Here and There Japan

Frane Lessac is an author and illustrator. She has illustrated books with other authors including her husband Mark Greenwood. They came t...

They are tearing up the street along the curb in my neighborhood. I was getting worried about the azaleas. In some places it looks like th...

Great-grandfather's ume bonsai are blooming. He has been gone for 17 years but his trees still bloom.

Our daphne hasn't bloomed yet.

Big Sister and Little Brother and Papa have strongly suggested in the past not to take pictures of people on the street because of privacy ...

Fresh from the grocery store or freeze-dried and packaged, these seven herbs are eaten on the 7th of January. Usually on top of rice in ok...

Aunt brought us this mochi from the grocery store. Inside, there is potato paste (sweetened mashed potatoes) that was dyed pink. It is supp...

Atsuki beans can be bought dried or canned. They are used in a rice dish eaten on special occasions, sekihan , and to fill glutinous rice ...

Check this post about the dreams of the second day of the year.

Mt. Fuji had a big cloud stuck to it at sunset last evening. We have clear skies this morning in our piece of Tokyo sky. (This is not at su...

We had our New Year's eve meal, osechi, from 6:30 tonight. We always eat downstairs on New Year's eve with the whole family. This ...

Click to enlarge the photos.

Yesterday, Baba asked us to buy one of these. We ended up with three. I bought one for us upstairs and she had asked Aunt to buy one, too. ...

Garbage is now treasure. This kind at least. Akinori Ito created a machine that turns plastic back into oil. Click here to see this vid...

Check this post from 2006.

In 2012, Big Sister will dress up in a kimono for Coming-of-Age Day. Check Kids Web Japan and the labels below for more information about...

I can't say that Christmas decorations are everywhere. But some products change their packaging seasonally. Like these chocolate chip c...

We were supposed to be able to see the eclipse here in the evening. It was cloudy and rainy where we live, so there was no moon viewing for ...

Frost on broccoli leaves.