Japan and vegetarianism have kind of a strange relationship. Buddhism is deeply intertwined with Japan culture and, with it, the respect for all life. The most devout Buddhists observe this reverence towards life in … [Read more...]
Religion in Japan sometimes seems like a big spiritual buffet. At different times in your life, you get your choice of different religions; a bit of Shinto here, a dash of Buddhism there. More and more, you'll see a pinch … [Read more...]
When the Tofugu team was in Japan earlier this year, we were very lucky to have the Gakuranman drive us around to places that might be hard to get to otherwise. We rented a car, and I was a little confused by a big, green … [Read more...]
Last time I wrote about the beginnings of Japanese baseball. That's where it all started, and what an interesting story it was. Now I want to talk about the post-war years, when Japanese baseball really started to become … [Read more...]
While the Tofugu team was in Japan, we were hanging out with some graduates of Kyoto University, one of Japan's finest schools. We asked them about their alma mater, and they showed us a YouTube video of Kyodai's … [Read more...]
The Yamaguchi family, based out of Kobe, is the largest yakuza family in Japan, and one of the most powerful organized crime syndicates in the world. The family boasts about 39,000 members, makes billions of dollars every … [Read more...]