The Grim Reaper is probably the most widely known persona of death in Western cultures. Most typically depicted as a scythe wielding skeleton garbed in black robes, this fearsome figure harvests the souls of the dead, escorting them to the other side to await judgment and their eternal fate. While this symbol of death has…
Tag: japanese culture
Emaki Fart Battle – Yeah, You Read that Right
Back in the Edo period of Japan (between 1603 and 1868), an artist had a genius and hilarious idea: a Fart Battle. The scroll depicts a flatulent fight between, uh, “warriors”. We are not talking your average after dinner gas. No, this is the gas of the gods! Mighty men who can fart down walls…
Harvest Festival
Japanese harvest and fertility festivals look very odd to our Western eyes. Grounded in Shinto and stretching as far back as 1,500 years ago, these festivals help ensure a good harvest and promote human fertility. What makes the festival odd for us Westerners are the centerpieces: giant wooden penises and vulvas. So I guess you…
The Hibagon–Japanese Bigfoot
If locals are to be believed, something strange stalks the hills and mountains of Hiroshima Prefecture. Reports have come in sporadically since the 1970’s of a five foot tall, hairy, gorilla like creature out in the forest. Japanese Boy Scouts have taken casts of ten inch footprints, and multiple witnesses have reported a creature with…
Gyaru
Gyaru is a combination of the English word “gal” and the Japanese word for girl. What started as a jeans brand slogan morphed into yet another Japanese subculture. Gyaru is a street fashion that we basically would call “glam” here in the States. They wear man made wigs, fake eyelashes, fake nails, and often dye…
Nekomimi
Lately there are a lot of teen and 20-something girls sprouting cat tails and ears around here. Nekomimi must be in the water. Nekomimi ( literally cat ears) is a style of cosplay or anime/manga character that is human in all ways except having cat ears, a tail, and cat like behavior. They are often…