorations, and of course, Christmas markets.   Christmas markets, a ye olde Christmas tradition that originated in Germany to celebrate the four weeks of Advent, have gained popularity all around the world in recent years, Japan included. In the …

Introduction  The earliest known castle built in Japan is Inuyama Castle, which dates back to 1440, located in present-day Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture.  The need for castles in Japan increased during the 15th century when the country’s central government began to weaken and Japan entered the “Warring States”, also known as the Sengoku Period, which lasted from 1467 to 1615. Up to 5,000 castles were built from this era onwards, …

Introduction  The history of astronomical observations in Japan is scattered and vague but records show that the first continuous, methodical celestial observations began during the late Edo Era in 1782 at Asakusa Observatory. Such observations were established under the direction of the Shogun with the purpose of observing the stars in order to determine longitude and latitude, calculate the calendar, and determine the time.  During the Meiji Era, an …

Introduction  In the Japanese language, there is a delightful word that describes the autumnal leaf color change (notice how in English we have to say “autumnal leaf color change” because there is no one word for this natural phenomenon) and that is Koyo.  Literally translating to “red leaves”, koyo is an intrinsic part of Japanese culture – as significant as the blooming of cherry blossoms in spring. As a …