The term Minka might be read as house of the people, and this makes sense from a historical context in Japanese society. The non-samurai classes of merchants, artisans and farmers were put up in these traditional Japanese houses. Since these sorts of class distinctions no longer exist, the term Minka can generally refer to any traditional Japanese home that has a bit of history behind it.

No-ka are technically farm houses. That being said, fishing has always been an important industry in Japan, and Gyoka homes are a variant of No-ka that were built for fishermen. As man farmers could not afford to import expensive materials, no-ka are often made from wood and clay. Grass, straw and bamboo are also common materials. Internal walls were generally made up sliding wooden doors or fusuma screens. Tatami mats covered the floors, and the roofs were made out of either thatch or baked clay tiles. Stone wasn’t usually used for the construction, but it was used to strengthen foundations.

Traditional Japanese architecture is built around the use of wooden columns, and therefore the internal structure is usually not a load bearing design. This is why the interiors of these homes cold be made up of entryways, windows, paper screens and walls that were not fixed in place. There was another interior fixture that fans of Japanese architecture will surely be familiar with, at least in passing.

Gokayama Minka Houses

The irori was a built-in hearth that would be placed somewhere within the raised floor. However, irori hearths don’t actually have a chimney in the way that most fireplaces usually do. Instead, a small smoke vent up in the roof helped to funnel out heat and smoke, so that the inhabitants didn’t have to breath it in. Unfortunately, using this system can cause the thatch to start to go black. Thatch often needed to be replaced because of it. Since oil lamps could be expensive in the days before electric lighting, the hearth was often the sole artificial light source in these homes.

Interestingly, sharing a meal in a traditional Japanese household was a strictly stratified process. The family gathered around the hearth like they would anywhere, but they did so in a particular order. The head of the family sat on one side, and another side was reserved for the lady of the household and female members of the family. The third side was reserved for male members of the household and their guests. The remaining fourth side was used to store firewood.

The Genki II teacher’s set of six CDs for the second portion of the Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese 2 is just as good as the first. The Japanese English-language newspaper, The Japan Times, was instrumental in developing the only Japanese learning system that actually takes its students into account. For those who take the full the course, they will experience an entire set of twenty-three lessons, and this Genki II set is absolutely perfect for anyone who has already taken the first set of lessons.

Just like the first, it is equally at home in the classroom, and the organized textbook and workbook sets that it interfaces with can work perfectly to teach a class in an academic or business environment. Unlike so many others, each of the lessons in this system has helps students to master hiragana, katakana and 300 of the most common Kanji characters. Anyone beginning Japanese, or trying to get up to the third level for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, will find that this language learning set works perfect for his or her own needs.

Those that have the textbook and companion workbook will find that these teacher sets have a complete set of dialogue, vocabulary, comprehension and conversational materials from the text. They are housed in a clamshell case that will hold up to most of the damage that a classroom environment can throw at it, and come complete with a track guide to match them up to the pages in the text. Considering that teaching a number of students can get rather hectic, this will prove to be very handy.

Moreover, teachers will like the fact that these are not the only compact disks that the Genki learning system uses. While the teacher’s sets are indeed the master sets for the classroom, there are student versions for those times when they need to study without guidance from their sensei. Of course, it will be up to the teachers themselves to figure out how to actually get their students to study alone. A CD set can only do so much by itself, but considering how fun this system makes learning Japanese, it might not be too hard after all!

You can order your Japanese language CD from J-list

The DX 3 tier Jubako box with a floating Mari, fan and flower design is truly something special. Naturally, one’s eye might initially turn towards the impeccable workmanship. The design is truly impressive, and needs to be viewed in person to be completely appreciated. That being said, it does not make the stackable nature of this box any less remarkable. While those who want to use it as a mobile bento box will surely want to have a bento belt to keep the contents from spilling out, the three tiers serve an important purpose. They can be used to store different types of food.

For instance, one might want to place rice in the bottom and steam vegetables or meat in the middle section. The top might be reserved for desert or something special after a boxed lunch. The box itself is quite spacious at 7.8 x 7.8 x 6.2 inches, so anyone who wants to grab a meal in this time honored method will certainly find ample room for their food. That is, if one can stop admiring the work done on it. As well as the design on top, everyone’s head will turn at the pattern on the sides of the box as well. Anyone who gets a grip on this Jubako bento box will surely feel like they were Japanese nobility from a bygone era.

Of course, some individuals might feel that it is simply too nice to be used for holding food, and in that case, the ample room might make a great storage place for jewelry. Naturally, with this quality design, the DX 3 tier Jubako certainly stands on its on own as an attractive piece of art. It could easily become the focal point of a room if used as part of a tasteful Japanese motif.

You can purchase your DX 3 Tier Jubako Box here

While using various kanji spellings can sometimes help travelers in Japan differentiate the numerous words that share identical romanized names, it won’t do anyone a lot of good with Masaki. Fortunately, though, the romanji is different in this case. Masaki is in Ehime Prefecture, but the town of Matsumae is in Hokkaido. Travelers certainly wouldn’t want to end up in the wrong prefecture because of a miswritten name!

