Me Time Guide

Buddhist practices, such as mindfulness and mindful eating, are spreading more and more as a part of changes in one’s lifestyle in western countries. There are many Buddhists in Asia, as well as many curious people outside of Japan who say that Japanese people appear to be Atheists. However, many Japanese are just simply not religious even though they were born to Shinto rites, married with Shinto or Christian rites, and buried with Buddhist rites. They habitually go to shrines and temples to pray to gods and Buddha during New Year’s and during other traditional religious events. Regardless, many Japanese people never think about what they believe in and what …

In Japanese ancient times, it was believed that epidemics were caused by invisible beings such as “plague deities”. The imagined pestilence deities looked like demons or yokai (妖怪, Japanese monsters) and would haunt people or enter their homes to make them sick. To avoid contracting the plague, it is necessary to drive away these plague deities and ultimately keep them away completely, so a variety of charms, banners, curses, and rituals were established for this purpose.  During the Edo period (1600-1868), there were many books, novels, ukiyo-e woodblock prints, and Kyoka poems (狂歌, which contain social satire, irony, and humor) written on the theme of epidemics. This fact shows that …

Around the world, there are many unique traditional lucky charms sacred to our hearts. There’s no proof or evidence of the talismans’ power, but we appreciate those things that protect us and bring happiness. The cultural symbols enchant us and are always picked up as souvenirs when we travel to Japan. Many Japanese lucky charms were created during the Edo period(1603-1868). They are still in production and made by hand. It is always nice to have your favorite lucky charm as we are living through very uncertain times. Featured images above, from Left to right, Miharukoma (horses), store name Deco yashiki daikokuya, Fukushima prefecture. Shishi-odori (The lion dance), Odajima mingeikan, …

The half-fish, half-human creature known as Amabie began appearing on social media in Japan last year and went viral. Many Japanese cartoonists have adapted the creature in their own styles, sharing the images to spread hope and positivity amid the face of the coronavirus. Many people say that Japanese people have no religious affiliation, but since ancient times, we have deep-rooted beliefs in folklore. There are a numerous variety of lucky charms all over the country, which create sources of comfort, inspiration, and motivation. In 1822 during the Edo period (1603-1868), there was a cholera epidemic in Osaka. During that time a medicine merchant in the town of Shudo handed out pills …