Culture
6 articles
A month-by-month guide to Japan's seasons and festivals: New Year shrine visits, cherry blossom viewing, Golden Week, summer matsuri and Obon, fireworks and autumn leaves, with official dates and simple festival manners.
How to use a Japanese hot spring (onsen) or public bathhouse (sento) step by step: what to bring, washing before you enter, towels, safety, tattoo policies and the official guidance, and Tokyo's sento price.
A practical guide to Japanese gift customs: omiyage souvenirs for co-workers, gifts when you visit someone's home, seasonal gifts, wrapping, giving and receiving, and gifts that fit halal or vegetarian diets.
How Japan celebrates the New Year: year-end cleaning, toshikoshi soba, temple bells, the first shrine visit, osechi food, New Year cards and gifts, plus which offices, banks and services close and when.
What to expect at a Japanese workplace: seniority and hierarchy, the basics of keigo (polite language), meetings and decisions, reporting, working hours and overtime limits under the law, paid leave, and leaving on time.
Practical advice for Muslims living and working in Japan: your legal rights, asking for prayer time at work, Ramadan and Eid, finding mosques and halal food, drinking parties, onsen, and respectful conversations with colleagues.
