Archive - Japan Happiness

I went to an American anime convention

What I saw made me feel better about the future.

Sep 3 •

August 2024

See you in New York!

I’m doing a talk and book signing next week.

Aug 18 •

Bon odori, thirty years later

I returned to a tradition after a long absence. What I found shocked me!

Aug 7 •

July 2024

Gion Matsuri, Kyoto's biggest summer festival

I'd like to share with you what I saw in 2019!

Jul 23 •

When you wish upon two stars

Tanabata is a bittersweet story, but a fun festival. Here’s the history!

Jul 6 •

June 2024

Monsoon season is supposed to be the cool before the summer. But things are changing.

Jun 24 •

Loquats Ripen in Abundance

I created my own personal little mini-season. You can too!

Jun 12 •

Yoshiwara: Edo’s Virtual Reality

The hard truths behind the fantasy of Japan's “floating world”

Jun 1 •

May 2024

Heavenly Bugs Awaken

This micro-season is all about the fabric of daily life.

May 20 •

Happy… worm day!?

Japan’s “micro-seasons” make every week a little celebration

May 11 •

Kids, Carp, and Kites

How the Children's Day holiday reflects changes in Japanese society

May 3 •

April 2024

The art of insinuation

Dissecting a multilayered poem from "Shogun"

Apr 26 •

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