Bonsai Trees

Bonsai trees are a wonderful hobby to enjoy for a lifetime. However, when most people start out, most of their bonsai trees fall sick and die within a few weeks. Bonsai trees are extremely sensitive to their conditions and the caretaker needs to learn how to properly take care of these wonderful and attractive plants. Here are a few tips to ensure that you're able to keep your tree healthy.

Archeological evidence gleaned from illustrated ceramics fragments suggests that dance has been a part of daily life for thousands of years. Many early dances, such as those of Native Americans, derived from ceremonial and ritualistic purposes. Ancient Egyptian and Indian dances often had religious purposes, while those of ancient Greece were more celebratory in nature

Geisha are the subject of much speculation from any other world outside Japan. Despite their fame the western world and even other eastern cultures do not completely understand the mystique that surrounds geisha. According to Liza Dalby, an American anthropologist who did research on geisha, the misunderstandings are probably due to the fact that there is no comparable group to them in other societies

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Communal bathing was once popular in Britain. The Romans brought it to us heathens along with things like straight roads and walls which, up until then, we English hadn't thought of. When the Romans finally headed home we decided to keep most of the infrastructure they left behind. However, the idea of fully-grown men sitting around in the bath together was just so foreign to us that "

Capsule hotels are a type of hotel popular mostly among travelers stranded for the night and those who are on a tight budget. Despite the very limited space you will be surprised at how well equipped these hotels are. Each capsule usually comes with a built in mini TV, radio, and alarm clock, plus fresh bedding of course. You can also use the hotel’s lockers, shower rooms, laundry facilities

Karaoke bars probably established their roots in the early twentieth century in Japan during the Taisho rule. “Utagoe Kissa,” or “coffee shop,” became popular with customers who tried out their singing talents backed up by music from a live band. Soon, the trend caught up with the rest of the world, and karaoke bars are now the ideal place for fun and unwinding after a hard

As opposed to the heavy silk or synthetic fabrics used to make kimono, yukata

The chances are high you’ll meet them if you go to an anime or gaming convention. People dress up as characters from a game, anime, or manga, and wow the crowd with their in-character acting and poses. And that’s when they’re off the stage. Once they’re on, they perform - through skits, song and dance.

However, cosplay isn’t limited to conventions and events.

The top government spokesman lodged a protest with the government of Myanmar for the death of a Japanese journalist, after security forces indiscriminately fired at demonstrators in Yangon.

"The Japanese government urged Myanmar not to use force to suppress the demonstration. It's tragic that a Japanese national lost his life in the incident, and we strongly protest to the Myanmar government," Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said.

The Foreign Ministry confirmed Thursday that Kenji Nagai, 50, a freelance video journalist who worked for Tokyo-based APF News, died after being shot while covering Myanmar security forces' crackdown of demonstrators in Yangon.

Myanmar's state-run TV reported that nine people including Nagai died, and 11 others were injured after security forces fired shots at demonstrators on Thursday. (Mainichi)

The Battle of Okinawa was the only battle fought on Japanese soil during World War II, and the fighting was so fierce that Okinawans nicknamed it the "Typhoon of Steel," or tetsu no bofu. Battle veterans returning to the island today recognize little of the Okinawa of 1945, as most of the buildings were leveled and much of the landscape was bombed and blasted away.

The Japanese Imperial Navy built the headquarters of its Okinawa district headquarters under a hill in Oroku, near Naha. Abandoned for decades after the war, the chambers have been opened to the public since the 1970s. Visitors can see the marks left on the walls by the pickaxes of the men who carved the commander's office, storerooms, bunk rooms, powder rooms, and medical rooms from the earthy hill. Blast marks from the mass suicide committed by Vice Admiral Minoru Ota and his men are visible as well. Some tunnels and rooms remain exactly as they were during the war and are off limits to visitors.

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Karaoke Bars

Karaoke bars probably established their roots in the early twentieth century in Japan during the Taisho rule. “Utagoe Kissa,” or “coffee shop,” became popular with customers who tried out their singing talents backed up by music from a live band. Soon, the trend caught up with the rest of the world, and karaoke bars are now the ideal place for fun and unwinding after a hardday’s work.

