What are Yokai?
Every culture has its own take on mysterious happenings. Especially in pre-modern times when many of the subtler workings of the world...
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Apr 14, 20214 min read
Which Miso Do I Need?
Here’s a scenario: you’ve got your recipe picked out and all of your ingredients in order. Except one-- miso paste. So you head into the...
Apr 14, 20212 min read
The Surprise Inside: Gachapon and Blind Boxes
Here at Maido, we have sets of toys you may have seen. Small boxes no bigger than the palm of your hand feature brightly decorated...
Mar 25, 20217 min read
Japanese Incense: Culture, History and Buying Guide!
According to legend, incense first made its way to Japan by sea, though not in the way you might think. The Nihon Shoki, a book of...
Mar 7, 20212 min read
Shunbun no Hi: The First Day of Spring
Did you know, in Japan, the coming of spring is celebrated with a national holiday? Shunbun no Hi, or Vernal Equinox Day is a public...
Jan 15, 20213 min read
The Way of Tea: About Japanese Tea Ceremonies
Picture this: a small house with a low door surrounded by a tranquil garden. The inside of the house is sparsely decorated. The walls are...
Jan 6, 20212 min read
Breaking into the New Year: The Tradition of Kagami Biraki
New Year’s festivities in Japan are fairly intense and involved compared to their American counterparts. Traditionally, New Year’s is...
Dec 2, 20202 min read
Maido Holiday Gift Guide 2020!
The holidays are approaching and that means gift giving season is upon us! Our gift shop has everything you need to surprise the...
Dec 2, 20202 min read
Oseibo: Giving Gifts of Gratitude
Long before the arrival of Christmas in Japan, there was another winter-gift giving tradition-- Oseibo. Paired with a summer counterpart,...
Nov 4, 20202 min read
Tori no Ichi
Every year in November, at the Temple of Tori (Juzaisan Chokoku-Ji) in Asakusa, Tokyo is a magnificent, open-air market. This fair,...
Oct 26, 20202 min read
Halloween in Japan
Candy, costumes, and purple and orange decorations are the hallmarks of Halloween in Japan. Halloween is a fairly recent addition to the...
Oct 14, 20203 min read
Sampuru: Sculptures that Look Good Enough to Eat!
Decorating the front windows of restaurants in Japan are glistening, beautiful samples of what you’ll find served inside. Plates full of...
Sep 25, 20202 min read
Tsukimi: Viewing the Harvest Moon
Tsukimi, which translates literally to “moon viewing” is a Japanese harvest festival that takes place on the full moon nearest to the...
Sep 18, 20202 min read
Momiji-gari: Chasing the Red Leaf
Much like the cherry blossoms in the spring, the turning color of fall leaves has a special place in Japanese culture. For hundreds of...
Aug 28, 20203 min read
Japanese Kitchen Knives: A Cut Above the Rest
As with many crafts in Japan, knife making has been refined through the generations to make Japanese some of the best in the world....
Aug 15, 20202 min read
Gozan no Okuribi: A Burning Send-off
Each year, on August 16 as the culmination of Obon, five massive burning characters appear on the mountains surrounding Kyoto once the...
Jul 22, 20202 min read
Obon: A Dance to the Ancestors
Right around mid-August people gather together in Japan for a holiday. They return to their hometowns, visit cemeteries to leave...
Jul 22, 20202 min read
Bring in the Luck with Maneki Neko!
A figure of a white calico cat sits, holding a coin in one paw, and beckoning onlookers with it’s other paw raised by its head. This is...
Jul 13, 20202 min read
Natsu Matsuri All Summer Long
When the rainy season comes to an end, and true summer is finally underway, a steady stream of Natsu Matsuri, or Summer Festivals,...
Jun 29, 20203 min read
Make A Wish on Tanabata
Brightly colored strips of paper hang from the branches of a bamboo tree, each one inscribed with a short wish. Streamers fly, hung on...
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