Japan (Yamato) people and Ainu people have a sister relationship
I think it is difficult to consider ethnic groups to be the same anthropologically. People living in mainland Japan and Okinawa Islands are similar but have some differences, though they are surely very close to each other. The Ainu people,…
An insect specimen collected in 26th Century?
Looking at ancient insect specimens, I saw a label collected in the 26th century. This is a calendar year unique to Japan. The current emperor is the 126th generation, and the year when the first emperor came to the throne…
Osaka is older than Kyoto in the history of the cities
The Kansai region of Japan has ancient cities such as Kyoto and Nara, where are ancient temples and shrines suitable for sightseeing. There are many misunderstandings by foreigners and even local people, but the history of these cities is newer…
Ginkgo (1)
In Japan, this tree is often planted anywhere including urban parks. The tree of Tokyo is this. We can see a similar design at the Metropolitan traffic. I used to think it was a ginkgo leaf. But I heard that…
A strange needle-leaf tree, nagi
Trees can usually be divided into broad-leaf and needle-leaf. The tree in this photo looks like a broad-leaf , but it is actually a needle-leaf. Broad-leaf trees usually have a leaf with a central vein, but this leaf does not. Nagi, the scientific…
Does happiness mean either that your wishes come true or that you give up your wishes?
Previously, I mentioned that Shinto shrines and Buddhism temples look very similar at first glance. However, they essentially seem to be the exact opposite. Since ancient times in Japan, people thought that when a drought or disaster occurred, it was…
Origin of the place name of Osaka
The place name of Osaka, which is the second largest city in Japan, is not derived from the Chinese words, but is surely based on a name unique to Japan. This is unlike the cases of Tokyo and Kyoto. The…
Meaning of Japanese place names
From a global perspective, the origin of place names varies and is often unknown. Washington DC in the United States is based on G. Washington, the first president of the United States, but the origin of the place names are…
Why don’t you experience the ancient forest in Nara
The power of human development is enormous and has had a negative impact on the natural environment throughout the world. In Japan, people originally lived hunting in the forest, then thousands of years ago they settled down and began cultivating…
Japanese people think that everyone becomes God after death by no means
The Shinto religious facilities called shrines (jinja) worship God. God is usually the person who died. Originally, the shrines that have continued since ancient times enshrine the ancestors of the local people. People in the old days thought that the…
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