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It’s easy to write the market off as a tourist attraction. On any given day, there are swarms of camera-bearing outsiders swarming the alleys for deals and the perfect Okinawan omiyage (souvenir). But equally as numerous, especially when you venture into the bowels of the marketplace, are aging Okinawans who come to this machigwa (local market) buy a few fresh items (likely what they can’t grow or catch on their own) and catch up with acquaintances.

Some call Makishi "Okinawa's kitchen," a moniker that's right on the money. In this maze of covered alleys, an alert consumer can find almost anything needed to create a traditional Okinawan meal. The inner sanctum is home to a vibrant fish and meat market whose vendors politely hawk their goods to passersby. Parrotfish, octopus, squid, blowfish, shrimp, snapper, yellowfin tuna, and a dozen other varieties of seafood abound, artfully displayed on ice or in cases. Across the building are the pork vendors, who offer up every portion of the pig except the oink, say locals. You’ll find mimi (ear), intestines, feet, hocks, and even chiraga (face flesh). Shoppers are also sure to pass an entire pig head or two, the smiling carcasses likely bearing sunglasses.

Poultry and beef are available as well, though are not nearly as plentiful as pork. Vendors can also be found with wide selections of pickled vegetables, tofu, and fish cakes. Just outside are vegetable vendors, nearly all of whom grow what they sell. Goya, or bitter melon, is a common sight, as are daikon (radishes), fruits, kabocha (a gourd sort of like a pumpkin), and fresh flowers. Sata andagi (Okinawan donuts) are available in abundance, as are chinsuko (Okinawan cookies) and products made from beniimo (purple Okinawan sweet potato). Eye-catching irabu (smoked sea snake) and jars of habu sake reel in tourists to the many stalls.

Perhaps the best kept secret of Makishi is the second floor, which houses a cluster of restaurants, some of which will even cook fish purchased at the market below. Staples such as goya champuru and Okinawan soba are also available. Many of the aging, wrinkled faces here and on the first floor have been working in the market for decades.

More than 400 storefronts exist in Makishi, selling everything from sanshin and star sand to used military surplus clothing and cheap blankets. Though businesses are legitimate now, the area began as a black market alley after World War II. Slowly, as Okinawa recovered from the devastation of the Battle of Okinawa, the core of shops expanded one by one.

Today, the Makishi Public Market is an Okinawa icon, the largest market on the island. And while it may be a portal to the stomachs of Okinawans, it’s also a community lifeblood. Economically, it brings in hundreds of thousands of tourist dollars annually. But emotionally, it’s a way for residents who have long patronized the markets to continue the traditions of the Okinawa of yesteryear, to connect with a rural past that is rapidly yielding to mega tourist resorts and shopping malls. And it’s this sense of charm and island energy that keep people—tourists and locals alike—coming back.

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While Kyoto may have been spared from bombing by Allied generals during World War II due to its cultural importance

Okinawa, the southernmost prefecture of Japan, consists of 57 islands which include the Miyako and Yaeyama groups, with the main island of Okinawa as the center. The only prefecture in Japan that is truly subtropical, Okinawa is a southern paradise where colorful flowers of the subtropics bloom the year-round. The sea that surrounds these islands has an emerald-green sheen, and the resplendent

The Takayama Festival is held annually at the Hie-Jinja Shrine in Shiroyama,Takayama City is considered to be one of the most beautiful festivals is Japan. The festival is most known for its Tokeiraku parade wherein people wearing costumes and bells drum a beat for dancers who dance the shishimai lion dance. The parade of people is followed by an equally if not more spectacular sight as the yatais

If you are looking for the newest place to stay, shop and dine in Japan then check out Tokyo Midtown. Tokyo Midtown, located in Akasaka was completed just this March. It is already very popular and is especially well-known for having the tallest building in Tokyo as well as Tokyo’s newest park and the Suntory Museum.

Tokyo Midtown is as stylish as it can get and is made of six buildings

Okinawan dance can be divided into three types: classical dance, folk dance, and ethnic dance. Classical dance entered Okinawa from China during a period of flourishing trade. These types of dance were used to entertain Sapposi (Chinese diplomats), and they were even perfomed before the king. In contrast with the cheerful folk and ethnic dances performed by the common people, classical dance was