Your Doorway to Japan

“Cool Traditions” Stay in Tune with Modern Life

Traditional art forms and aesthetics can be infused with new creativity as they are passed along from generation to generation. This series looks at some of these “cool traditions” that remain relevant by perfectly suiting contemporary sensibilities.

LATEST
Under the Eye of the Snake: Beautiful, Durable Umbrellas Made of Mino “Washi”CULTURE | Jan 26, 2018
Nishijima “Washi”: Transforming Old Fibers into Specialty Art PaperCULTURE | Jan 15, 2018
Best Face Forward: The Magic of Japanese CarpentryCULTURE | Jan 5, 2018
The World of “Washi”: Paper that Lasts a Thousand YearsCULTURE | Jan 3, 2018
Japan’s Most Famous Dog Breed: The Akita-inuCULTURE | Jan 1, 2018
Karl Bengs: Keeping Memories AliveCULTURE | Dec 11, 2017
A Homecoming of the Heart: Shakuhachi Player Bruce HuebnerCULTURE | Dec 6, 2017
A Trip to Ninja Country: Three Museums Dedicated to the Master SpiesCULTURE | Sep 20, 2017
Beyond Fiction: The Real NinjaCULTURE | Sep 20, 2017
Ōkura Shōnosuke: Innovating with TraditionCULTURE | Sep 15, 2017
Ties of Tradition: Ceramic Artist Katō Takuo’s Campaign to Restore Persian Lusterware to IranINSIGHT | Sep 7, 2017
Teaching the Ways of the Samurai: An Interview with Ogasawara KiyomotoCULTURE | Aug 31, 2017
Beyond the Great Wave: Hokusai’s “Deep Old Age” at the British MuseumCULTURE | Aug 2, 2017
The Sash Tying Japan to the West Bank: Palestinian Embroidery Inspires a Cultural EntrepreneurCULTURE | Jul 20, 2017
Mikimoto Kōkichi: The Pearl King and His MuseumCULTURE | Jul 17, 2017
A Peek into the Pearl Culture of Mie PrefectureINSIGHT | Jul 11, 2017
Keeping the “Ama” Tradition Alive in the Seas of MieINSIGHT | Jun 27, 2017
Nishioka Fumio: An Armorer Bringing National Treasures Back to LifeCULTURE | Jun 19, 2017