Quiz: How well do you know basic Japanese?

Marie Kondo is a Japanese organizing consultant, author, and television host. She is best known for the KonMari Method, which encourages people to keep only the things that “spark joy.”

Japan may be super famous for anime, ninja, and ramen, but it’s also a profoundly spiritual and religious country. In fact, its relationship to Buddhism dates back centuries. Of all the shrines and religious sites to visit, look no further than the Magaibutsu in Oita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu!

Japanese romance movies and TV shows often focus on realistic emotions rather than exaggerated drama or fantasy. Instead of fast-moving plots, these stories usually develop slowly and emphasize everyday experiences that feel familiar to viewers.

It’s January 2026, and the year of the horse has begun. In the Chinese Zodiac, the horse is the seventh of twelve signs.. For a particularly wily and rascally horse in Kawasaki, it meant that it was high time to hightail it out of Meiji University on the morning of Monday, the 5th.

White Day in Japan is like a sequel to Valentine’s Day, but with its own rules, history, and sweets. Celebrated every year on March 14, it is the day when people who received gifts on February 14 give something back, most often men returning chocolate and presents to women who spoiled them a month before.

February 14th is widely celebrated in Japan as Valentine’s Day, a holiday associated with chocolate and gift-giving. Unlike many countries, Japan developed its own rules for celebrating Valentine’s Day.