I take public transit to Tofugu World Headquarters every day, and in the couple of years I’ve been commuting, I’ve seen people commit every faux pas in the book, and generally do some stupid, stupid things. I’ve watched people step in front of moving vehicles, spit on other people, and generally disregard all rules of [...]
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 their diets, avoiding eating meat entirely. As we’ve covered before, there’s even a type of vegetarian cuisine meant just for Japanese [...]
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 of Christianity at weddings. While couples still get married in traditional Shinto ceremonies, it’s the [...]
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 and yellow sticker on the front and back of the [...]
When’s the last time you walked away from a movie hungry? It’s pretty rare for me. American movies about food seem to be few and far between, and the ones that are around are usually socially-conscious documentaries that bum me out more than anything. Japanese movies about food seem to do exactly the opposite. Most [...]
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 year, and has operations overseas. The Yamaguchi is a force to be reckoned with. But more importantly, the [...]
Shinto is the indigenous faith of the Japanese people and it is as old as Japan itself. Today it remains Japan’s major religion alongside Buddhism and Christianity. Most people who have any interest in Japanese culture are aware of this, but how many people actually know the intricacies that make up Shinto and its beliefs? [...]
