I’ve retold this story many a time for friends and family alike, but I’ve never written about it here, which feels like a glaring flaw on this blog. This is because, as it was my first experience in Japan, I would say that even though it wasn’t when I moved to Japan, it is certainly important enough to document (at least in my mind anyway). So what happened? How did I get there anyway? And what made it my first night so memorable? To tell the whole story, we have to start back in 2012.
My first time going to a Kabuki (歌舞伎) show and the significant reunion was in 2015. I stood in a striped black and white shirt and a black vest finished with a black skirt in the Ginza (銀座) district in Tokyo (東京) in front of the theater, Kabuki-za (歌舞伎座), holding onto the strap of my purse and my phone waiting nervously, hoping I’d be easy to spot. My eyes darted around, trying to find someone I knew in a sea of faces.
A long time ago, I was a gaijin (外人), or foreigner there. I was fresh off the boat in Japan with a tiny studio apartment. I didn’t even have a phone at the time. None the less, I was determined to experience EVERYTHING I could in this country. And I learned early on to ALWAYS GO FOR IT when in the land of the rising sun. Trust me, it’s worth the risk. 😉
Today, we’re diving into one of my past travels in the land of the Rising Sun back in May of 2018 to the island of Okunoshima (大久野島), better known as “Usagishima” (うさぎ島) or the Bunny Island!
I am very excited about this month’s Featured Artist because today, we’re diving back into the world of talented Seiyu (声優 ), or Japanese Voice Actors, to spotlight Daisuke Ono (小野 大輔)!
Today’s post is about one of my recent adventures in Japan in the beautiful city of Hiroshima (広島). I never got the chance to go to Hiroshima while living in Japan. So in May when I went back, I made sure to add it to my list of places to visit.
“So what is there to do in Tokyo?” Today, we’ll be focusing on places related to a reason that perhaps makes Japan a mecca land for millions of people around the world: Anime and Manga. Here are the top Tokyo spots for the anime fan!
Today, I’m sharing with you all my experience at Itsukushima (厳島), more popularly referred to as “Miyajima” (宮島) or “Shrine Island”, located southwest of the city of Hiroshima (広島). As one of the “Nihon Sankei” (日本三景), or “Three Views of Japan” coined by the scholar Hayashi Gaho (1618-1688), scholars consider it one of the most scenic and beautiful sites in all of Japan… and that’s an understatement!
Today is indeed a unique day in the history of the world, more specifically in the country of Japan. Yesterday marked the end of a literal era, the Heisei Era (meaning “peace everywhere”), of Japan. Now with the Crown Prince’s ascension comes the beginning of a new era, known to the world as the Reiwa Era (令和) with a translated meaning of most closely the phrase “beautiful harmony”.
