侍 (さむらい) - Samurai

侍 are without a doubt one of Japan's best known historical figures; the image of the proud warrior standing strong to his last breath is inseparable from almost any part of the nation's ancient history and culture. Like 忍者 (にんじゃ - ninja) though, it doesn't take long before the history ends and the fantasy begins. Let's try to keep the demons and magic swords to a minimum - the stories and legacies of some of Japan's most famous 侍 are amazing enough as they are.

日本の四つの季節その4：冬 (にほんのよつのきせつそのよん：ふゆ） - The Four Seasons of Japan 4: Winter

冬 (ふゆ - fuyu - Winter) is the first and last season of the Japanese year, its icy fingers officially taking hold in December and refusing to loosen until the start of 春 (はる - haru - Spring) in early April. Like 夏 (なつ - natsu - Summer), 冬 takes up more than its fair share of the year and it's just as uncomfortable, particularly for people used to living south of the Equator. Having said that, it can be extraordinarily beautiful, it plays host to one of the most spectacular festivals of the year and best of all, noone will notice your クリスマス (Christmas) kilos under that big coat. Grab your scarf and gloves, because it's cold out there.

お正月 (おしょうがつ - Oshougatsu) - New Year

A very belated あけましておめでとうございます (akemashite omedetou gozaimasu - Happy New Year) - and welcome to 2011! If you're like a lot of Australians, your クリスマス (kurisumasu - Christmas) probably completely overshadowed New Year and if you're like me, you rang in 2011 with a nice casual barbeque or something to that effect. お正月 goes a bit beyond grabbing a spare gas bottle and firing up the grill; it's steeped in tradition from the food to the festivities and needs to be planned far in advance. Let's have a look and see how it works on this side of the pond - before, during and after the countdown to midnight.

クリスマス (kurisumasu) - Christmas

Suddenly, it seems to be well and truly that time of year again; with an abrupt cold snap announcing the start of 冬 (ふゆ - fuyu - Winter), everyone seems to be following Rudolph's lead. Despite Japan not celebrating クリスマス to any great extent, decorations are up in the shops and a lot of people seem to be getting into the spirit with wreaths hung on their doors and twinkling lights strung up across their balconies. At first glance things seem much the same here as at home, but let's park the sleigh and have a proper look at exactly what the silly season is like in Japan; I bet my fake beard there'll be a few surprises in store.

お中元とお歳暮 (おちゅうげんとおせいぼ - ochuugen to oseibo) - Mid-year and end of year gifts

Japan has always had a strong gift-giving culture that predates recent imports like バレンタインデー (barentain de-) Valentine's Day and クリスマス (kurisumasu - Christmas); お中元 (おちゅうげん - ochuugen - mid-year gifts) and the corresponding お歳暮 (おせいぼ - oseibo - end of year gifts) have been traditions since feudal times. They're sometimes known as Summer and Winter gifts, due to the arrival of お中元 just before 夏休み (なつやすみ - natsu yasumi - Summer holidays) and お歳暮 just as 冬 (ふゆ - fuyu - Winter) starts to bite. Wondering why that big box has arrived at your door days after you'd be expecting any クリスマス presents? Wonder no more - 'tis the season for giving, in more ways than one!

日本の四つの季節その3：秋 (にほんのよつのきせつそのさん：あき） - The Four Seasons of Japan 3: Autumn

秋 (あき - aki - Autumn) is widely considered the best season of the year in Japan, sharing a very comfortable temperature range with 春 (はる - haru - Spring). While 春 is associated with the excitement of new beginnings, in some ways 秋 is much more subdued; it's a time to relax, reflect and enjoy the weather as it cools the scorching highs of 夏 (なつ - natsu - Summer). Having said that, 紅葉狩り (もみじがり - momijigari - Autumn leaf viewing, literally "maple hunting") is as big a deal as 花見 (はなみ - hanami - cherry blossom viewing) and when you start seeing whole hillsides turning blazing red, I'm sure you'll understand why.

七五三 (しちごさん - shichi go san) - 7-5-3

七五三 is a coming-of-age festival that takes place on or around the 15th of November every year. Children aged three, five and seven are taken to 神社 (じんじゃ - jinja - shrines) nationwide and offered blessings by the priests to ensure good fortune and longevity. What makes this most interesting to watch is that all the kids are dressed to the nines in 着物 (きもの - kimono) or Western-style suits for the occasion; they totter along beside their parents like little stunt doubles. On an otherwise fairly gloomy day at 生田神社 (いくたじんじゃ - ikuta jinja - Ikuta Shrine) in 三宮 (さんのみや - Sannomiya), all the bright colours were a very welcome addition.