Of course, Matsumae can be a dynamic place to visit in its own right. However, Masaki boasts a dynamic point of interest that many vacationers should certainly enjoy. The Kubota Palm Garden is not something that should be at all missed. While Japan might have a number of famous botanical gardens, this one is unique because of the heavy focus on Arecaceae. Naturally, as the name suggests, this means that palm trees are a heavy focus. Even if this doesn’t sound interesting, one should give it a try because the enthusiasm of those that work in the facility could easily change that.

Of course, despite the similar kanji, one shouldn’t suggest that Masaki is in competition with Matsumae. However, if they were fighting, the Hokkaido location would have some of its own ammunition. The town shares its name with the Matsumae clan, who was given the area around the town in 1590. Toyotomi Hideyoshi granted the fiefdom, and the modern order came around much later during the Meiji Era. This has left the town with a great deal of history for visitors to explore. Considering that this history includes warlords and foreign expeditions, there is practically nothing about it that could be thought of as boring.

Unsurprisingly, it would be very difficult to say as to which town would make a better vacation. Therefore, the only real way to judge is to see both of them in person.

Those who have already explored the farmer’s markets at Morinosankakuboshi and Yumesanchi will certainly find plenty of other things to do in Kihoku. While the western imagination might consider Japan to be a country obsessed with modernity, the nation has perhaps more pride in their natural beauty than any other. A visit to the Narukawa Valley should prove this to anyone. Hikers, campers and fishers will certainly enjoy the natural amenities. The scenic valley is beautiful, and simply gazing at the area should be enough to settle the spirit. Of course, that isn’t to say that physical needs aren’t thought of as well, and visitors will be able to treat themselves to a meal of pheasant at the lodge that accompanies the valley. For those who want to have a traditional bath, the valley also boasts an onsen.

The Yasumorido Somennagashi is something of a seasonal attraction, and is open between mid-July and the end of August. Clumps of somen noodles get forces through a trough and customers pick them out with their own chopsticks. A dipping sauce is provided, and the process is really quite unique. A small pond is located nearby, and is stocked trout for those who’d like to enjoy some fishing. Of course, the Yasumorishonyu Cave attracts people during the hot summer months because of the cool temperature it boasts.

The Kawanobori Ekiden is a so-called river climbing relay race that consists of teams that rush along the Hiromi River. Though they can run in shallow areas, each single step must land in the water. As well as this one of a kind athletic event, the town also hosts a Tetsujin iron-man race for individual runners. Perhaps it isn’t so strange, then, that professional baseball player Tadashi Shiba is from the town. A dynamic and athletic area was probably also a great home for Tadashi Hyodo, who was the first female in Japan to gain a pilot’s license.

Since it is located to the north of Mt. Onigajo, the name of Kihoku in Ehime Prefecture reflects where it is. Naturally, this makes it a great place from which to enjoy the Onigajo rage, and it often receives crisp weather because of the elevation. Those who enjoy the cool mountain air should certainly enjoy Kihoku, though it can be warmer than Matsuyama or Uwajima at certain times of the year. Nevertheless, snowfall usually does not stick for too long and the summers bring some heat and humidity. As with many places in this area of Japan, the rainy season in June and July has become quite famous.

During the day, one can find a train between Uwajima and Kihoku nearly every hour. Travelers who aren’t hurried should feel comfortable with the several buses that move daily, and Route 320 also connects the town to Uwajima. It really is a great place to explore the small town feel that many Japanese tours lack, and the town relies on agriculture. The Dechikonka festival is, to many visitors, a celebration of the local delicacy: pheasant. Nabemono stew made from pheasant is made for the festival, and is given away. Local economic activities also include pottery, wood and numerous other agricultural products.

Naturally, with all of this farming, visitors will want to visit the farmer’s markets that the town boasts. Morinosankakuboshi is located in Hiromi, and features vegetables as well as rice. There are numerous local products sold in the area. Those with adventurous pallets might want to dip into the boar curry, but there are other foods being bought and sold in the adjacent marketplace. Those looking for souvenirs might also want to try Yumesanchi in Hiyoshi. Vegetables, rice and other food products are again highlights, but shops there have a much wider variety than one might otherwise expect.

If someone says that they are headed off on a vacation to Ichinomiya, it can be confusing to say the least. Ichinomiya refers to the first shrine in each of the old provinces of Japan. This means that there are numerous places in the country that share that same name. Anyone who wants to head off to the attractive sandy beaches of the Kujukuri-hama, though, will certainly want to head for the Ichinomiya in Chiba Prefecture. Getting to the destination should not be too difficult, considering that the Kujukuri Toll Road is in a convenient position. Japan National Route 128 connects Tateyama and Chuo-ku, and might be a great way for those who are using the highway system.

