Two Japanese girls in 1905, hand coloured photograph, S. N. Banshiudo

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NYLON JAPAN

It was customary for a tayuu (Japanese courtesan) to have two kamuro (child attendants) of about the same age and size, with names that matched in concept and sound, taking their cue from the name of their ane-jōro (elder sister courtesan).

Culture exposure

19th century portrait of an unknown man, by an unknown photographer, Japan

Tropea, Calabria, Southern Italy.

Discover a collection of images and information on the amazing aesthetics of the indigenous people of Japan, the Ainu people.

3/25/2014 Japan Trip

Kyoto, Japan. by Andreas Hofmann on 500px

Wer vorsichtig die Modetrends für diesen Sommer verfolgt, muss doch gemerkt haben, dass viele Japanmotive bei den neusten Outfits verwendet werden. Sie sind

Choosing where to stay in Kyoto can be tricky as there are so many great hotels & guesthouses. Read our post to help you decide where to stay.

Vintage & antique kimonos from Japan.

Hi ! My name is ASAKO MIYAMOTO. Welcome to Hokkaido, and the "good old days" of Japan ! Hey, isn't ASAKO a "Japanese" name ? Yup, under the cultural and administrative pressures of the occupying Japanese, we Ainu in the North (just like the Okinawans in the South), we have been encouraged by the Government to dump our "embarrassing" old native names in favor of "civilized" Japanese names. After all, we won't officially exist or be recognized by the Government as an indigenous people apart from the Japanese until many years from now....in the year 2008. Until then, we will just go with the flow. * The modern-day, 21st Century Japanese will sometimes tell you that the AINU and OKINAWANS are not true Japanese. You may then ask the Japanese if these prior and older occupants of Japan, if not true Japanese, are exempt from paying JAPANESE INCOME TAX. The Japanese will then answer that, on second thought, the Ainu and Okinawan ARE Japanese after all, and they better pay up --- at least from Feb 15th to March 15th (Tax-Time in Japan) ~ ! After tax time is over, the Okinawans and Ainu revert to being "not really Japanese" * Is "Japanese" a "race" ? Is it a nationality ? Is it both ? For example : Is a blond-haired, blue-eyed Hollander who obtains Japanese citizenship now "Japanese" ? Every Japanese Government Official I've ever talked to on the subject (and that's quite a few) have repeatedly all told me the same thing : "Such a Hollander would NOT be Japanese. He would be a FOREIGNER with Japanese CITIZENSHIP". But, if you push further and ask the same thing about the ethnic, indigenous AINU and OKINAWANS, they will squirm, sweat, and suck air through their teeth like a bargain-store vacuum cleaner, all while tossing out a variety of "politically correct" answers that are harder to grab than a bar of wet soap on a water slide in a middle of a typhoon. * This pretty Ainu girl seems to know that she is pretty, and that every red-blooded, full-bearded, bear-hunting man in the whole village is probably after her. I have no doubt she's going to get EXACTLY what she wants. I can see it in her eyes. And speaking of her eyes, one wonders of she is really a Japanese model or an actress dressed like an Ainu. And that brings up the subject of "intermarriage" and "assimilation".... The "pure" Ainu were more of a hairy Caucasian type than a smooth-skinned Mongoloid Japanese type. However, the word "pure" is a hard thing to define after a millennial of gradual interaction on the fringes of these neighboring cultures.By the time of this 1900-1920 photo, a steady stream of Japanese "immigrants" had already begun diluting the pure strains that remained in Hokkaido, and "Japanese" body and facial features were becoming the norm in many places -- especially closer to the larger ports and cities. A few photographers specifically sought out more "pure" pockets of Ainu that remained in order to document what they could. Photographer H.G. Ponting, while in love with the country of Japan, was openly disgusted with the Japanese Government's treatment of the Ainu in these regions of as yet un-assimilated "last hold outs". See: www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2344269135/ and notice "un-Japanese" faces -- except for the Ainu woman on the left who shows a very "Mongoloid" profile. Recently, a similar (though not as drastic) dilution of local ethnic and cultural characteristics has also taken place on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa during the years since WW2 --- more in the urban business spaces and areas around the US Military bases --- due more to the influx of Japanese from the Mainland than from intermarriage with the local US Military population who chose top remain on the island. In any case, the girl in the pic is a pretty one, and looks smart as a whip. See other sad and illuminating commentary at this link, and specially read the two paragraphs under "HISTORY". en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ainu_people Note that until the year 2008, the Japanese Government refused to acknowledge the Ainu's existence as a real indigenous people within Japan, often stating things like "no ethnic minorities exist in Japan" --- one of many typical government attitudes that Okinawa Soba, his wife, and three children lived under for 45 years. As we approach the year 2019, the Japanese bureaucracy still "officially refuses" to acknowledge that the over 1,000,000 ethnic Okinawans in the South --- along with their unique culture and languages --- constitute an ethnic entity, just as the Ainu remnants do in the North. Instead, the Japanese continue their inane proclamations that basically say the Okinawans are a special manifestation of the pure, homogeneous "Yamato Race" of Japan --- and must sacrifice their land, culture, and completely different local languages for the benefit of the greater good and protection of their "true Japanese" mainland neighbors to the north.

Anime has been with us for a while, as well as its fans. Though it originated in Japan, this style of animation now has admirers all over the world. Yet, specifically, artists from Japan continue to surprise us with their creativity involving this art style.

If you’re a lover of coffee drinks with milk, then it’s safe to assume that at some point you’ve been handed a cup, looked at the formation made by the combination of coffee and milk and thought to yourself, “how did they do that?” Here are a few facts about latte art that just might make you respect that cup even more. Recently I had my own chance to try my hand at doing latte art. Let’s put it this way: it’s not at all easy.

pronunciation | nats-ka-‘shE (nahtzkah-SHEE) Japanese | 懐かしい tip | The final pronunciation doesn’t really have an “oo” sound in it.

Blossom time in Tokyo. Japonisme-style woodcut by Helen Hyde showing mothers and children drinking tea and eating among cherry blossoms. Copyrighted 8 October 1914. From the Fine Prints Collection at the U.S. Library of Congress More Japonisme | More fine prints [PD] This picture is in the public domain.

Better know how to grow some rice with this land.

The Ainu, also known as Aynu, are an indigenous people of Japan and Eastern Russia. According to recent research, the Ainu people originated from a merger

Located : Yasaka Shrine, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto. July 24, 2011.

In the 70s, Japan was terrorized by sukeban gangs of teenage girls who carried razor blades underneath their school skirts. Unsurprisingly, it inspired a whole generation of filmmakers and teen rebels.

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Wander off the beaten path & avoid crowds with these Kyoto hidden gems. Make your visit unique & rewarding - one is hiding in plain sight!

Did you know that the official flower of Yokohama City in Japan is the rose? The connection between Yokohama and roses is quite old; it is said that roses

Are you travelling solo to Kumamoto? Learn about all the best things to do in Kumamoto in one day by following my Kumamoto itinerary for a solo traveller.