Japanese Culture When Shoes Become Tools: The Straw Boots Used to Step on Hot Soybeans
Steam rises from freshly cooked soybeans.They are hot. Soft. Heavy.And someone must step into them.Not barefoot.Wearing ...
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Japanese Culture 
Japanese Footwear Walking on the Land: How Japanese People Made Footwear from What Grew Around Them
Modern shoes are industrial products.Rubber is synthesized, foam is engineered, leather is globally traded, and design i...
Japanese Footwear Waragutsu: Straw Boots for Snow and Survival
When Sandals Were Not EnoughIn much of Japan, straw sandals were sufficient for daily life. But in colder regions, espec...
Japanese Footwear Before Rubber: Straw Sandals in Traditional Japan — For People and Horses
Walking on Straw: Life Before Modern ShoesBefore rubber soles and leather boots became common, everyday life in Japan de...
Places & Landscapes The Silent Cathedral of Industry
Hiroshima’s Naka Incineration PlantA Gate Framed in SteelAt first glance, it does not look like a waste incineration fac...
Japanese Culture The Well of Authority: Water at the Heart of Edo-period Governance
IntroductionIn many countries, a well is simply a source of water.In Japan, however, water often carries something more ...
Japanese Culture Kanro Soy Sauce: A Traditional Taste from Yanai, Japan
Yanai is a small historic town in western Japan.It is known for its preserved streets and traditional culture.One of its...
Japanese Culture From Wood to Sake
A quiet journey through traditional sake brewing1. Wood Before Steel(Tradition before efficiency)Long before stainless s...
Japanese Culture Before Brewing Sake, We Set a Boundary
A Small Japanese Ritual Called SetsubunBefore brewing sake, there is something we do in Japan that may seem strange at f...
Japanese Culture Title: A Soul in Silk: Discovering the Haunting Beauty of Jusaburo Dolls in Japan
The Gaze That Pierces the SoulYesterday, I had a rare and breathtaking experience at theJusaburo Tsujimura Doll Museumin...