The Kujukuri-hama, or Kujukuri Beach, is one of the most popular places to swim and surf for individuals who live in the Greater Tokyo area. The name refers to the old ri unit of measurement; Minamoto no Yoritomo measured the beach at 99 ri. Since the distance that made up a ri later changed, many people these days incorrectly feel that the beach’s name is a simple reference to the long distance. The sanderling is a small bird that can often be seen on spring and fall days to look for food; any visitor to the beach will certainly want to look out for these busy flying workers.

In particular, the Ichinomiya name in this case refers to the Tamasaki Shrine. This historical landmark features an annual festival on September 13. The kagura performances that the Shrine holds are considered to be an Intangible Cultural Property of Chiba Prefecture. Kagura is a type of theatrical dance in the Shinto community that translates to god entertainment, and it has a long and storied tradition. This cultural and religious monument is certainly not something to miss.

The majestic Shuri Castle stands in Naha, Okinawa. Though it was wrecked during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, the historical site was laboriously reconstructed in 1992. Developing plans that would be authentic and faithful to the original structure took a massive amount of information. Individual memories were studied just as much as photographs and records to build it once again. Nevertheless, the new Shuri Castle site welcomes visitors to this unique part of Japan. The area around the castle has been named Shuri Castle Park, and it was welcomed to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 2000. No travel package to Okinawa should pass up this attraction.

There was a period of almost five centuries when this site was the very heart of the historical Ryukyuan Kingdom. In 1879, when Okinawa became part of the burgeoning Japanese state, the castle passed into Japanese hands. Having been the center of political and cultural life in the previous period, it has a remarkable architectural flavor. Okinawan strongholds have a distinctive look that is quite remarkable, and referred to as gusuku. For those who enjoy their time at Shuri, an excursion can be planned to a number of other similar sites. Castle touring can be an excellent way to explore the cultural experience of an area in Japan that is very different form the rest of the nation.

Even if one doesn’t have enough time to spend a full day at the Shuri site, they can at least pause and reflect for a few moments at the Sonohyan-utaki Ishimon if they are in the Naha-shi area. Though it may not be as majestic as the former, it shares UNESCO recognition with Shuri and marks the point of an important grove. This utaki area is sacred, and comprises the trees and plants that are within the area.

There are those that have the idea that Kyoto’s position as a cultural center has made it a stuffy and dull place. For some people, history will always be boring. However, it really doesn’t need to be. For those that enjoy history, a visit to any of the 17 titled Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto is a fascinating proposition. Those that don’t find that interesting might still find that a few places are still exciting, however.

The period drama genre known as Jidaigeki has an interesting relationship with the city, and even the most jaded visitors will want to check out the Toei Uzumasa Eigamura where many samurai action films were shot. The Eigamura complex has numerous mock ups of famous traditional Japanese sites that are used for filming. Occasionally, a film will actually still be shot there and visitors to the complex are actually invited to have a look.

Shijo Street is the end all to shopping in the city, and it has changed quite a bit since the time of its naming. The term refers to it being the fourth street in Heian-kyo, which was the ancient capital at Kyoto. While it may still be as charming as it was in 19th century photographs, today there are numerous methods of modern public transportation to help people around the city.

The Hankyu Kyoto Line goes underneath the street, and has stations at Omiya, Karasuma, Kawaramachi and Nishioji. The street goes east to west straight through the commercial heart of Kyoto, and this should put it on the top of anyone’s list that is interested in modern shopping. Interestingly, the city has a ban on smoking in this district. The eastern end of the street is home to the Yasaka Shrine, and the intersections often feature delightful department stores. Kyoto doesn’t have to be a dull stop.

Most foreign language textbooks are quite dull, but the Genki I Teacher’s set of six CDs is an Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese that actually follows the pace of students learning the language. Anyone who has tried to pick up a book on the topic was probably hit over the head with very boring business situations and such. However, The Japan Times has finally created this great course that actually takes students into consideration. That newspaper has an interesting history, and it was originally created in 1897 by Motosada Zumoto to allow Japanese readers a chance to view the news in English.

The course itself has twenty-three lessons in total, and it does not simply teach individuals to read hiragana and katakana as many series do. Instead, it actually guides new students of the Japanese language to be able to decode more than 300 common Kanji characters. This particular set of CDs is perfect for those who are working with the textbook and workbook for the part one of the Genki series. This comprises the first twelve lessons, and each of the CDs is jam packed with dialogue and conversation practice sessions. Moreover, there are grammar sections and Listening Comprehension sections recorded on the discs, which means that almost all of the Japanese from the books are here.

Each lesson has sets of dialogue, vocabulary, and grammar with English explanation. The text contains usage notes and additional material, for those who already possess it. Those who have textbooks and workbooks will also be happy to have the included guide that shows which tracks correspond to which parts of the written text. The set is also built to last, and stored in a special clamshell case that can take a bit of punishment. It will need to, since learning a new language can be frustrating! Then again, with the Genki set, it never has to be, and even the Japanese Language Proficiency Test doesn’t have to be difficult with this design.