The Japanese tea ceremony or Sado is an ancient Buddhist-influenced ritual steeped in tradition, which is enjoyed today as a fairly popular hobby by Japanese interested in learning about and preserving their culture. Drinking tea in Japan traces its roots back to China, from where tea was originally imported and, over the course of several…

The words are from a haiku by Matsuo Basho, evoking the multi-layered complexity of Nara, a city the Japanese have great affection for. In the sixth century Japan dipped its toes into the great flood of Chinese culture, when Buddhism first appeared; by the eighth century, it was swimming in it. Shinto, with its view…

At the definitive clang of the referee bell, two sweat drenched fighters, clad in somewhat offbeat pink shorts rise from their opposing benches and circle each other in a manner that looks somewhat like an animalistic display of attack and fleeing behavior in a territorial battle between wild cats. Rising and falling in tension, their…

Rally racing has always enjoyed popularity in Japan and with the World Rally Championships returning to Japan for the fifth time, that trend is not likely to end anytime soon. Raced for the last three years in and around Obihiro, the race moves closer to Sapporo this year and will feature narrow forest roads with…

Occasionally something happens in the art world that is so truly fresh and ground breaking that it creates something of a revolution. When “girl photographer” Hiromix burst onto the scene in the 90s, her unpretentious, natural documentary-style snap shots had a charm and simplicity that immediately mesmerized Japan. Her fans ranged from young Japanese girls…

If you tried to count on one hand the number of internationally acclaimed Japanese visual artists who have penetrated today’s upper patina of mainstream Western tastes, you probably wouldn’t even need all your culturally astute digits. What is certain is that your list would almost certainly begin with Tokyo native Takashi Murakami. Born in 1962,…

After taking over the reins of the Japanese National Rugby Union Team in January 2007, Head Coach John Kirwan declared that he wanted his players to play with so-called “Samurai Spirit” and become the “world’s fittest team.” Since setting those lofty goals, the team has played in two major tournaments; the Rugby World Cup in…

Kendo, which is translated as the “way of the sword” is a Japanese martial art that is very physically demanding, fast-paced and exciting to watch. Kendo has developed from traditional techniques known as kenjutsu and is one of the modern Japanese martial arts and although it may appear similar to fencing, kendo differs significantly as…

In 1965, the Dutch anthropologist Cornelius Ouwehand and his wife Shizuko, sailed to the remote Okinawan island of Hateruma to undertake research. The series of monochrome images they took of daily life, work and ritual on the island were eventually published under the simple title, ‘Hateruma.’ Their journey to the island in a small craft…

Toby, a likeably taciturn Londoner, is the translator for our interview with Nigo. He tells me I don’t need to take my shoes off when I enter the fashion impresario’s monolithic Setagaya atelier. Being quite soundly institutionalized into this Japanese habit, it feels quite counter-intuitive to leave them on. It just feels wrong wearing shoes…