FOOD
Samurai Cultivator: The Birth of Modern Apple Cultivation in Japan
Apples, such as the delectable fuji, are ubiquitous in Japan. Yet cultivation of the fruit began relatively recently - during the waning…
Edo era
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FOOD
FOOD
A Forgotten Samurai Energy Drink
Hundreds of years before Red Bull, the samurai of the house of Date were drinking a powdered concoction said to replenish a…
HISTORY
A Forgotten Tohoku “Tree War” and an Enduring Rivalry
To this day, a rivalry exists between the northern Japanese prefectures of Aomori and Iwate. And its source? A bunch of trees.
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
Japanese Writing: Pronunciation Shifts in the Edo Period
How Japanese writing and Japanese written speech differed in the Edo period - and how pronunciation came closer to what's spoken today.
HISTORY
Stranded: Edo Era Castaways in the Russian Empire
In the Edo era, when setting foot on foreign soil was punishable by death, 16 castaways risked it all in an epic…
WOMEN
The Feminist Movement in Japan: Meiji to World War II
Learn about the early history of the feminist movement in Japan, and how women went from being "daughters in boxes" to earning…
CULTURE
Ukiyo-e: The Floating World of Edo Japan
From beautiful bijinga to scandalous shunga, a history of the evolution of Ukiyo-e, and how it changed the world of Edo Period…
CULTURE
Japan’s Disappearing Home Buddhist Altars
They're still a staple in movies and anime. But in reality, 60% of Japanese homes lack an ancestral altar. What's driving the…