学校の生活その5：体育祭 (がっこうのせいかつその5：たいいくさい - gakkou no seikatsu sono go: taiikusai) - School Lifestyle 5: Sports Festival

Another major school event on the Japanese calendar is the 体育祭, similar in some respects to the sports/athletics carnivals we have at home. Like comparing school fetes with the 文化祭 (ぶんかさい - bunkasai - culture festival) though, the difference is really in the scale and level of commitment. Students and teachers spend weeks beforehand rehearsing to make sure everything goes off without a hitch. Aside from the intricacy involved and pride in the event itself, this may be because some of the events are very dangerous; others are just rather strange. The ones that tick both boxes are probably the most fun of all!

お盆 (おぼん) - Obon

お盆 (or just 盆 - ぼん - Bon) is a Buddhist festival that happens during the middle of Summer across the whole of Japan. Similar to Mexico's Day of the Dead, it's a time where people's ancestors are said to return to the world of the living. It's also one of the busiest times of year to travel, with thousands of travellers returning to their families for the occasion; if you wanted to experience being pushed on to a crowded train firsthand, お盆 would be a very good time for it.

So what is お盆 and what does it involve, exactly? Let's find out.

日本の四つの季節その２：夏 (にほんのよつのきせつそのに：なつ） - The Four Seasons of Japan 2: Summer

夏 (なつ - natsu - Summer) is the next big season in Japan, where the grey clouds of 梅雨 (つゆ - tsuyu - the rainy season) finally give way to sweltering tropical heat. It's not all sweat and sunburn though - among other things, 夏 plays host to some of the best festivals of the Japanese calendar; balmy nights with special events, games, food and ice-cold drinks.

Grab your fan, it's going to be a hot one.

京都その２ (きょうとそのに - Kyouto sono ni) - Kyoto, part two

In my opinion, the best part of 京都 is the sheer number of things to see and do there. As I mentioned last week, there are thousands of temples and shrines, ranging from huge tourist favourites to tiny places tucked out of sight; it's easy to find something new every time you visit. Today we'll take a look at some of the slightly smaller places - still popular, but not swarming with as many people as last time. I hope you still have your walking shoes on.

祇園祭 (ぎおんまつり - Gion Matsuri) - Gion Festival

祇園祭 takes place every year in 京都 (きょうと - Kyoto) and is considered one of the "big three" festivals of Japan. It happens throughout July, culminating in a parade of floats on the 17th. Several of the roads of the 祇園 (Gion) district are reserved for pedestrians and huge shrines stacked with people, intricate tapestries and carved gold leaf rumble through the streets. So huge, in fact, that overhead power lines have had to be relocated in the past to stop the shrines getting caught on them. Did I mention many of them have trees on top as well? I may be overstressing the point, but it's certainly been a while since I've heard "boring" and "festival" in the same sentence.

オタクの世界 (おたくのせかい - otaku no sekai) - The world of "otaku"

There seems to be some disagreement about what "オタク" actually are but for the sake of brevity, let's just call them "nerds", "geeks" and as some people on the internet call them, "fanboys/fangirls". Essentially, they're people with an obsession; their lives seemingly revolve around something that isn't nearly as important to other people. This is commonly referred to in Japan as a マニア (mania), which is why オタク are sometimes called マニアック (maniacs). Given that this is the land of アニメ (anime), マンガ (manga) and テレビゲーム (terebi geemu - video games) these are the most common マニア which I'll be focusing on today, but there are others. One of my coworkers is a self-confessed 電車オタク (でんしゃおたく - densha otaku - "train geek") and I'm told this isn't uncommon! Next stop, オタクの世界.

The word オタク started out as derogatory - it had the same connotations as "loser" or "freak", but that's started to change. Some people now wear it as a badge of honour, but it can still cause offence for those who don't. The modern オタク community has properly found its feet on the internet with Japanese image and chat boards such as 2channel (pronounced "二チャンネル" - ni channeru). Forums like this offer オタク the chance to post anonymously on thousands of different topics; most Japanese internet slang, jokes and pop culture come from boards like 2channel. Sometimes they even blossom into full-blown cultural phenomena. Probably the most famous example of this was an incident known as 電車男 (でんしゃおとこ - densha otoko - train man). It involved a romantically clumsy オタク who spent several months getting advice from posters about how he could win over a girl he met on the train one day. True or not, it ended up being made into several マンガ series and even turned into a soap opera! This is definitely worth Googling.

Not all オタク are shrinking violets, mind you - there are many public events and conventions that cater to their hunger for collectibles and spending time with like-minded people. These are sometimes known as オタコン ("otacon"), which is a Japanese shortening of the words "オタク" and "convention". At these, オタク are able to buy マンガ, フィギュア ("figyua" - figurines of popular characters), prints based on their favourite series and almost any other merchandise you can imagine. If it exists, someone collects it.

Perhaps the most interesting part of オタコン and other events is the コスプレ ("cosplay"). This is another Japanese shortening of "costume" and "play", basically meaning fancy dress. Given the dedication of some people to their art, the results can be amazing, as I found out when I visited this year's "Osaka Street Festa".

This might not be quite what you imagine when you think of reserved, measured Japan! The surging crowds spoke for themselves, though - hundreds of オタク dressed in specially made costumes, wigs and all. When the hair was too impractical to be real, they just made it themselves!

The Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon and Dragonball fans were out in force and for every one cosplayer there were ten people there to take photos.

Some of the cosplayers themselves even had the cameras out - these One Piece fans in particular didn't want to let the opportunity for some good photos get away.

Not everyone was dressed up as modern characters of course, like this cosplayer dressed as 食い倒れ太郎 (くいだおれたろう - kuidaore tarou). He's an old clown-like drummer puppet that stands outside a restaurant in Osaka, who's become a bit of a symbol of the city. His name roughly translates to "eat until you collapse Tarou", which must be something Osaka is renowned for!

In what would have to be the strangest part of the event, the cleaners then showed up in full costume. I think it's the only time I'll ever see people in samurai costumes picking up rubbish on the street! Welcome to オタクの世界, where even the cleaners enjoy a little コスプレ. I find it amazing that such a large community has sprung up from what must have been humble roots - such is the power of the internet and two-speed Japanese culture. オタク rejoice, and rest assured that whatever kind of マニア you have, there'll be plenty of other マニアック you can share it with. They might even help you make your costume.

文化祭、続き (ぶんかさい、つづき - bunkasai, tsuzuki) - Culture Festival, continued

Having enjoyed my other school's 文化祭 over the weekend, I thought I'd make a followup to the last Culture Festival post and share some of the photos with you. This one had a different focus with less emphasis on "indoorsy" cultural activities and cafes and more on hot food; a lot of the stalls braved the darkening skies, set up their outdoor griddles and got down to some hard-core food preparation. Despite the different take on things, it was no less fun this time around - in fact, their slogan for this year was "Create Fun". Did they manage to do it? See for yourself!

だんじり祭り - Danjiri Matsuri

While not quite as out of control as the 裸祭り (はだかまつり - Naked Festival), the だんじり祭り is still a bit of a sight to behold. A だんじり is a portable shrine that looks like a room-sized temple on wooden cart wheels. Several of these are filled with gongs, drums and people who aim to make as much noise as possible as they lumber tirelessly through the streets. The best bit? The only way to turn them seems to be to do a wheelie. It's like watching history's first monster truck rally.

ゴールデンウィーク (Golden Week)

ゴールデンウィーク (often shortened to the letters "GW" in Japan) is arguably the biggest holiday season in Japan, along with お盆 (おぼん - Obon) in mid-August and シルバーウィーク (Silver Week) in mid-late September. GW is basically a string of public holidays spanning from late April to early May that usually mean at least five days off work. It's the perfect excuse for Japan to pack her bags and go just about everywhere else you can imagine for a well-earned break. The only problem with travelling during GW is that everyone else has the same idea!

学校の生活その2：文化祭 (がっこうのせいかつその2：ぶんかさい - gakkou no seikatsu sono ni: bunkasai) - School Lifestyle 2: Culture Festival

The 文化祭, usually translated as "Culture Festival" or "School Festival" is a yearly event held at every high school in Japan and is probably the biggest one on the calendar. The teachers and students prepare months in advance and the time leading up to it is one of frenzied activity and anticipation. What's all the fuss about? Let's have a look and find out.

Places to visit in Hyogo 2: 姫路 (ひめじ - Himeji)

A trip to 兵庫県 (ひょうごけん - hyogo ken - Hyogo Prefecture) wouldn't be complete without visiting 姫路, about 45 minutes by train from 神戸 (こうべ - Kobe). 姫路 is a relaxed, pleasant city with a population of about half a million - big enough to keep you amused without being as rush-rush as a big city. It's best known for the gorgeous 姫路城 (ひめじじょう - himejijou - Himeji Castle) which one of the top 3 castles in Japan, a majestic white beast nicknamed the "White Heron Castle". Don't let the gentle name fool you though, this lady was built to kill.

日本の四つの季節その１：春 (にほんのよつのきせつそのいち：はる） - The Four Seasons of Japan 1: Spring

One of the first questions I was asked when I came to Japan was "how many seasons are there in Australia?". You would be surprised how often this comes up. A lot of people seemed shocked or sceptical when I replied that we have four as well. I think the word their question is missing is "distinct" - we have names for each season, but how different are they in real terms? Once you spend a decent amount of time in Japan and compare it to Australia, you do have to admit that the difference between each season is much starker here. Or you could just read this series and I'll do my best to illustrate it for you.

On a language note, "the four seasons" can be formally written as 春夏秋冬 (しゅんかしゅうとう - shunkashuutou). It's just the kanji for spring, summer, autumn and winter stuck together which I think is very sensible. One of the teachers who sits next to me says that if you can use this when speaking to a Japanese person, they'll think you're "very cool".

バレンタインデーとホワイトデー (barentain de- to howaito de-) Valentine's Day and White Day

Sunday was ホワイトデー in Japan, which is a very similar followup to バレンタインデー that takes place one month later on March 14th. Why do they need two separate days? The answer is fairly simple, if a little strange.