お酒 (おさけ - osake) - Sake

お酒 or "rice wine" as it's sometimes mistakenly called, is a piece of Japanese culture and history that's been filling flasks and seasoning dishes for the better part of 2000 years. In fact, domestically it's known as 日本酒 (にほんしゅ - nihonshu) or "Japanese alcohol", which should give you some idea of its sway. With 2000 breweries currently operating in Japan and exporting internationally, the お酒 business appears to be booming - it now comes in as many varieties as wine or beer and can accompany cuisine from all over the world. It can be served hot in 冬 (ふゆ - fuyu - winter), cold in 夏 (なつ - natsu - summer) or at room temperature in between; you won't be left wanting for choice if you want to experience お酒 for yourself.

広島 (ひろしま) - Hiroshima

Approximately 90 minutes from 神戸 (こうべ - Kobe) and 大阪 (おおさか - Osaka) on the 新幹線 (しんかんせん - Shinkansen) lies 広島, one of the largest cities in Western 本州 (ほんしゅう - Honshu). Unfortunately 広島 is best known as the site of the world's first 原爆 (げんばく - genbaku - atomic bomb) attack but it definitely deserves more credit than that; like 長崎 (ながさき - Nagasaki), the real triumph is how quickly it has risen from the ashes as a gorgeous, bustling city in its own right. The scars are still there if you look closely, but don't let that be your only reason for visiting.

Japaneats その10 – 寿司 (すし) - Sushi

No discussion of Japanese food would be complete without 寿司, the most instantly recognisable example of them all. In a few short years, 寿司 has gone from an Eastern curiosity to a worldwide staple, evolving to suit local tastes wherever it goes. For all intents and purposes, it's the sandwich of Japan - the product of an intense dislike of cutlery and as simple or fussy as you like it. Whether it's enjoyed as a halfway-out-the-door snack on the run or a proper sit down meal,  寿司 is a healthy, versatile food that you can enjoy on almost any budget.

長崎 (ながさき) - Nagasaki

長崎 is unsurprisingly the capital of 長崎県 (ながさきけん - nagasakiken - Nagasaki Prefecture) and one of the largest cities in 九州 (きゅうしゅう - Kyushu), southwest of the main Japanese island of 本州 (ほんしゅう - Honshu). Throughout several hundred years of Japan's history, it served as a prominent port and trading post - one of the country's only windows to the world during its isolation. Unfortunately that's not the main claim to fame; as we all know, in 1945 長崎 became infamous as the second and last city to be struck by a nuclear warhead. Today, the bombing is just one dark chapter in the long and colourful history of 長崎 - let's open the book and start from the beginning.

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.

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.

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.

京都その１ (きょうとそのいち - Kyouto sono ichi) - Kyoto, part one

It's hard to think of Japan without 京都 springing to mind; it's one of the old capitals of Japan, hosts tens of millions of tourists each year and boasts around two thousand temples and shrines. It's also very straightforward to get to by 電車 (でんしゃ - densha - train) or 新幹線 (しんかんせん - shinkansen), which is just as well because you'll probably need two days to even scratch the surface. Fortunately I'll be doing most of the hard work for you this time - two posts for a two day trip. Don't forget your camera!

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.

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.

Places to visit in Hyogo 3: 神戸 (こうべ - Kobe)

It may be a bit redundant to call 神戸 a "place to visit in Hyogo", because chances are that if you come to Hyogo, you'll at least pass through. Nevertheless, I think it's time we had a bit of a look at the capital city of 兵庫県 (ひょうごけん - Hyogo Prefecture), my home away from home.

神社とお寺の違い - jinja to otera no chigai - The difference between shrines and temples

This is something I've wondered for a while and maybe you have too. The terms "shrine" and "temple" are used almost interchangeably, but there are differences. Given that I visited Nagata Shrine a couple of weeks ago and just got back from Zenkou Temple in Nagano, I figured it was a good time to try and spot them.

節分 - せつぶん - Setsubun

節分, or the Bean Throwing Festival, is a ceremony that occurs on the 3rd of February each year. This is the last day of Winter according to the Chinese calendar, the 4th being 立春 (りっしゅん - risshun) - the first day of Spring.

It didn't feel very springy to me when I headed out, but I pulled on my coat and braved the cold anyway. Setsubun is not a public holiday, but it is quite a significant part of the Japanese calendar and a lot of shrines have special events throughout the day and evening. For that reason, I caught the train out to one of Kobe's three big shrines and spent an evening with the ogres.