Japanese Tradition

Vintage Japanese wooden kokeshi dolls
What are kokeshi?
Kokeshi are wooden peg-style dolls. They are handmade from cherry or dogwood and painted with a simple facial design and a floral design on the body to represent robes. Once painted, they are sealed with a layer of lacquer or wax to protect the designs. Though the originals were intended as children's toys, they are a popular collectible item. New kokeshi art dolls are constantly being designed and produced for collectors to enjoy.

Maneki neko -- Japanese beckoning lucky cat
What is a maneki neko?
The maneki neko (aka "lucky cat", "welcoming cat", "beckoning cat") is believed to be a symbol of good fortune. They are placed at the entrances of dwellings and businesses in Japan for this express purpose. The statue is always placed such that it faces the door to greet those who enter. A traditional maneki neko statue is made from ceramic, though nowadays there are cheap ones made from papier mache, wood, even polyresin.

Learn Japanese language writing systems
Learn to write in Japanese
If you're looking to learn how to write in Japanese, this is the right place! Here you can learn about the different systems for writing in Japanese. There are also a number of excellent Japanese-English dictionaries and translator recommendations here for your further study of the Japanese language. Japanese is a very elegant language to learn once you are familiar with how to read and write in Japanese.

Traditional Japanese cotton yukata for summer festivals
What are yukata?
A yukata is traditional summer wear in Japan. It is a lightweight cotton robe-like garment with straight seams and wide sleeves. They are casual-wear garments for use at hot springs and summer festivals fastened with a simple obi tied at the back. Yukata are normally worn with geta (wooden footwear); tabi are not normally worn. Traditional yukata are simple blue and white fabrics, but nowadays any colour or pattern goes. Bright fabrics are customary for younger people, while older people wil...

Murasaki's Japanese lensography
Who is Murasaki?
Hey! I'm a researcher who loves Japanese culture. Manga, anime, art, food, you name it, I'm interested in it! I just love everything and anything about Japan and I'm happy to share it with you through my articles below.

Japanese Volks Super Dollfie ball-jointed dolls
Super Dollfie: Doll, figure, and companion
Super Dollfies are resin ball-jointed dolls designed and cast by Volks of Japan. The first Super Dollfie was created in 1998, based on the structure of antique French and German fashion dolls. The ball-jointed structure of the bodies allows for tremendous posability. The dolls are designed to be customized; wigs and eyes can be changed, and default paint can be removed and redone.