Back in the Edo period of Japan (between 1603 and 1868), an artist had a genius and hilarious idea: a Fart Battle. The scroll depicts a flatulent fight between, uh, “warriors”. We are not talking your average after dinner gas. No, this is the gas of the gods! Mighty men who can fart down walls…
Category: Japanese Art
Dekotora
Americans like to pimp out their muscle cars with rims, LEDs, exotic paint jobs, and more. The Japanese like to decorate their…semis. Of course they do it in Japanese obsessive-off-the-kappa style. These decorated trucks or dekotora look like Las Vegas on 8 wheels. Workers actually use these Art Trucks (atotrakku as they are also known)…
Shinto
Shinto is the native spiritual system of Japan that we see in various anime and other shows. Also known as kami-no-michi, Shinto is associated with shrines dedicated to various purposes such as war memorials, harvest festivals, love, and others. This article gives a quick overview of Shinto. Many Japanese practice Shinto rituals and also practice…
Jiro Dreams of Sushi
Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a documentary about an 85 year old living Japanese treasure, Jiro Ono. Jiro elevates sushi into an art. Yet despite his accomplishments he still strives for perfection. His sushi restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro, has a Michelin Guide 3 star rating. The best there is.The restaurant is also the first of its…
History of Ramen
Ramen is considered one of the icons of Japanese culture, but it is actually from China. Ramen appeared in Japan in 1910 when some Chinese cooks in Tokyo made their noodles with kansui, a sodium-carbonate mineral water. It made the noodles yellow and elastic; the ramen noodles we know. The dish was originally called shina…